A Message from Commissioner Oliveira

Hello,

I hope your 2024 is off to a great start. Our team has been hard at work planning many exciting events we have coming up. We are hosting our annual Visions of Collaboration Conference for professionals who are currently working with students who are legally blind on post-secondary employment and education options. Preparations are also underway for our annual Summer Internship Program. We are excited to welcome another class this year. More than 800 interns have participated since the program’s inception in 2003.

Budget season is upon us! I am pleased to report the Healey-Driscoll Administration's budget recommendation for Fiscal Year 2025 funds MCB at $28.3 million, which represents a 4% increase over the Administration's Fiscal Year 2024 budget recommendation. The budget maintains our existing staff and provider workforce through annualizing collective bargaining agreements and provider rate increases. In addition, the proposal includes $250,000 to maintain the Legislature’s earmark in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget that enabled MCB to hire additional social rehabilitation counselors and rehabilitation teachers. I will be testifying before the Joint Committee on Ways and Means in support of the Administration's budget recommendation during a hearing on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Springfield Technical Community College.

I am pleased to announce the launch of the MCB Community Update, a monthly webcast and podcast produced by Audible Local Ledger Executive Director Eric Joseph. A new episode will be shared on the last Friday of every month. I kicked things off for February and will appear on the program quarterly. Orientation and Mobility Director Ally Bull will be Eric's guest in March, followed by Assistive Technology Director Alexander Pooler in April. The webcast is posted on Audible Local Ledger's YouTube channel. The podcast is shared on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and aired on the Massachusetts Audio Information Network radio stations.

We have contracted with a vendor to design a new Booklet of Services and programmatic brochures which will act as a guide to the benefits, programs, and services available to Massachusetts residents who are legally blind. The current timeline has the final product being delivered to us in early summer which is when we will share more information.

Lastly, I would like to take a moment to remember Barbara Loh, Executive Director of Valley Eye Radio. Barbara passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on February 16 while on a bucket list trip to New Zealand with her husband. Barbara was a volunteer at Valley Eye Radio (then Valley Radio Reading Service) before becoming executive director almost a decade ago. Barbara was passionate about blending her years of nonprofit management and fundraising experience, social work values, and journalism expertise to help people who can no longer read independently and need an accessible way of getting local news and information to stay vital and involved in their communities. Our thoughts are with Barbara's family and our friends at Valley Eye Radio.

We are getting closer to the end of winter and longer days with warmer weather. Don't forget: Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at 2 a.m. when we move the clocks an hour ahead. Spring officially arrives on March 19, 2024, at 11:06 p.m.

Sincerely,

John Oliveira

Commissioner

The Carroll Center for the Blind, in partnership with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, is excited to announce open nominations for the 2024 Carroll Society Awards! These awards recognize blind and visually impaired employees who have made significant contributions to their companies by their outstanding ability and job performance.

If you know of a person who is blind or visually impaired and demonstrates the highest degree of excellence as an employee or is successfully self-employed, we invite you to nominate them to be recognized through the Carroll Society Awards.

The Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) announced the hiring of Ashley Bloom, Massachusetts’ first-ever Chief Information Technology Accessibility Officer (CIAO). In this role, she will chair the Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board, which Commissioner Oliveira sits, and will be responsible for ensuring all the state’s digital applications are fully functional and accessible for all Massachusetts residents. Bloom brings more than 20 years of advancing digital equity in the private and public sectors. She joins the Healey-Driscoll Administration from Fidelity Investments where she built a successful accessibility program. 

The office of the CIAO was created by Executive Order 614, signed by Governor Healey last year on the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Executive Order 614 established the Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board to advance the Administration’s goal of providing a more equitable, inclusive, and accessible digital experience for everyone, including people who are blind, have low vision, are deaf or hard of hearing, and have other disabilities.  

The Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) is seeking applications to serve on the Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board. The following criteria will be used to review and select candidates for board membership:

1. Expertise or lived experience with digital accessibility barriers (per Executive Order 614)
2. Track record of interest, advocacy or action to increase digital accessibility and equity
3. Broad diversity of perspectives
4. 18 years of age or older (required)
5. Massachusetts resident (required)

The press release and application details page contain additional details to apply and link to the application form.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is conducting the Massachusetts Disability Community Health Needs Assessment to help identify and address the needs of people with disabilities throughout the Commonwealth. The online survey is available in 12 languages, including American Sign Language (ASL), and will run until March 15, 2024.

