Disability Policy Consortium

Check out this internship opportunity with DPC and the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston!

The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston and partners at the Disability Policy Consortium are looking for members of the disability community to work in a paid research internship as part of a research team studying employment for people with disabilities.

The goal of the project is to study the Progressive Employment model, an emerging evidence-based practice that helps job seekers with disabilities to obtain competitive integrated employment.

The Research Internship is designed to provide hands-on experience in qualitative research and scholarly dissemination. The primary goal of the internship is to enhance interns’ skills in qualitative research methods and processes while supporting the development and submission of a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal. Interns will work closely with research staff and contribute to various stages of the research process, depending on project needs, internship timing, and the availability of research activities.

⭐Learn more and apply today: https://employmentopportunities.umb.edu/boston/en-us/job/530189/progressive-employment-research-intern-scholarly-writing

DDS is considering the use of video surveillance in common areas of group homes, and the people who are most affected should be at the center of that conversation.

Have you lived in a group home? Do you live in one now? Or might you live in a group home in the future?

Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong (MASS) in partnership with DDS is hosting two upcoming listening sessions for people with lived experience to share their thoughts, concerns, questions, and experiences about surveillance in group homes.

September 17
No registration needed:
https://www.wearemass.org/events/dds-listening-session-sept-17-2026

September 23
No registration needed:
https://www.wearemass.org/events/dds-listening-session-sept-23-2026

This is a complicated and layered issue. Some people may see cameras as an added layer of safety or accountability. Others may have concerns about privacy, consent, choice, and what it means to have cameras in the place you call home. Different people may experience surveillance differently, and those perspectives need space in this conversation.

The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC) has developed a resource guide exploring the potential benefits and potential harms of video surveillance in group homes. The guide also looks at important questions around privacy, informed consent, safeguards, and alternatives to surveillance.

Whether you plan to attend a listening session or simply want to learn more about the issue, take a look at the guide:
https://tinyurl.com/MDDC-VideoSurveillance-Guide

Your home. Your privacy. Your safety. Your voice should be part of the conversation.

*Massachusetts residents are encouraged to share. Other residents in different states are welcome to listen*



Image description: A black flyer with bold yellow and orange text reading, “Have you ever lived in a group home? Will you live in one? Your voice matters!” The flyer explains that DDS is partnering with Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong (MASS) to hear directly from people about cameras in group homes. It includes information and a QR code for MDDC’s guide on video surveillance. The listening sessions are September 17 from 1 PM to 3 PM and September 23 from 3 PM to 5 PM. A second QR code links to session information. No registration is required. Yellow and orange speech bubbles appear in the bottom right corner.

You are invited! Join the Disability Policy Consortium on Thursday, November 19th for the 30th Anniversary Gala to celebrate three decades of advocacy and impact.

🗓 Date: Thursday, November 19th, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 – 8:30 PM
📍 Location: Artists for Humanity (100 W 2nd Street Boston, MA 02127) and livestreamed on Zoom
👉Accessibility: ASL and CART will be provided
⭐Tickets: tinyurl.com/dpc-30-gala

In honor of this milestone, we are thrilled to present the Visionary Changemaker Award to longtime disability advocate Charlie Carr, whose leadership has shaped DPC and the entire disability rights movement in Massachusetts.

We will also be joined at the Gala by event co-chairs Audrey Shelto, former President and CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, and Monika Mitra, Director of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University.

The Gala will be a powerful evening of community and connection. We hope to see you there!

⭐Get your tickets today! tinyurl.com/dpc-30-gala

Sponsorship packages are still available for the Gala! Please reach out to Allison Habermehl ([email protected]) for more information.

Why It Matters Monday
When Different Is Treated as Less

Imagine two people trying to get to the same destination. One walks. One uses a wheelchair. Imagine two students learning the same lesson. One reads printed text. One listens to an audiobook. Imagine two people sharing an idea. One speaks. One uses a communication device.

Different paths. Same destination.

Yet, somewhere along the way, many of us learned to believe that if someone does something differently, they must be doing it worse.

We confuse different ways of moving, communicating, learning, or living with being less capable, less intelligent, or less independent.

But different isn't the opposite of capable. Different isn't the opposite of successful. Different isn't the opposite of valuable. It's simply different. When we stop measuring everyone against one narrow idea of what's "normal," we begin to see something we've overlooked all along. There has never been just one right way to navigate the world. People have different strengths, different needs, and different ways of accomplishing the very same goals.

The problem isn't that people are different. The problem is that we've been taught to rank those differences instead of respecting them. Maybe it's time we stop asking people to do things the "normal" way and start recognizing that there are many ways to live a full, meaningful, and successful life.

Where do you see society confusing "different" with "less than"?

August Theme: Rethinking Normal

What does normal really mean?

Many of the things we accept as "just the way things are" are simply expectations we've inherited. The timelines we follow, the ways we communicate, the spaces we build, and even how we define success are often shaped without disability in mind.

This month, we're inviting you to rethink normal.

Throughout August, we'll explore the assumptions we rarely question and consider what becomes possible when we make room for different ways of living, learning, moving, communicating, and belonging.

