This year's DPC Annual Reception and Award Ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 17th, from 6-8 PM, at the Microsoft NERD Center at 1 Memorial Dr, Cambridge, MA 02142.

Our lead sponsor this year will be Commonwealth Care Alliance  and we thank them for their longtime support of our work.

We have two fantastic awardees this year, and one very special honor to bestow. 

In recognition of his years championing disability rights issues in the legislature, Senator Jamie Eldridge will be receiving the Menino Award.

In recognition of her ongoing and impactful efforts to bring consumer voices into health policy, and her longtime service as a DPC board member, Ellen Breslin will be receiving the Mary Lou Maloney Award.

Finally, in celebration of his fearless leadership of the DPC for over five years, and all his accomplishments in a career of advancing disability rights in Massachusetts, the night's "main event" will be a roast of John Winske. Trust us, you won't want to miss it.

Thanks to the contributions of our generous sponsors and donors, we have already raised more than $35,000 for DPC through this event. Our goal is $50,000, and with your help, we know we can get there. To contribute, or to purchase a ticket, please click here.  See you on the 17th!

DPC is collaborating with researchers at Brandeis University on research on problems with opioids use (addiction/misuse) in the disability community. We are currently recruiting for a focus group to be held in Boston, MA and one-on-one interviews. We are looking for people with lived experience with a disability who have had problems with using (addiction/misuse) opioid medications including painkillers such as oxycodone, and other opioids such as heroin, and fentanyl.

Participants will receive a $25 gift card, and lunch/ refreshments will be served at the focus group. Anyone interested in participating in the focus group or one-on-one telephone interviews can call DPC at 617-307-7775 or email Pili at [email protected] for more information.

Please help us spread the word

Flyer in MS Word

Flyer in Adobe PDF

We have a chance to stop a massive human rights violation against people with disabilities in Massachusetts. A petition has been filed to get a question on the state ballot for 2020 that would ban the use of electrical shocks, hitting, pinching, deprivation of food or sleep, and other things intended solely and deliberately to cause pain on people with disabilities, and to make it the law that if it is illegal to do something to a non-disabled person, it is illegal to do it to a disabled person.

We need to gather as many signatures as possible before Thanksgiving to get this on the ballot. Volunteer shifts will be in one-hour blocks, and you can sign up for as few or as many as you want. To sign up or learn more, please email Lenny Somervell at [email protected].

2019 National Survey on Health and Disability

We want to know how your access to health care and insurance may be affecting your life.

The NIDILRR-funded Collaborative on Health Reform and Independent Living (CHRIL) is looking for adults with disabilities to complete an online survey about health insurance and health care services. Whether you have private insurance, insurance from an employer, TRICARE, Medicaid, Medicare or no insurance right now please complete the survey.

• Adults, 18 and over, with any type of disability, mental or physical health condition are encouraged to participate
• The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete
• Responses are anonymous
• To complete the survey, go to: 2019 National Survey on Health and Disability (or copy & paste into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/NSHD2019).

Whether or not you complete the survey, you can choose to enter a drawing to win one of ten $100 gift cards. If you prefer to take the survey over the phone or have any questions about participating, please call toll-free 1-855-556-6328 (Voice/TTY) or email [email protected].

At Hulu, we've been working to deliver a more accessible experience so that all viewers can stream their favorite shows and movies to their heart's content. As part of these efforts, we made accessible design the main focus of our summer hackathon and launched an audio description hub on our web platform earlier this year. The audio description hub allows viewers to find content with audio descriptions quickly and easily. And the changes don't stop there.

Today, we're announcing more improvements to our accessibility features on Hulu.

For this round of improvements, we focused on text legibility and screen reader capabilities. Viewers will experience easier-to-read text as we've enhanced the text opacity to improve readability. This update will be applied automatically for all our users.

To enable the screen reader - also referred to as the audio guide on some devices - head over to your device's settings to turn on the feature. Screen readers assist viewers with visual impairments by vocally guiding them through the Hulu platform.

These updates will be available on the Roku® platform starting today and will continue rolling out to Android, tvOS, iOS and more living room devices in the coming weeks.

Recently, the Boston Globe had a story about customers with disabilities being frustrated by how long it takes the MBTA to bring new or restored elevators into service.  The story had numerous quotes from advocates and can be found here. 

When:  Monday, October 21, 2019,  10:00 A.M. - Noon

Where:  Massachusetts State House,  24 Beacon Street, 122 Bowdoin St., Boston, MA 02108

Join us as we celebrate White Cane Safety Awareness and the importance of the White Cane law.

Come meet the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Commissioner, David D'Arcangelo, listen to speakers, hear music from the Perkins School Chamber Singers, visit the White Cane repair table as well as additional informational tables.

White Cane & Guide Dog users are welcome to attend, along with their families, co-workers, friends, teachers, Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialists and others.

Light refreshments will be served.

Please Register to Attend Here

ADA accommodations are due by October 4th. For more information contact [email protected]

Thanks to our sponsors: Baystate Council of the Blind, Mass. National Federation of the Blind and the Lions Club of Massachusetts

 

When:  Saturday,  October 26, 2019, 7:30 P.M.

Where:  Regent Theatre, 7 Medford Street, Arlington, MA

"With sold out productions and rave reviews throughout the country (including Carnegie Hall), Silent NO MORE makes its debut in the Boston area for ONE NIGHT ONLY. The production features a cast of individuals with hearing loss, including renowned comedienne Kathy Buckley and Rebecca Alexander, who share their emotional, hilarious, and poignant life stories.

To reserve complimentary tickets, please email [email protected] with the names of your guests, phone number, and number of tickets needed.

There are a limited number of complimentary tickets available, so please reserve your seats as soon as possible!

Q&A with cast members will follow the performance. Be part of this theatrical documentary that will leave you awe-inspired!"

**ASL interpreters and captioning will be provided.**

When:  Wednesday, October 30, 2019, 3:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.

Where:  Online

When:  Wednesday, October 16, 2019, 10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.

Where:  Massachusetts State House, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA

Please come and join us for a unified celebration of Disability Mentoring and Employment opportunities for individuals with varied abilities and strengths. The day will include many opportunities for support leading to the employment and vocational resources of the various partnerships throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This unique collaboration of Provider and State Agencies will offer three distinct areas of potential growth for individuals seeking meaningful work. These areas will include:

1. In the Great Hall-Massachusetts Employers looking for potential job applicants or companies offering internship possibilities.

2. In the Nurses Hall-There will be a vocational specialist to assist with resume and cover letter critique. For individuals wondering how employment will affect their benefit and entitlements there will be Certified Work Incentive Counselors available to answer basic questions in both English and Spanish!

3. Outside the Grand Staircase will be technology professionals who will discuss and provide guidance regarding tools for accommodation to work needs and make returning to employment. 

Collaborators/Sponsors for this event include but aren't limited to:

MAAPSE-Massachusetts Association of Supporting Employment

MAPRC-Massachusetts Psychiatric Recovery Collaborative

Eastern MA Peer Network

Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission

Massachusetts Commission for the Blind

Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Department of Developmental Service and Bureau of State Office

U MASS Medical School-BenePlan

Starbucks Coffee Company

If you want to participate or have questions, contact Jenn Hinde at 617-484-0193 or [email protected].

For more information, here is a flyer in MS Word and here is a flyer in Adobe Format.