Message from the Executive Director | |
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Happy National Disability Employment Awareness Month! This month shines a spotlight on the disability employment gap and all the ways advocates, organizations, and businesses across the Commonwealth are working to dismantle it. Take a look at some of the highlights below.
Looking back, the last few months have been an exciting time to be in the disability field, particularly in the IT accessibility space.
In July, Governor Healey issued Executive Order 614, establishing the Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board, which will promote and ensure the accessibility of information technology maintained by Commonwealth agencies. The executive order establishes a Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board and creates the position of Chief IT Accessibility Officer within the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) to oversee compliance with digital accessibility requirements across the executive department. MOD, which collaborated with EOTSS on developing this order, will sit on the Governance Board. We are so grateful for the Governor’s commitment to supporting accessibility within the Commonwealth.
In August, the US Department of Justice published a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) with proposals for updating the regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act to include requirements about web and mobile application accessibility. These new regulations would require public entities (state, county, and municipal governments) to meet a specific standard for web and mobile application accessibility, namely WCAG 2.1, level AA.
Accessibility of public web and mobile apps is essential for people with disabilities to equally access government services and programs, and we are very pleased to see recent progress in this field.
Mary Mahon McCauley
Executive Director
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Free Online Discussion with Andrew Leland, Author of The Country of the Blind: October 20
The Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI) proudly presents a free online discussion with Andrew Leland, author of The Country of the Blind.
Amy Ruell, MABVI's Director of Social Services, will speak with Andrew about his memoir, where he discusses losing his eyesight and rethinking ideas about identity and independence.
Friday, October 20
12 - 1 PM
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Creating Accessible and Equitable Registered Apprenticeships: October 27
Hosted by the Massachusetts Office on Disability and the Massachusetts Division of Apprentice Standards
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Save the date! Join MOD and the Massachusetts Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS) for a National Disability Employment Awareness Month celebration:
Creating Accessible and Equitable Registered Apprenticeships
Friday, October 27
10 - 11:30 AM
Following the National Disability Employment Awareness Month theme of Advancing Access and Equity, join federal, state, and other partners as we increase awareness about equitable Registered Apprenticeship Programs.
This webinar is free and open to the public. Registration is required to attend.
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American Sign Language and closed-captioning services will be provided.
DAS does not discriminate on the basis of disability and is committed to providing accessible programs, meetings, and events. To request a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Dennis Johnson at Dennis.Johnson@mass.gov. Requests made after October 19, 2023 will be considered but may not be possible to fill.
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National Council on Disability Town Hall: November 16
The National Council on Disability (NCD) is hosting two town hall sessions to hear from disability advocates and local officials in New England. The sessions will take place at Omni Providence Hotel and Resort in Providence, RI and will also be livestreamed on Zoom. Each participant will be given three minutes to share experiences and concerns, and priority will be given to in-person attendees.
Information gathered during the town hall sessions will inform NCD's future work and potential research projects.
Thursday, November 16
Omni Providence Hotel and Resort
1 W. Exchange Street
Providence, RI 02903
RSVP for in-person NCD Town Hall
Join NCD Town Halls on Zoom
Session 1: Housing Concerns and Opportunities
November 16 | 10:30 - 11:15 AM
Key topics:
- Barriers to finding accessible housing units
- Access to housing choice vouchers
- Construction of moderate to low-income housing
Session 2: Transportation Concerns and Opportunities
November 16 | 1:30 - 2:15 PM
Key topics:
- Ground transportation and challenges with obtaining wheelchair accessible taxis
- Transportation services and rideshare Lyft and Uber
- Inaccessible bus stops, sidewalks, street crossings
To make a public comment:
The deadline to register to comment is November 14 at 8 PM. To register, email PublicComment@ncd.gov with the subject line “Public Comment”. Include your name, organization, state, topic of the comment, and whether your comment will be given in-person, on Zoom, or simply via email. See NCD’s guidelines for public comment for more information.
ASL and CART will be provided. Please send requests for accommodations to Stacey Brown at sbrown@ncd.gov as soon as possible.
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CAP Workshops: Disability and Employment
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.
The next three workshops are all scheduled for November 15th:
9:30 - 10:30 AM: Deciding to Disclose
- Things to consider when deciding to disclose a disability
11 AM - 12:30 PM: Reasonable Accommodations in Employment
- Best practices for requesting a reasonable accommodation at work
2 - 3:30 PM: Disability Discrimination in Employment
- Recognizing and addressing disability discrimination in the workplace
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Find your local ADA Coordinator
MOD's website now lists contact information for municipal ADA Coordinators to help the public with understanding the role of the ADA Coordinator, when to contact an ADA Coordinator, and how to locate and communicate with one's ADA Coordinator.
If your town’s ADA Coordinator information on this page is incorrect or missing, please update your ADA Coordinator contact information with MOD online.
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Resources and information for municipal ADA Coordinators
Our new page for municipal ADA Coordinators includes important memos, legal obligations, example scenarios you may encounter and how to respond, and other information to support you in your role as ADA Coordinator.
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Photograph courtesy of Charlotte Tuminelli |
MOD joins White Cane Awareness Day Celebration
The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) celebrated White Cane Awareness Day on October 13 at the Massachusetts State House. MOD Executive Director Mary Mahon McCauley was in attendance, along with more than 200 MCB consumers, their families and friends, community partners, stakeholders, advocates, and lawmakers. White Cane Awareness Day celebrates the independence and mobility of the approximately 30,000 residents of the Commonwealth who are blind and visually impaired, while raising public awareness of critical measures that everyone in Massachusetts can take to help ensure their safety.
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Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month
The Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities held several sessions in celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in October. The sessions included discussions on being an employee with a disability, SSI and SSDI myths, best practices for employing people with disabilities, and more.
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MOD and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) formalize partnership to promote inclusive emergency management
MOD and MEMA signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize a partnership to strengthen access and equity throughout state and local emergency management. The joint effort will elevate the unique needs of individuals with disabilities and medical conditions during each phase of emergency management, including planning, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.
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Municipal ADA Improvement Grant FY20 and FY21 combined annual reports
Launched in Fiscal Year 2017, the Municipal ADA Improvement Grant Program has provided communities with resources necessary for updating amenities to increase accessibility for residents across the Commonwealth. The program's goals are to create new or updated Self-Evaluation and Transition Plans and increase access to programs, services, and activities through new projects or the removal of barriers for people with disabilities.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous municipalities were granted extensions with their ongoing projects that were awarded in the FY20 cycle. Therefore, Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021 are combined into one report.
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We're hiring! MOD is seeking a Client Assistance Program (CAP) Advocate to provide information, technical guidance, advocacy, and representation to clients or applicants of vocational rehabilitation and independent living services.
This is a full-time position with full benefits.
Salary: $56,579.12 - $58,294.08
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