Disability Policy Consortium

09/15/2025

Why It Matters Monday: Disability and Employment

When disabled people look for work, the hardest part often isn’t the job itself — it’s getting past the ableism baked into the system. Bias shows up in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. A hiring manager might see a wheelchair before they see the skilled, qualified person sitting in it. A deaf applicant might be overlooked because it’s assumed communication will be “too difficult.” Someone with a speech difference might not even be called back, no matter their resume.

But here’s the truth: the problem isn’t disabled workers. The problem is workplaces that haven’t been built with us in mind.

So how do we change that? It starts with shifting how we see each other. A wheelchair just means someone moves differently, not that they can’t lead a team. A deaf colleague may sign, lip read, or use an interpreter — and all of those are simply different ways to communicate.

Accessibility is not about lowering the bar, it’s about clearing the unnecessary hurdles that never should’ve been there in the first place. Accommodations are usually simple: captions on a Zoom call, a flexible schedule for medical appointments, software that works with screen readers. These things don’t just help one person — they create a workplace where everyone feels welcome.

And the most powerful change? Listening. When disabled employees are part of the conversation about policies and practices, workplaces stop guessing what we need and start getting it right.

Employment is more than a paycheck. It’s independence, stability, and dignity. When we remove barriers and biases, workplaces finally become places where disabled people aren’t just present, but fully included.

At DPC, we know this firsthand. Over 80% of our team identifies as disabled, and we are proof that when work is shaped by us and for us, real change happens. That’s what it means for the disability community to lead the charge: nothing about us, without us.

So let’s start the conversation: What’s one workplace barrier you’d remove tomorrow — or one simple accommodation that would make a big difference?

09/15/2025

From our friends at Dignity Alliance Massachusetts

A beautiful way to remember and honor those who passed away during the pandemic.

https://dignityalliancema.org/pandemic-remembrance/

To honor the more than 25,000 Massachusetts residents who died during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dignity Alliance Massachusetts (DignityMA) has launched “Remembering with Dignity,” a new online memorial. The public is invited to submit remembrances of those lost between January 2020 and May 2023.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented upheaval, and yet the 1.2 million Americans who died from the disease have no official national day or place of remembrance. During the COVID-19 emergency, widespread closures led to profound isolation. Many individuals died in healthcare and other facilities without the comfort of family, and survivors were often deprived of the ability to hold traditional funerals or grieve with their families and friends.

“The pandemic left a void, not just in our families but in our collective memory,” said Deborah W. Coogan, Chair of the ‘Remembering with Dignity’ initiative. “So many died in isolation, and their stories risk being lost in the statistics. ‘Remembering with Dignity’ provides a way to honor their essence – the values they lived by – and ensures they are remembered as more than just a number. It is a first step toward healing and advocating for a future where we better protect our most vulnerable.” The platform seeks to capture the spirit of each individual.

Submissions can be made at the DignityMA’s website.

From January, 2020 through May, 2023, a COVID-19 pandemic created great upheaval throughout the world and yet, the United States has no official day of remembrance or national memorial for the 1.2 million Americans who died then from the disease.  Here is a page for brief stories of those who passe...

09/15/2025

Join DPC at the State House to advocate for the Healthcare Antidiscrimination Bills (H.1360/S.869)!

By speaking directly with legislators, you can help the Health Care Financing Committee understand the importance of H.1360/S.869.

There are two opportunities for participation:
Monday, September 22 from 2 PM - 4 PM
Wednesday, September 24 from 10 AM - 12 PM

Participants can join for one or both days. We will meet at the Ashburton Plaza Entrance of the State House, 100 Bowdoin Street, Boston, MA 02108.

Can’t come advocate in person? You can still email your legislators and tell them why H.1360/S.869 matters using this form: tinyurl.com/supportS869. Reach out to sfein@dpcma.org with any questions.

09/10/2025

Hearing Date Announcement! *Room Number Now Available: Gardner Auditorium*

The hearing date for H.3946: An Act Relative to Health Insurance Coverage for Hearing Aids is Wednesday, September 17th from 12:30 to 4:30 PM at the MA State House – In The Gardner Auditorium

It is important to have people attend the hearing in person to provide testimony about their personal experiences and show support. There will be a hybrid option, but we urge you to attend in person if possible and make your plans now to make sure you can go. For example, taking time off work or figuring out transportation to the State House.

