MassAbility

03/24/2026

Are you heading to this year’s Brain Injury Association conference on March 25th and 26th? Connect with MassAbility! Look for the MassAbility table and attend our panels.

Wednesday, March 25th, 1:45 pm-3:45 pm
Stop, Look, and Listen: Making Assessments Work for All: Hear from MassAbility’s Statewide Head Injury Program Regional Program Coordinator Rob Mendel on how to use a human-centered approach ton conduct effective, ethical, and culturally sensitive assessments for individuals with acquired brain injuries.

Thursday, March 26th, 1:30 pm-3:30 pm
Breaking Barriers: Brain Injury Awareness and Housing: Join MassAbility’s Clinical Operations Director, Brie Insalaco and Grant Project Coordinator, Amanda Tower on the intersection of brain injury and housing access, including practical strategies for service providers and available state housing resources.

03/05/2026

Register today to share your voice! We want to hear from you, the community, at our second installation of Meeting the Moment: A Community Conversation and Resource Fair.

Hosted with our friends from the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities, we're inviting individuals with disabilities, families, caregivers, providers, and advocates to share their experiences and ideas on:
• Transition from Education-to-Employment
• Long-Term Services, Supports & Health Equity
• Digital Accessibility
• Workforce Supports

This free event will be a hybrid format and held in-person and virtually!
Friday, March 27 from 11am to 2pm
Location: UMass Lowell University Crossing 220 Pawtucket St, Lowell, MA 01854
The event will start with the hybrid community discussion followed by lunch and an in-person resource fair.

Submit written comments about the outlined topics via email by March 23 at: cspwdinfo@mass.gov
Register for the event and learn more by scanning the QR code or visiting Mass.Gov/MBY/MTM-March

Image Description: Flyer with the same event information on a stacked purple, white, and dark blue background with a photo of people speaking from the previous Meeting the Moment event. There's a QR code on the screen for the same link to the event registration page.

03/04/2026

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month and we're highlighting the partnerships and progress we've made in Massachusetts to improve brain injury screening and care!

Did you know that some people are at greater risk of experiencing brain injuries, like veterans & service members, people experiencing homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, and people in detention & correctional facilities?

In fact, data from a collaboration with one substance use recovery program in Massachusetts shows that 97% percent of people tested positive for a potential brain injury.

By using the Online Brain Injury Screening and Support System (OBISSS) tool during the intake process, this provider was able to identify individuals who may need brain injury specific support, and from there our staff at MassAbility directed them to various resources.

Our collaborations with the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts have empowered us to connect thousands of people to supports through an active resource center, and our own Career Services staff are proud to support, in the last year, over 800 people with brain injuries to seek employment in the Commonwealth.

Overall, we connected 8,113 people to brain injury services and supports in 2025!

Learn more about what supports may be available to you, or how to include brain injury informed care into your work, visit Mass.Gov/MBY/ACL-Grant

Image Descriptions: A series of informative text on soft colored background that talks about Brain Injuries and efforts to advance care in Massachusetts. Image text/transcription in comments.

01/08/2026

Thanks to 3D printing, Perkins Library created a tactile model of a black hole for students with vision loss studying a new science unit.

Reading that time and space get warped inside a black hole is one thing. Actually being able to grasp that concept tangibly? That’s a whole different level of understanding.

Even sighted people are usually shown donut-shaped illustrations of black holes, which aren’t accurate representations of what’s actually happening inside. This 3D tactile model helps bridge that gap, allowing anyone to better understand how black holes warp and fold space inward.

This is just another one of the many services Perkins Library offers to its patrons and students with the school. When this particular student group reached out, Library staff got to work and used their creativity to help provide a tactile educational tool. Access to literacy and knowledge is for everyone!



Video Description: A man turns around a white 3D printed piece of plastic in his hands, showing off all the features of it. There are peaks and valleys and warps in the plastic because it represents a black hole using imaging and data from NASA. There is braille on the sides of the model to describe it. It's a tool for students with vision loss to understand what happens inside a black hole instead of relying on an illustration or photo.

