MassAbility

08/29/2025

At MassAbility we understand it's not enough to get someone with a disability in the door to a new job. The key to gainful employment lies within relationships we have with our business and employment partners. We provide support and training for not only your new hire but for the whole team. Visit Mass.Gov/Hire-With-MassAbility

08/21/2025

We had a blast with Ali and everyone at RiseUp! on Saturday in Franklin, MA and are grateful to have been this month's featured community partner!

Sarah brought MassAbility swag, pamphlets, and resources for the group and led a fun group activity before talking about the services that we offer.

Great questions and discussions were had, and previous participants shared their success stories with MassAbility in getting career help, assistive technology, and car modifications that aided in independence!

Even the new members who joined the group that day learned how to access and apply to these services! The hour ended with an adaptive echnology demo by Antonio from Technotonin Industries.

RiseUp! Is a monthly social hour for individuals 18+ navigating life with disability to meet others they can relate with, for community members and partners to connect with the folks and share resources, and for support persons to meet other support persons/caregivers! Learn more at AliRheaume.Com/Rise-Up

Image Descriptions:
First Photo: A group picture of everyone from the event that day gathered together. Some are seated in wheelchairs and chairs in front, others are standing behind. Everyone looks happy and some are wearing MassAbility hats or holding folders.
Second Photo: Selfie of Ali and Sarah together, Ali is on the left and has long wavy brown hair and on the right is Sarah. Sarah's short shaggy hair is mostly hidden by a black hat and she's wearing a bright pink top.
Third Photo: A silly picture of Ali holding up and posing with a pamphlet for MassAbility Home and Community Life Services. The picture on the front of the pamphlet is a portrait of Ali!

07/28/2025

35 years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. Last week, we marched along with over 1,000 other people in the streets of Boston to celebrate this landmark moment that reshaped access, equity, and opportunity.

The passing of the ADA allowed the groundwork to be laid for groups like ours to come together to provide services and support for disabled people to live independent and fulfilled lives. This year, we honor the activists, advocates, and everyday individuals who made the ADA possible and those in our community we've come to know who work hard to ensure services are available in the state.

Thanks to all our friends and partners in the community- the March was a powerful and invigorating reminder that the work we all do matters.

07/21/2025

It's hard to believe Boston Pride was a month ago already! We're reminiscing in the office this week and hoping for some extra rainbows in case of any rain. Take a look through with us! This week, we're getting ready for a different kind of march for pride... Disability Pride and celebrating the ADA!


Boston Pride for the People

Image Descriptions:
One: Group photo outside of the Boston Public Library, everyone is gathered behind and around the blue MassAbility banner with a giant rainbow across it.
Two: Taking selfies with Tina and Pari from Love on the Spectrum!
Three: Kate excitedly photographed with her arms out wide and wearing a rainbow umbrella hat.
Four: Group photo again but this time outside at the Boston Commons, everyone looks rainy and wet and are holding rainbow umbrellas and jackets.
Five: Marching in the Pride Parade down a Boston street behind the MassAbility banner.

07/20/2025

FREE Disability Pride event this Wednesday in Worcester, MA!

Enjoy a mid-day festival and farmer's marketing with a special raising of the Disability Pride Flag at City Hall, dance to live music and grab lunch or a snack from the best local food trucks and food vendors! Shop for locally grown produce, high-quality meats and cheeses, freshly baked bread, gourmet snacks, and find local art and handmade goods from dozens of local artists and makers.

MassAbility will be there! Join us on the Worcester Common Oval from 11 am to 3 pm this Wednesday July 23rd to celebrate Disability Pride and enjoy all that this great city has to offer. Event created and hosted by Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District!



Alt Text Image Description: Colorful promotional flyer for Out to Lunch and a Disability Pride Month celebration in Downtown Worcester. The event is scheduled for July 23 from 11 AM to 3 PM on the Worcester Common. The flyer includes fun patchwork style, colorful images and details that feel crafty and youthful. Festivities include live performances and local vendors and food trucks and community resource tables. The event is hosted by Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District. Learn more at OutToLunchWorcester.Com

06/20/2025

We are so excited for this! 🤩

This year's Young Leadership Forum (YLF) is coming up next week! 😎

We wanted to give you a preview of what this year's forum will feature - check out the latest blog post below:

🔗 Blog post link: https://pyd.org/blog/2025/06/20/ylf-preview-2025/

Image description: White PYD logo on a bright coral background. There are vector lines with dots at the end that are scattered throughout the image. White text - "Preview of YLF. New blog post." The YLF letters have images of past YLF events inside.