Because creating a more inclusive world doesn't start with asking disabled people to fit into what's considered normal. It starts by asking whether "normal" was ever built for everyone in the first place.

A message from DPC’s Executive Director:

A couple of weeks ago, a Facebook post featuring DPC employees received a barrage of transphobic and ableist comments, most suggesting someone must have a mental health condition or intellectual disability simply because they appear q***r. These comments don't just harm the person they're directed toward or the LGBTQ+ community, but they also reinforce the harmful idea that disability itself is something shameful.

At DPC, we proudly stand with our transgender community and the entire LGBTQ+ community. Many members of our staff, leadership, allies, and broader disability community are transgender and/or identify as LGBTQ+ - myself included. We are not an exception to the disability community; we’re essential to it.

Last week, we closed out Disability Pride Month, which coincidentally follows LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June. To us, these are connected - both are rooted in the belief that no one should have to hide who they are to be accepted, and that our differences make our communities stronger.

Disabled people hear messages telling us to be different every day. Disability Pride invites us to let go of that shame and recognize that we have always been worthy of dignity, belonging, and love.

We know what it takes to learn to love the parts of ourselves the world once told us to hide. We are stronger because we know what it feels like to face barriers, exclusion, bullying, and discrimination. Those experiences have taught us empathy and the power of standing together. We will never let fear, prejudice, or hate divide our community.

In solidarity,

Harry Weissman

To read our longer statement about the significance of pride, visit tinyurl.com/DPC-pride-2026

"Rethinking Normal"
The Pressure to Fit In

How much energy does it take to look "normal"?

To push through pain so no one questions your disability. To avoid using the mobility aid you actually need because you don't want people staring. To stay quiet instead of asking for an accommodation. To laugh off an inaccessible situation because speaking up feels exhausting. To pretend you're okay when you're not.

Many people with disabilities spend a lifetime adapting themselves to fit into a world that wasn't built with them in mind.

Not because they want to, but because it's often easier than explaining, educating, or being judged. But every moment spent trying to fit someone else's definition of "normal" is energy that can't be spent simply living, connecting, creating, or finding joy in the things that make life meaningful.

Imagine if that energy didn't have to go toward fitting in. Imagine if it could go toward belonging instead. Because the goal was never to be "normal." The goal has always been to be accepted exactly as we are.

As we rethink "normal" we want to hear from you! Have you ever felt pressure to hide or change part of yourself just to fit in? What would have helped you feel like you truly belonged?

The MASILC wants to hear from you!

The Massachusetts Statewide Independent Living Council (MASILC) wants to know what is most important to people with disabilities, their families, and their communities.
Your answers will help set the direction of the next State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL).

Please fill out a survey: https://masilc.formstack.com/forms/2026il_needs_assessment

Learn more about the State Plan: https://masilc.org/state-plan-for-independent-living

Image description: brightly colored silhouettes of people with disabilities in motion

Alternative languages such as Spanish and Portuguese are available upon request.

Why It Matters Monday (A day late!)
Who Decides What's "Normal"?

Take a moment and think about the word normal.

Who decided what it means?

Most of us grow up treating "normal" like it's a fact. We assume there's one right way to learn, communicate, move through the world, work, or live. But the more we stop to think about it, the more we realize that "normal" isn't a law of nature. It's a collection of expectations we've inherited over time.

Many of the systems, spaces, and routines we rely on every day were designed with certain people in mind, while others were expected to adapt. Over time, those choices became so familiar that we stopped questioning them. We simply started calling them "normal."

But here's the thing: normal has never been permanent.

Every generation has challenged old assumptions and expanded what society accepts. Ideas that once seemed unusual, inconvenient, or unnecessary often become everyday parts of life. That's how progress happens.

The same is true for disability. Every time we question a barrier, make room for different ways of communicating, rethink how a space is designed, or recognize that there is more than one way to participate, we're doing more than improving accessibility. We're redefining what "normal" can be.

Maybe the goal isn't to fit into someone else's idea of normal.

Maybe it's to build a world where more people belong.

For the month of August, we will be challenging the traditional definition of normal together. What's something people call "normal" that you've always questioned?

Assumption: It's rude to ask questions about disability.

Reality: Respectful curiosity creates understanding.

Many people grow up believing that disability is something we shouldn't talk about. It often starts with good intentions. A child sees someone using a wheelchair and asks, "Why is that person in a wheelchair?" The parent blushes, apologizes, and quietly says, "Shhh... that's rude." The goal is usually to be respectful.

But the message a child may hear is something very different: disability is something we don't talk about.

When disability becomes something we're afraid to ask about, it also becomes something we're less likely to understand. For many people with disabilities, respectful curiosity isn't offensive. It's an opportunity to build connection. Asking about a wheelchair, a communication device, or why someone communicates differently can open the door to understanding instead of assumptions.

Of course, not everyone will want to answer every question, and that's okay too. Respect also means accepting someone's boundaries.

Disability isn't a bad word, and it isn't something that needs to be whispered about. It's part of the human experience. When we replace fear with respectful curiosity, we create opportunities for conversation, understanding, and belonging. That's how assumptions begin to disappear, and inclusion begins to grow.

What might change if we taught the next generation to replace fear with respectful curiosity?