DPC’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community Organizer, Nini Silver, is available to help prepare testimony. To schedule a meeting, please either email Nini at nsilver@dpcma.org or call her via VP at 857-598-2450.

In addition to attending the hearing, please also consider reaching out to your legislators and encouraging others in your community to reach out so they receive multiple messages about H.3496.

For more information about how to find out who your legislators are and how to contact them, visit tinyurl.com/DPC-Action-Center.

For more information and signing up to provide testimony, visit this link: https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/5374

09/08/2025

Why It Matters Monday: Transportation

Transportation is freedom, but for people with disabilities it often feels like a maze of barriers. The Ride doesn’t pick up everywhere, which means some people are left stranded and cut off from their communities. Uber and other rideshare services remain a gamble, with many riders with service dogs and mobility devices still facing discrimination. And airplanes? They’re another nightmare with broken wheelchairs, inaccessible bathrooms, and the constant fear of injury just to travel like everyone else.

These struggles aren’t inconveniences. They’re roadblocks that keep people from getting to work, school, medical appointments, or even just enjoying everyday life. For many, transportation is the deciding factor between living independently or being forced into isolation.

Here’s the hard truth: we’ve built systems that work for everyone else while disabled people are left to fight for scraps of access. That’s not equity. That’s exclusion.

But change is possible, and it’s already happening. Our colleagues at Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) are leading the charge for PT1 reform, pushing for medical transportation that actually works for more people. We’re seeing public transit systems start to make accessibility a real priority. And the next generation of advocates, born out of the Paul Spooner Generational Leadership Summit, are carrying the torch forward with transportation as their central theme.

At DPC, we believe transportation should never be the barrier that keeps someone from living their life. It is about connection, dignity, and the right to move freely in the world. Together, we can challenge why disabled people are left behind and be part of building transportation systems that finally work for all of us.

Join us in this fight: What transportation barriers have you experienced, and what changes would make the biggest difference for you?

09/04/2025

Hearing Date Announcement! The hearing date for H.3946: An Act Relative to Health Insurance Coverage for Hearing Aids is Wednesday, September 17th at the MA State House – time and room number to be announced.

***UPDATE! It was just announced that this hearing will be from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM on September 17th! Reach out to Nini Silver (nsilver@dpcma.org) with any questions.***

It is important to have people attend the hearing in person to provide testimony about their personal experiences and show support. There will be a hybrid option, but we urge you to attend in person if possible and make your plans now to make sure you can go. For example, taking time off work or figuring out transportation to the State House.

DPC’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community Organizer, Nini Silver, is available to help prepare testimony during the following times:

- 9/9 from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM
- 9/15 from 2:00-7:30 PM

To schedule a meeting, please either email Nini at nsilver@dpcma.org or call her via VP at 857-598-2450.

In addition to attending the hearing, please also consider reaching out to your legislators and encouraging others in your community to reach out so they receive multiple messages about H.3496. For more information about how to find out who your legislators are and how to contact them, visit tinyurl.com/DPC-Action-Center.

09/02/2025

✨ Unstuck Update ✨ We won’t be meeting on Monday, September 8th — but don’t worry, Unstuck will be back on Monday, September 22nd at 11:00 AM ET!

Unstuck is a space where wheelchair users and allies come together to share stories, swap support, and remind each other that we’re not alone.

Want to make sure you’re in the loop for future calls? Sign up here to get reminders and Zoom details: tinyurl.com/DPCUnstuck

We can’t wait to see you on the 22nd!

09/01/2025

Why It Matters Monday — Representation Changes the Conversation

There is a specific kind of magic in seeing yourself in the world around you, not as a stereotype, not as a side character, but as someone real. For disabled people, those moments can be rare enough to remember forever.

It might be watching your favorite TV show and realizing the hero rolls into a scene in a powerchair. Or reading a book where the main character lives with your condition and still gets to fall in love, save the day, or be the one everyone counts on. Or playing a video game and finding a character like you, not there for pity or inspiration, but because we exist.

It could be seeing a Deaf actor use sign language on screen without it being “translated away” for hearing audiences. Or reading a novel where a blind or visually impaired character navigates the world with confidence and complexity, instead of being portrayed as helpless.

These moments tell us, and everyone watching, that we are here — and we belong.

