Disability Policy Consortium

🤩 30th Anniversary Gala Award Announcement and Tickets 🤩

In honor of our 30th anniversary in 2026, we are hosting the DPC 30th Anniversary Gala on November 19th at Artists for Humanity in Boston. This is a milestone celebration, so the event will look a little different from our typical annual events.

The biggest change for this year is that, instead of presenting three awards to outstanding leaders in the disability community, we have decided to present just one award in 2026 - the Visionary Changemaker Award.

And we are thrilled to announce that the recipient of the 2026 Visionary Changemaker Award is...Charlie Carr!

Charlie is a legend in the disability advocacy space. Long before DPC existed, his leadership was already helping shape the disability rights movement in Massachusetts and across the country. As one of DPC’s founders, he brought that vision to an organization that has had a meaningful impact on the lives of so many people. His influence extends far beyond DPC itself, and his work over the years has built the foundation of the disability rights movement we see today. In his current role as DPC's Legislative Liaison, Charlie's leadership and example continue to guide our community-based advocacy.

There is truly no one more deserving of this award - congratulations, Charlie! 👏

We hope you'll join us in November to celebrate Charlie and 30 years of the DPC. To learn more about the event and secure your ticket today, please visit dpcma.org/dpc-30-gala

Stay tuned for more exciting Gala updates! 👀

Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions about the 30th Anniversary Gala.

Why It Matters Monday:
What changes when input actually shapes decisions

Earlier this month, we talked about the difference between being asked and being listened to. Today, it’s worth looking at what happens when that input actually changes something.

For a long time, public hearing notices at the State House could come with as little as three days’ notice. On paper, that might seem manageable. Three days is still time, enough to prepare, enough to show up. But in practice, it created a barrier.

When you’re living with a disability, showing up isn’t always simple. Transportation has to be arranged. PCA services need to be coordinated. Work schedules, medical appointments, and daily routines often have to be shifted just to make it possible to be there. Three days didn’t leave enough room for any of that, which meant that many of the people most impacted by these decisions weren’t in the room when they were happening.

That reality was raised again and again through the work of DPC organizers and community members. Not as a one-time comment, but as a consistent pattern that made it clear something wasn’t working. And this time, it didn’t just get acknowledged. It led to change.

Now, there is a standard of ten days’ notice before a public hearing. It’s a small adjustment on paper, but in real life, it makes participation possible in a way it wasn’t before. It gives people the time they need to plan, to prepare, and to actually be part of the conversation.

That’s what it looks like when input shapes the outcome. Not just being asked for perspective, but having that perspective carry enough weight to change how something works.

That’s what “About Us, By Us” is grounded in. Because when the people most affected are part of shaping decisions, the result doesn’t just look reasonable. It works in real life.

What’s something in your life that works better because people spoke up and were actually heard?

Take Action Thursday

This week’s call to action reaches beyond Massachusetts. We’re asking our community across the country to speak out against the use of electric shock devices (ESDs) on disabled people.

The Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) in Massachusetts is currently the only facility in the United States using electric shock devices as a form of behavioral control. These devices have been widely condemned by disability advocates, psychology experts, the United Nations, and many others due to the severe physical and psychological harm they can cause.

The FDA has proposed a ban on these devices, and a final ruling is expected soon. Now is the time to make sure elected officials hear clearly from the disability community and our allies.

If you live in Massachusetts:
Contact Sen. Ed Markey and urge him to support the FDA ban on pain-inflicting electric shock devices (RIN: 0910-AI84).

If you live outside Massachusetts:
Contact members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and ask them to support the FDA ban.

This is not just a Massachusetts issue. This is about how disabled people are treated in this country, and whether pain and fear are ever accepted as “care.”

Learn more and take action here:
https://stoptheshock.info/