Boston Disability Advisory Board Advances Goal-Setting, Tables Bylaw Change

BOSTON — September 18, 2024 — Boston's Disability Commission Advisory Board identifies broader community engagement as its top strategic goal. At the September 18 meeting, 10 of the board's 13 members responded to an executive committee survey on priorities; seven votes — a majority of respondents — went to expanding outreach to communities of different cultural and language backgrounds, with four additional goals each receiving five votes, including making the board more proactive and reaching the city's estimated 75,000 to 80,000 residents with disabilities. Commissioner Kristen McCosh presented a four-webinar October series tied to National Disability Employment Awareness Month, capped by a pilot in-person interview event on November 4 in which qualified applicants with disabilities will be guaranteed a first-round interview for pre-selected city jobs. The board also deferred a vote on a bylaw change that would bring the board's family-member seat requirement into line with state law, pending distribution of a redlined draft and possible legal guidance on whether a formal vote is required.