Representation is not just about being seen. It is about being known. It is the spark that tells a young disabled kid, “You belong here.” It helps us picture futures that are bigger than what society has imagined for us. It shows the world that disability is not a tragedy to be erased, but a vital part of the human story.

And when that belief is carried into boardrooms, newsrooms, writers’ rooms, and legislative rooms, change happens. Because nothing about us should be decided without us, and nothing about us should be told without us.

Why it matters: Because representation is a mirror that reflects not only who we are, but who we can be.

So now we're asking; what is the first time you remember seeing yourself represented in a book, movie, TV show, or game, and how did it make you feel?

08/25/2025

Why It Matters Monday — The Power of a Few Words

S.2563, formerly known as S.137, is moving through the Massachusetts Legislature and is now in the House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling. This bill updates outdated and offensive language in Massachusetts laws, removing terms like “handicapped” and replacing them with respectful, modern language.

It might sound like a small change, but it’s not. The words written into our laws do more than sit on paper. They shape how people think about disability, influence how policies are enforced, and even impact how we are treated in everyday life. When the law reflects respect, it reinforces dignity. When it does not, it sends the opposite message.

For decades, the disability community has had to push back against language that reduces us to stereotypes. S.2563 is proof that advocacy works and that our voices can rewrite the story.

Because changing a few words in the law can help change the way people see disability, and that ripple effect reaches every space we navigate.

So we're asking; what is one word or phrase about disability you wish would disappear from our laws or our everyday conversations?

08/25/2025

At the recent NCIL conference in Washington, DC, our Executive Director Harry Weissman spoke to something that is at the heart of the Disability Policy Consortium:

“Not only should people with disabilities be at the table and providing input, but we should be the ones leading those efforts and making those decisions.”

This vision is more than words—it’s how we work every day. Over three-quarters of DPC’s staff are people with disabilities. We are leading campaigns, drafting bills, and shaping the policies that affect our lives, because these decisions should never be made without us. From HCBS waivers to Medicaid, from wheelchair repair reform to broader disability rights—our voices are not optional, they are essential.

But change doesn’t happen in isolation. It takes all of us coming together—sharing our lived experiences, lifting each other up, and demanding that decision makers listen. When we show up as a community, when we insist that disability rights must be about us, by us, we bring real change.

That’s what DPC is about: building power in our community, and making sure disabled voices are not just heard, but are leading the way.

We invite you to join us in this work. Learn more about DPC at www.dpcma.org and watch Harry’s full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiRzPKwggxg

Want to support our advocacy in another way? Check out our online shop, where every purchase helps fuel the movement: https://dpcma.printful.me/

Because at the end of the day, the future we’re fighting for has to be led by us.



Alt text for thumbnail: “Harry Weissman, a white man with short dark curly hair and glasses, speaking in an interview setting.”

Video description (in the post): “In this interview recorded at the NCIL conference in Washington, DC, DPC Executive Director Harry Weissman discusses why disability policy must be shaped by people with disabilities themselves, emphasizing the credo ‘about us, by us.’”

Harry Weissman, Executive Director of the Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) in Massachusetts, shares how his personal journey and the values of the disabili...

08/21/2025

Are you a wheelchair user — or do you love someone who is?
Have you ever been stuck waiting weeks or months for a repair, losing your freedom, your work, or your independence in the process?

You’re not alone. And you don’t have to stay silent.

Right now, our wheelchair repair reform bill has advanced to House Ways & Means as H.4358. This is a huge step forward, but it’s only the beginning. To get this bill across the finish line, we need every voice, every story, and every ounce of community power.

Here’s how you can help:

1️⃣ Say thank you. The committee moved our bill forward, and showing our gratitude helps keep momentum on our side.
👉 tinyurl.com/H1278Gratitude

2️⃣ Join the campaign. If you’re a wheelchair user, family member, ally — especially in Boston — we need you with us. Together we can fight for timely repairs and end the delays that leave people stranded.
👉 tinyurl.com/JoinDMECampaign

This is about more than a bill. It’s about dignity, independence, and the right to live our lives without being sidelined by broken systems.

📣 Share this post widely — the more people who know, the stronger we become.
💬 Have questions? Reach out to Destiny at dmaxam@dpcma.org

Join us. Add your voice. Be part of the change.