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CORRECTION: A previous version of this email listed the wrong time for the Disability Law Center Focus Area Setting Forum. The Forum will be held online on Wednesday, July 12th from 5:30 - 7:30 PM.

We have a lot to celebrate this summer!

In June, we celebrated the LGBTQ+ community for Pride month. MOD is grateful to disabled LGBTQ+ activists who use the LGBTQ+ and disability rights movements' shared values of inclusion and justice to build a better world of acceptance and inclusion. As a believer in the power of support groups, I want to share MASS Rainbow Groups, who host monthly virtual meetings for self-advocates who are members of the LGBTQ+ and intellectual/developmental disability communities.

This month, Disability Pride Month and the 33rd anniversary of the ADA also give an opportunity to celebrate the vibrant culture, advocacy successes, and valuable connections in the disability community. I'm proud to be a member of the disability community myself and to work with you in creating a more accessible world.

Summer is also a time for fun and enjoying the warm weather! Take some time to enjoy the beautiful parks, beaches, trails, and more that Massachusetts has to offer using the Department of Conservation and Recreation's list of accessible trails and facilities and adaptive equipment for public use for accessible outdoor fun.

With warm wishes for summer,

Mary Mahon McCauley

Executive Director

Our Work Experience Program kicked off with a virtual panel of Commonwealth employees with disabilities. Hear from our panelists about how they navigated disability disclosure, reasonable accommodation requests, and growing their careers while working for the Commonwealth. Thank you to our panelists for sharing their stories!

MOD is preparing to publicly list contact information for municipal ADA Coordinators on our website to ease communication for the public and want to ensure we are providing accurate information.

If you are the ADA coordinator for your city/town, please fill out the contact information form with the correct contact information, even if you think we already have it:

Thank you to those who have already filled it out! For questions or technical support filling out this form, please contact Sadie Chase-Tatko, MOD's Outreach and Communications Intern, at [email protected] or (617) 645-6965.

Disability Law Center Focus Area Setting Forum

Wednesday, July 12

5:30 - 7:30 PM

The DLC is looking for expertise on issues that you face as a person or a family member with a disability to then make sure they are using their resources in the area the disability community needs them most.

City of Boston Disability Commission ADA Day

Tuesday, July 18

12 -2 PM

Celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act with the City of Boston Disability Commission on City Hall Plaza! The event will include a speaking program, food, fun, music, a disability resource fair, and free T-shirts while supplies last.

Everyone is welcome! Registration is encouraged, but not required:

Webinar: Inclusive Emergency Management for Municipalities

Proactively including access and functional needs in your emergency plan

Tuesday, July 18

1 - 3 PM

Co-facilitated by:

Dawn Brantley, Acting Director of MEMA

Abigail Shneyder, MOD's Program Coordinator for Emergency Preparedness

Part I: Overview of Municipal Emergency Management

1 - 2 PM

• How emergency management works in Massachusetts
• Developing municipal emergency plans
• Individual emergency preparedness

Part II: Practical Steps to Improve Your Emergency Plan

2 - 3 PM

• Practical steps to make your city/town's emergency plan more inclusive of people with disabilities and access and functional needs
• How disability advocates and emergency management directors can best exchange feedback

Attendees will come away with practical worksheets, planning guides, and other resources curated by MOD and MEMA.

Register for one or both parts:

Show your ADA and History Knowledge: New England ADA Center Virtual Event

Wednesday, July 19

2 - 3 PM

Join the New England ADA Center to celebrate the 33rd Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and test your knowledge during this live event. In this session, participants will have the opportunity to answer questions on general ADA knowledge, the history of the ADA and noteworthy disability rights figures. Whether you are a newcomer who wants to learn more or someone who works with the ADA on a regular basis, this event will be a fun way to honor the legacy of this historic disability rights law and the people who made the ADA a reality.

Disability Disclosure in Employment Workshops

Multiple dates and times available. Next workshop: August 23rd.

MOD's Client Assistance Program (CAP) has developed a free, interactive workshop series, consisting of three separate workshops over Zoom. The series is aimed at employees and jobseekers with disabilities and their advocates. There is no cost to attendees.

Decision to Disclose focuses on things to consider when deciding to disclose a disability. Reasonable Accommodations offers guidance on best practices for requesting a reasonable accommodation. Disability Discrimination explores workplace interactions that could be discriminatory and discussing steps to deter or address them.

Quarterly Tea: Service Animals in Public Settings

There is a lot of misinformation about service animals and emotional support animals, such as where they are allowed to go, what questions can be asked about them, and what to do if they are not behaving well. This Quarterly Tea gives a detailed overview of the rights and obligations public places, such as restaurants, stores, and libraries, have when it comes to service animals.

Reasonable Accommodation and Modification Requests in Housing

This workshop provides insight to housing providers' obligations to provide Reasonable Accommodations (RA) and Modifications (RM) and when they are allowed to deny a request. It also covers the process and evaluation criteria for RA/RM requests, how to submit a good quality RA/RM request, and resource options when RA/RM needs are not met.

MOD meets with international disability leaders

MOD Executive Director Mary Mahon McCauley met with disability advocacy leaders from the Middle East and North Africa as part of a WorldBoston event in June. WorldBoston is a nonprofit organization that fosters engagement and cooperation between leaders in Boston and countries around the world.

Memo: Reasonable accommodations at Town Meetings

This memorandum provides guidance on legal obligations for Massachusetts towns for Boards of Selectmen, Town Managers, and municipal ADA Coordinators. Town Meetings can be made more accessible to people with disabilities with steps such as providing a primary location that is accessible to all and creating programmatic accessibility. Towns must also respond to reasonable accommodation requests through an interactive process to include all members who wish to participate, including those who must join remotely.

MOD Recognizes Global Accessibility Awareness Day

May 18th marked Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), an international movement to raise awareness of digital accessibility and the disability community. MOD has grown its work on digital accessibility and offers many resources including a virtual training for the general public, free digital accessibility consulting services for Executive Branch agencies of the Commonwealth, and an Information Technology/Assistive Technology Working Group for IT resources in the Commonwealth.

Reasonable Accommodations After the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

May 11th marked the end of the Commonwealth's public health emergency. MOD reminds public entities in Massachusetts that they are still obligated to fulfill reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Department of Justice have reiterated that those with "long COVID" and who are immunocompromised may be considered people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Public entities can contact MOD for further assistance understanding their rights and obligations under the ADA.

Sadie Chase-Tatko, Communications and Outreach Intern

Welcome to Sadie Chase-Tatko, who joins MOD as our new Communications and Outreach Intern. Sadie is a rising junior at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY studying World Politics. Sadie is interested in working for the government or a nonprofit, and she is excited to be interning at MOD to do meaningful work to benefit the public. Sadie will be working remotely to build a plan for a Municipal ADA Coordinator resource group and drafting an FAQ social media campaign.  

Contact MOD:

617-727-7440 | Ask a question online

mass.gov/MOD