06/17/2025

The rain certainly didn't keep anyone away! Boston Pride 2025 had a huge turn-out- and spirits were high 🎉
Thanks to everyone who showed up and showed out for Pride! 🏳️‍🌈

Next year, it would be great to see some improved accessibility details for vendor areas so that those in all kinds of mobility aids can access the cool creations by the community. Grassy areas and curbs prevent access for many people, and proved especially tricky once the rain started.

That said, the accessibility guide online and ample amount of accessible portapotties were fantastic! 💪
Boston Pride for the People

Video Description: A video of many different clips from Boston Pride- which was rainy but very well attended! First is a clip of the map for the pride festival, and then a rainbow spinning umbrella that lifts up to reveal Sarah sitting in her wheelchair with a pride flag over her shoulders. There's a huge crowd forming for the parade, and tons of colors everywhere! Interspersed with clips of the MassAbility team in the parade are clips of the crowd being super excited along the parade route. You can see how much Boston decorates for Pride, with giant flags hanging from brownstones over the rainbow crosswalks. There's even a clip of a cute black lab in a rainbow jacket wagging sweetly, and a clip of Sarah and her wife smiling and covered in raindrops. Some banners hanging from another brick facade say "Sashay, Shantay, Shantay, Shantay, Shantay!" The parade route continues on with more excited people and ends with a few clips of the busy Boston Common and Boston Public Garden areas and some vendor tents from the festival before ending on a video of Sarah, covered in rainbows, waving.



Transcription for video in comments.

06/11/2025

So glad these conversations can be had! Assumptions about someone's capabilities can be tricky, because it doesn't account for each individual's experience. When it comes to work and opportunities for disabled artists and creatives, assumptions can be a barrier to work. The best thing to do? Don't assume- get to know the person so that you can understand their specific access needs.

When you think about inviting someone to an opportunity, don't make the decision for them about whether you think they can handle it or not: allow them to make the decision. Give clear details so they can make an informed choice themselves, and make sure you are honest with them about a willingness to make accommodations.

Thanks so much MASSCreative for giving us a chance to participate and Erin Ryan Heyneman and the folks at Disabled Stories Collective for hosting an amazing panel: "At the Intersection of Disability and Culture" and THANK YOU to everyone who came and listened to us and asked questions!

Video Description: Selfie style video of Sarah, a Japanese American mixed young person with a brown shaggy mullet style haircut, big pink glasses, and a teal tank top on. As Sarah talks, they move their hands a lot which are covered in shiny ring splints. Behind Sarah is a projector screen.

06/06/2025

Happy Pride Month! Let's make sure to plan events that are truly accessible to all during a time celebrating inclusion, pride, and diversity. LGBTQ+ people with disabilities exist and want to be included in the festivities, too! Here's a helpful guide for a starting place when creating accessible pride events.

06/04/2025

We're so excited for the DCR Adaptive Recreation Fair this weekend, June 7th from 10am-3pm! It's a free, fun-filled day celebrating accessible outdoor recreation in Massachusetts state parks.

Family-friendly, accessible, and inclusive activities include cycling with a variety of adaptive cycles, adaptive pickleball, adaptive golf, face painting and kite decorating, sidewalk chalk art, equipment demonstrations (including hiking, surfing, and fencing), games, music, and much more. Find out about adaptive summer programs across the state!

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05/12/2025

This month, we participated in the first-ever MASSBUYS EXPO, held at the iconic Gillette Stadium, with over 2,000 attendees!

The event was huge for our Career and Business Relations team, who engaged with more than 260 employers from across the Commonwealth. It was an exciting opportunity to introduce our mission and services and highlight our commitment to connecting job seekers to high-quality employment opportunities.

The Expo is a great opportunity to form valuable new employer relationships, share success stories, and lay the groundwork for future partnerships that will support inclusive hiring across Massachusetts. Thanks so much to the team for their hard work getting ready for this event!



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05/07/2025

Tonight! 🤩

🎬 TOMORROW: Film & Community Gathering on Disability Rights

Join us Wednesday, May 7 from 6–8 PM at Malden City Hall (215 Pleasant St.) for a special screening of Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution—an award-winning documentary highlighting the powerful, youth-led Disability Rights Movement.

📣 After the film, connect with local organizations and learn about services and supports available for people with disabilities and their caregivers.

💬 Free and open to the public. All are welcome!