01/06/2026

12/22/2025

Add these to your wishlist!
For Blind gamers, having tactile and accessible game pieces and inclusively-designed game mechanics can be the difference between being able to play along with friends or sitting on the sidelines.

Dungeons and Dragons is THE tabletop role playing game, where die rolls, creativity, and storytelling are at the heart of game play. With a tactile die like this, players can be a part of the campaign without having to rely on others to read out the roll. Let your DM focus on the quest at hand while you and your friends keep the game going.

At Perkins Library their team is always working with library guests to come up with creative ways to make life accessible. Whether that's for gaming at home or understanding your science unit through a tactile model, the folks at Perkins are always willing to help.

Video Description: A demonstration of a grey tactile DND gaming die on a shelf. There are some other dice behind the one that is the focus of the video. It has different markings on it instead of regular numers on a die.

12/13/2025

How much of your independence is impacted by the snow?

Snow can be an accessibility nightmare!
When sidewalks are covered in ice and crosswalks are barricaded by piles of snow, pedestrian paths become difficult or impossible to navigate. This is even harder if you use mobility aids or are blind or have low-vision!

Snowdrifts are also a problem.
Crosswalks and curb cuts blocked by snowdrifts prevent people with different kinds of disabilities to safely cross the road; blind people need them for direction, and wheelchair users need them to get onto sidewalks.

Don't forget about signage and tactile markers!
Road, street, and navigational signs get covered up by sticky snow, and tactile bumps along curb cuts and other sidewalks get covered in ice. This makes it hard for those with low vision or other disabilities to independently navigate and proves difficult in dense cities.

And what you don't see... are your neighbors, friends, and community members who stay inside when the weather gets bad. You don't see the missed doctors appointments or the missed days of college classes, or the impact to people's independence.

So how can you help?
Check in with your neighbors! Don't be a stranger- be willing to recognize when someone around you needs help, and offer!
You could even chat with folks on your block about the importance of snow and sidewalk clearing as a community. What if they don't realize that someone can't get out the driveway to their dialysis appointment? Work as a community to ensure neighbors with more needs aren't falling through the cracks during the coldest months. Together we can create equitable, caring neighborhoods.

12/11/2025

Did you know the reason why most libraries don't carry Braille books is because of how often the raised dots on the paper get squished!?

A big thanks to the Perkins Library in Watertown, Massachusetts for giving us a tour of what is the 4th largest braille library in the United States, and #1 on the east coast!

They have everything here that any blind reader could want... If you prefer reading by touch, their braille library is incredibly extensive, and if you prefer to listen to your literature, Perkins Library adds hundreds of new books and titles every month. Those are the blue cartdriges filling the giant postal bins you can see in the video: audio books! And they ship thousands of these every single day all across Massachusetts completely free. It's a library, after all!

Perkins Library also has large-print books, magazines, and audio-described DVD and blu-ray movies! You can also listen to newspapers and more through their partnership with Newsline.

So how do you access the Perkins Library? You can apply for free online at Perkins.Org/Library/Apply if you meet one of more of the eligibility criteria:
-Are legally blind with vision of 20/200 or less, or have a visual field no greater than 20 degrees.
-Have corrected vision, but cannot see well enough to read with comfort for extended periods of time.
-Have a physical condition that makes holding a book difficult.
-Have been certified by a “competent authority” (a professional such as a doctor, ophthalmologist, registered nurse, librarian, or social worker) as having a perceptual or reading disability and unable to read printed works to substantially the same degree as a person without an impairment or disability.

Have you or a loved one ever used the Perkins Library before? Tell us in the comments!

12/09/2025

Tag a friend who would love to try adaptive ice skating together! ☃️

Did you know you can go Adaptive Ice Skating in Massachusetts?

DCR Universal Access Program offers adaptive ice skating at seven different rinks across
Massachusetts through December. This is offered free of cost to provide more opportunities for accessible, adaptive outdoor recreation.

