Boston Disability Board Endorses Goal-Setting Push, Hears MassAbility Rebrand Update

BOSTON -- July 10, 2024, Boston Disability Commission Advisory Board hears MassAbility rebrand preview and sets summer homework on new goals. Board Chair Wes Ireland led the July 10 meeting, which featured a presentation by Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission Statewide Director of Job Placement Services Bill Allen, who confirmed no current waiting list for paid vocational services and outlined a pending agency rebrand to MassAbility awaiting final legislative approval. Disability Commissioner Kristen McCosh announced the city's disability data standards are finalized, with implementation coming to human resources, the elections commission, and city departments in the months ahead, and previewed an October webinar series plus a pilot on-site hiring event for residents with disabilities. Member Carl Richardson pointed to the board's successful captions ordinance as a model, and the board agreed Chair Ireland would circulate a Google form over the summer to gather initiative proposals ahead of the September meeting. Advisory Board Members Jerry Boyd and Juan Carlos Ramirez were recognized for their participation in a WGBH article on accessible Boston restaurants; Ramirez and the Boston Breakers power wheelchair soccer team also drew recognition for winning a national bronze medal and advancing to the premier division.