Boston Disability Advisory Board Unanimously Backs Architectural Access Code Reform Bill

BOSTON — June 14, 2023 — Boston's Disability Commission Advisory Board voted unanimously to support a state bill reforming the Architectural Access Code and to prepare a formal advocacy letter at its June 14 meeting. The bill, Senate Bill 1553, would extend accessibility requirements to employee-only areas and close what advocates call the barn conversion loophole in large industrial-to-housing conversions; board member Carl Richardson, who made the motion, noted the bill has been pending for at least a decade. The board also heard a presentation from Meg of the Unpaved Trails for All campaign, which is backing legislation by Senator Joanne Comerford to address a striking gap: of approximately 4,000 miles of unpaved trails in Massachusetts state parks, only about 7.5 miles are currently accessible. Commissioner McCosh reported that roughly 27 percent of Boston Public School students whose IEPs require a bus monitor are still going without one daily, and announced ADA Day on July 18 at City Hall Plaza, where the city will launch its Boston Breaks micro-mobility awareness campaign.