MOD Newsletter: June 2026

Message from the Executive Director

Dear MOD community:

It's been a busy spring! The past few months, we've focused on outreach and expanding our offerings to meet your needs. I'm pleased to share we now hold monthly office hours for three of our key constituencies:

Executive Branch ADA Coordinators
Municipal ADA Coordinators
Local Commissions on Disability (CODs)

We've also been on the road providing trainings on disability rights laws and architectural access regulations to people across the Commonwealth - including:

School communications professionals who wanted to understand digital accessibility requirements and how to ensure their websites, emails, and digital documents are accessible for students, parents, and school staff with disabilities;
Animal control officers who wanted to better understand assistance animal laws - like the difference between an emotional support animal and a service animal, and how those laws might affect their work;
Disability service providers who wanted to learn more about what kind of guidance MOD can provide to their staff and consumers; and
Building inspectors who wanted to stay up-to-date on the latest architectural access regulations and what they mean

Whether you are new to disability rights laws or a seasoned professional with nuanced questions about ADA compliance, we're here to help. Thank you for being a part of our community.

Allan Motenko

Executive Director

Massachusetts Office on Disability

Accessibility standards for outdoor dining spaces

Parklet using 2-3 on-street parking spaces. There are about 6 small tables with umbrellas, with movable chairs on one side and benches on the other. The parklet is separated from the street by planters and has a wood surface.

Parklet set up using on-street parking spaces. The surface is flush with the street and the tables have movable chairs, to provide access to customers who use wheelchairs.

With the weather warming up, many restaurants have started offering outdoor dining.

If a restaurant offers outdoor dining, it must be accessible to people with disabilities. Check out our new page on accessibility standards for outdoor dining spaces for guidance.

Municipal ADA Improvement Grant: Applications due Friday, June 12

Applications for MOD's Municipal ADA Improvement Grant are due by 5 PM this Friday, June 12!

These grants support creating and updating ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition plans and capital improvements specifically dedicated to:

improving programmatic access,
removing physical barriers for people with disabilities,
or both of the above

Massachusetts municipalities, school districts, and housing authorities are eligible to apply.

Private businesses, private property, non-profit organizations, private homes, or other non-municipal properties are not eligible to apply.

Title II deadline extension: Digital accessibility requirements for state and local governments

On May 7, the U.S. Department of Justice published a rule extending the deadline to comply with changes to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by one year.

This rule change applies to state and local government organizations. The changes set Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1 Levels A and AA as the technical standard for state and local organizations’ digital content and digital services.

What this means for state agencies

This deadline extension has not changed current standards for state agencies.

In Massachusetts, the Enterprise Digital Accessibility Policy requires that all state digital content and services comply with WCAG Version 2.1 Levels A and AA. That policy has not changed and is currently in effect.

The Accessibility Center for Consulting, Education and Support Services (ACCESS) offers digital accessibility training resources to support your work in identifying and mitigating accessibility issues.

What this means for cities and towns

Cities and towns have one more year to meet WCAG guidelines. The deadline depends on population size:

Cities and towns with a total population of 50,000 or more: April 26, 2027 (previously April 24, 2026)
Cities and towns with a total population of less than 50,000: April 26, 2028 (previously April 26, 2027)

Note that cities and towns have effective communication requirements under the ADA that have not changed. The existing requirement is that cities and towns must communicate with people with sensory disabilities as effectively as those without disabilities.

For example:

A town that posts meeting agendas only as scanned image PDFs may not be communicating effectively with blind residents who use screen readers, because the documents cannot be read electronically.
A city that livestreams or archives public meetings without captions may not be effectively communicating with residents who are deaf or hard of hearing.

For guidance on Title II requirements and how they apply to you, see our guidance on disability rights in government services.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day: May 21

May 21 marked Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). From our colleagues at the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security's Accessibility Center for Consulting, Education and Support Services (ACCESS) team:

"GAAD is dedicated to getting everyone thinking, talking, and learning about accessibility—particularly in digital spaces like websites, applications, and online services. Today, more than one billion people globally live with disabilities, making accessibility not just a technical consideration, but a critical equity issue.

In Massachusetts, where 26% of the population self-identifies as having a disability, digital accessibility is core public infrastructure. Over the last few years, the state has rolled out a mix of policy changes, staffing, technical standards, and public-service redesigns aimed at making government websites, apps, forms, and online services usable for people with disabilities."

Learn more about Global Accessibility Awareness Day and what you can do to make your digital content more accessible.

Left to right: Matt Pellegrino, CEO, Northeast Independent Living Center (NILP); Gary Hale, President of the Board of Directors, NILP; Allan Motenko, Executive Director, MOD; State Representative Franciso E. Paulino

MOD Executive Director Allan Motenko at NILP Legislative Forum

On April 9, the Northeast Independent Living Program (NILP) hosted a legislative forum to connect people with disabilities with legislators and discuss issues facing the disability community.

MOD Executive Director Allan Motenko spoke on a panel to share information about MOD's priorities and ongoing work, including training Massachusetts employers on their ADA obligations and collaborating with Centers for Independent Living (CIL) to better serve the disability community.

Upcoming events and trainings

Community Access Monitor (CAM) trainings

Hosted by: Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD)

Various times

Virtual

The Community Access Monitor (CAM) Program trains you to survey buildings for accessibility and use your skills to advocate for compliance with various rules and regulations.

It is designed for people who want to advocate for increased access in their community and those who want to understand their obligations to provide access to the disability community, such as building inspectors, architects, business owners, builders, and Commissions on Disability.

The training covers:

History of disability laws, regulations and rights
Regulations of the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB)
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards for accessible design
New construction/alterations and existing facilities
Effective communication
How to survey a facility
How to advocate for access
Rights and responsibilities of a Community Access Monitor

Time commitment and registration instructions:

Beginner CAM training is a two-day training from 10 AM - 3 PM each day (10 hours total). There will be short breaks throughout. Registering online will register you for day 1. The link will register you for Day 1 only. Once you register, we will register you for Day 2. You will receive emails from Zoom with the meeting links for Day 1 and Day 2.

To obtain a Course Completion Certificate for the 2-Day Online CAM training, you must attend at least 75% of each of the sessions.

Please note: Registration is limited. If you receive a message that the registration is full, please sign up for another training date or contact Ralph DeCicco, MOD's Access Specialist, at Ralph.DeCicco@mass.gov or (617) 979-7312.

Advanced CAM training

Advanced CAM trainings are available for people who have completed the 2-day CAM training in the past. You will be directly invited from MOD through email.

On-site site visit training

On-site site visit trainings are available for people who have completed the 2-day CAM training in the past. You will be directly invited from MOD through email.

Statewide COD meeting

Hosted by: Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD)

October 8, 2026 | 10 - 11:30 AM

Virtual

Learn about MOD's support and resources for local Commissions on Disability (COD), including new initiatives; meet other CODs; and get tips on effectively achieving your COD's goals.

Statewide COD meetings are exclusively for COD chairs, members, municipal employee liaisons, and people interested in starting a COD in their community.

Note: You will not receive a Zoom link immediately after registering. Your registration will be approved by MOD, and then you will receive an email with the link.