Boston Disability Advisory Board Elects New Chair, Three Other Officers

BOSTON — February 12, 2025 — Boston's Disability Commission Advisory Board elected a full new executive committee at its February 12 meeting, with Jerry Boyd replacing outgoing Chair Wesley Ireland after three years of leadership. Boyd, a West Roxbury resident, was elected chair by unanimous consent, joined by Olivia Richard as vice chair, Paul Caron as treasurer, and Tara as secretary — all four votes unanimous. Ireland, in his final chair's report, cited the 2022 Boston captioning ordinance signed by Mayor Michelle Wu as a signature achievement and called for a statewide captioning bill. The board also heard from Boston Planning Department Deputy Director of Community Engagement Christiana LaChiusa, who outlined proposed changes to the city's 1996 Article 80 development review process and announced focus groups scheduled for April to test new disability-accessible engagement materials. Disability Commissioner Kristen McCosh confirmed her office's budget is unaffected by current federal executive actions, announced a Disability Community Forum for May 8 at Suffolk University Law School, and said the city will join a July 23 ADA 35th anniversary march to the Embrace Memorial on Boston Common.