Please join us in welcoming these new staff members who joined our team in recent months:

• Jennifer Avitabile
• Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor - Region 5 (Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, & the Islands)
• Lissa Jimenez
• Children's Service Worker - Region 6 (Greater Boston)
• Andrea Mancuso
• Social Rehabilitation Counselor - Region 3 (Northeastern Massachusetts)
• Molly O'Brien
• Policy Coordinator

The Boston Tax Help Coalition offers free tax services for taxpayers who are legally blind by providing necessary accommodations. Area residents earning an annual income of $70,000 or less are eligible.

Where: Josephine A. Fiorentino Community Center, 123 Antwerp Street, Brighton, MA 02135

When: Sundays, February 18, 2024, through April 14, 2024, 10:00 A.M to 3:00 P.M.

To schedule an appointment, contact Lynn Dann at 617-918-5260 or lynn.dann@boston.gov

Please bring an ID and all required documents to your appointment. 

To learn about tax documentation and other information, visit boston.gov/VIP-Pilot. 

The annual youth and adult writing contests sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind Writers’ Division is now open. This contest is open to all aspiring writers who are blind.

We are grateful for the support of Mansfield Cable Access for producing this public service announcement with our Orientation & Mobility Director Ally Bull who talks about white cane safety & the White Cane Law in Massachusetts.

The Healey-Driscoll Administration proclaimed January as Braille Literacy Month in Massachusetts to raise awareness of the importance of braille as a means of literacy for people who are blind or have low vision. 

The 2024 Visions of Collaboration Conference is for professionals currently working with students who are legally blind on post-secondary employment and education options.

Date and Time:

Friday, March 22, 2024

8 A.M. to 3 P.M.

Location:

Four Points by Sheraton Norwood

1125 Boston Providence Turnpike

Norwood, MA 02062

Registration is now full. Email mcbinfo@mass.gov to put on a waitlist in the event of cancellations.

The Boston chapter of Achilles International transforms the lives of people with disabilities through athletic programs and social connection.

Upcoming Events

• Now Through April 24: Ancient Mesopotamia Touch Tour
• March 12: CAP Workshop: Deciding to Disclose
• March 16: Museum of Fine Arts Descriptive Tour on Zoom
• April 10: Disability Connections: A Networking Event for the Massachusetts Disability Community
• April 24: Whales in Motion
• June 1: Walk for Independence

Add an Event

MCB maintains a Community Calendar to highlight events for the blindness community. If you're a stakeholder or community partner and would like to list an event on our Community Calendar, please email the details to mcbinfo@mass.gov

 17th Annual “Focus” on Vision Impairment & Blindness Conference:

Meeting the Needs of Individuals with Intellectual Disability and Vision Loss

Date: October 1, 2024

Time: 8 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.

Location: Four Points by Sheraton, Norwood, MA

Learn more at:

focusonvisionandvisionloss.org/conferences--workshops

Questions? Contact Lisa DiBonaventura at lisa.dibonaventura@mass.gov

The latest "Focus" Talk is now live!



February's Featured Session: CVI Visual Behaviors and Considerations for Orientation and Mobility

• JHU Hub: Kathy Cahill spreads the word about digital accessibility
• Boston Herald: Ice brigade: Skaters hit the ice to raise Boston Marathon money
• The Boston Globe: Parents of children with complex medical problems turn to Globe Santa for help

Certificate of Blindness & MCB Identification Card

To request a Certificate of Blindness or MCB Identification Card:

• Email our Blindness Registry: BlindnessRegistry@mass.gov
• Call our Blindness Registry: 617-626-7415
• Submit the Online Certificate of Blindness and MCB Identification Card Request Form
• Contact your MCB counselor

We are currently processing requests within five to seven business days. 

The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is pleased to announce the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP). Eligible clients can now use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) EBT card to buy food at authorized restaurants and food trucks. Adults 60 years and older, people with disabilities, and homeless individuals can participate in the RMP.

Our Mission: To provide individualized training, education, and empowerment to people who are legally blind, and advocate for inclusive policies across the Commonwealth, with the goal of life-long independence and full community participation​

Our Vision: All residents of the Commonwealth who are legally blind are empowered to live a fulfilling and independent life, with opportunities to work and thrive

Massachusetts Commission for the Blind

600 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111

1-800-392-6250