How does it work?
Use your wheelchair, an ice sled, a skate walker, ice grippers, or conventional skates! Spin, slide and play team-based and gently competitive games. Space is limited and pre-registration is required! This program is for people with disabilities, their families, support staff, and friends.

Register for Dates Online!
Learn how to sign up for Adaptive Ice Skating and which locations participate in this program by visiting Mass.Gov/Info-Details/Adaptive-Program-Schedule

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10/09/2025

MassAbility connects you with skilled, pre-screened talent that you won't find on other platforms!

Hear it from our employer partners here: our candidates are uniquely qualified and highly successful placements. In fact, 90% of MassAbility hires are retained after the first six months of employment!

You can become an employer partner, too, at Mass.Gov/Hire-With-MassAbility!

Video Description:
A video taken outside on a rooftop deck, Greg stands outside in professional business attire and is standing and talking to the camera. The video switches to Courtney standing outside instead, her face is framed by her long auburn hair and she's wearing a long black dress. As the video continues, it switches back and forth between the two sharing their experiences.

10/01/2025

Successful businesses hire with MassAbility- and you can be one of them!

Massachusetts businesses are embracing the future by recognizing the value of hiring qualified individuals with disabilities. MassAbility helps connect employers with a skilled talent pool and offers no-cost training and ongoing support to ensure long-term success—for both the employer and employee.

Our On-the-Job Training program reimburses you for training new hires brought on through MassAbility. This opens the door to more opportunities and helps you build a dedicated, hard-working team. In fact, 90% of our hires are still employed after six months.

Ready to get started?
Join our network of employer partners and learn about tax credits, hiring incentives, and more at Mass.Gov/Hire-With-MassAbility

Video Description: A sit-down style of interview clips compiled together of various employer partners and employees, showing folks from Ahoi, Accurounds, MAB Community Services, Mass General Brigham, Roxbury Community College, and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

09/30/2025

September 15th-October 15th is officially Hispanic Heritage Month! Swipe through to learn why this nationally recognized month spans over the course of two different months and see what events are happening near you!

Image Descriptions: A carousel of graphics, all with a warm yellow background, black text, and plumeria flowers in the top right corner of each.
Image One Text: Why is Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated from
September through October? A brief look into the history, plus a list of activities to join in MA!
Image Two Text: Why does it last across two months? September 15th-October 15th is recognized as National Hispanic Heritage Month in order to commemorate the independence day celebrations from many different Latin American countries. Link to Cisneros.Columbian.GWU.EDU/History-Hispanic-Heritage-Month
Image Three Text: Free and Public Events in Massachusetts this month! Take a look at some of these events and celebrations happening across the state for Hispanic Heritage Month!
Image Four Text: Boston, MA Free Cine Fiesta en la Plaza Sunday, Oct 12th, 2pm-5pm. Enjoy a free screening and panel discussion of Columbian Documentary Genero: Salsa at the Boston City Hall Plaza and Civic Pavilion followed by a salsa dance party! Link to Boletos.Boritix.Com/Tickets/Cine-Fiesta-2025
Image Five Text: Roslindale, MA. Ricardo Parra: Free Concert Saturday, Oct 11th, 11am-2pm. Listen to a music performance by Chilean singer-songwriter, guitarist, and musical producer Ricardo Parra. Ricardo's style blends themes of Folk, Trova, and Bossa Nova music. Link to Bpl.BiblioCommons.Com/V2/Events
Image Six Text: Across Boston, MA Storytime with Laura Macias: Free Kids Programming! to Sept 29th - Oct 10th. Enjoy stories and folk tales from around the world! Told by Laura Macias, she is joined by a cast of puppets and songs in both Spanish and English. Great for children ages 3-5 years old! Visit Bpl.Org for a full list of dates and locations.
Image Seven Text: Worcester, MA Nuestra America- Conversations with the Author. Thursday, Oct 2nd, 2pm-3pm. Join a virtual conversation with Smithsonian professionals Adrián Aldaba and Emily Key as they discuss the book "Nuestra América" and famous Latinos throughout history. Link to MyWpl.Org