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Disability Policy Consortium

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Disability Policy Consortium

About Us. By Us. Delivering systems change at every level since 1996. Everything about the disability community should be led by the disability community.

What we do:

- Legislative Advocacy
- Community Organizing
- Research
- Peer Support

For 25 years, the Disability Policy Consortium has fought for the rights of people with disabilities. We have a rich history of innovative and effective work in community organizing, participatory research, public policy development, and peer support. As an organization run by and for people with disabilities, we prove every day what members of our community can accomplish when they are allowed to reach their full potential. For that reason, the Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) leads efforts to advocate for, conduct research with, and deliver services to our disabled peers. Board of Directors:

John Chappell, President
Joe Bellil, Treasurer

Anita Albright
Ellen Bresin
Cheryl Cumings
Jini Fairley
Allegra Heath-Stout
Carol Hilbinger
Jennifer Lee
Josh Montgomery
Robyn Powell
Jason Savageau
Penny Shaw
Chloe Slocum
Andrew Veith
Heather Watkins
Casandra Xavier

Executive Director:
Harry Weissman

Check out our Website: www.dpcma.org

Check out DPC’s store for exclusive AboutUsByUsaurus disabled dino swag — bold, witty, and one-of-a-kind designs created by disabled artist Emma Gelbard, only at DPC! https://dpcma.printful.me/

02/06/2026

You do not need to be an expert to act locally

Many people assume that advocacy requires expertise. That you need to know every policy, understand every process, or have the perfect language before you speak up.

In reality, most local change starts much earlier than that. It starts with lived experience. With noticing when something does not work. With saying, “This is a problem,” and being willing to name why.

Learning happens as you go. Confidence grows through practice. What once felt intimidating begins to feel familiar.

Local action is not about having all the answers. It is about participation. Showing up. Asking questions. Sharing what you know because you live it.

Wherever you are starting from is enough. Whether you are just beginning to notice barriers or already speaking up about them, each step matters. However you are able to show up is enough to begin.

02/05/2026

You may have noticed a few disabled dinosaurs popping up in our graphics lately. And if your first thought was that DPC is turning 30 and suddenly sees itself as ancient, we promise that is not what is happening.

The dinosaurs showed up for a quieter reason.

Disability is not new. Disabled people have existed for as long as people have existed. Across every era, bodies have worked differently, moved differently, and needed different tools to get through the day.

When we thought about how to reflect that long, continuous presence, dinosaurs made sense. They are strong. They take up space. They are not framed as fragile or tragic, and they are not something you are meant to feel sorry for. In a world where disability is so often rooted in pity, that shift matters.

There is also joy here.

Disabled joy exists alongside barriers. It is playful, proud, and real. Dinosaurs invite that feeling in. They make room for representation without forcing anyone to fit a mold. You will see dinosaurs with different disabilities and assistive tools, woven naturally into who they are. Not explained. Just present, the way disability is present in real life. We chose dinosaurs instead of people because they leave room. There is no single way you are supposed to see yourself in them. You do not have to match the image to feel included. You just have to see a piece of yourself reflected back.

All of our dinosaur graphics are created by DPC’s own disabled artist and advocate, Emma Gelbard.

So if you noticed the dinosaurs and paused for a moment, that is why. A small, playful reminder that disabled people have always been here, taking up space, telling our stories, and finding joy along the way.

If you'd like to see more Dinos designed by Emma, check out our shop https://dpcma.printful.me/

02/05/2026

Take Action Thursday: H1360/S869 Community Planning Session

Have you experienced discrimination in the Massachusetts healthcare system?

Many disabled people have. Being denied care. Being pressured into decisions like DNR orders. Having providers make assumptions about quality of life instead of listening to the person in front of them. These experiences are not isolated. They are part of a pattern.

The Healthcare Anti-Discrimination Bills from DPC exist to address exactly this. The bills strengthen protections for disabled people by making it clear that access to healthcare cannot be denied, limited, or influenced based on disability. It also works to protect patients from being pressured into life altering decisions because of bias rather than medical need.

This bill is about dignity, autonomy, and the right to receive care without discrimination.

One way to take action today is to get connected and register for the Community Planning session!

We are hosting a community planning session on Zoom to bring supporters together, share where the bill stands, and talk through next steps ahead of the reporting deadline. This space is for learning, connection, and figuring out how to engage in ways that work for you.

You do not need prior experience. You do not have to share.
Showing up is enough.

Register for the community planning session below and invite others to do the same!
Register here: tinyurl.com/HCAD-meeting
Tuesday, February 10
12 PM to 1 PM
Zoom

Change happens when we name what is happening and move forward together.

02/04/2026

It starts with noticing.

This week, we have been asking big questions. Who designed the system. Who it benefits.

Noticing is how those questions move out of theory and into real life. It is the first step in acting locally.

Most of us experience systems not as policies, but in ordinary moments where things quietly become harder than they need to be. On the streets we cross. In the buildings we enter. In the routines we move through.

Maybe it is a crosswalk in your neighborhood that never had an audible signal, forcing people who are blind to rely on guesswork or help.
Maybe it is a building with a heavy door that turns a simple entrance into a barrier.
Maybe it is something you encounter again and again as you go about your day.

Noticing these patterns helps us understand where systems are failing in real time. It helps us see whose needs were considered, and whose were left out.

Take a moment and think about your own community. What keeps showing up for you where you live? Share it in the comments and see what others are noticing too.

Thinking globally helps us understand why these barriers exist. Acting locally starts with noticing them in our own neighborhoods. When we pay attention to what keeps showing up around us, it opens the door to imagining something different.

02/03/2026

Who Benefits From This System?

In Why It Matters Monday, we asked a foundational question. Who designed the system? This question follows naturally. Who does it benefit?

As systems exist today, disabled people are not the ones benefiting.

The system benefits people whose bodies, communication styles, and lives fit neatly into the assumptions it was built around. People who do not have to think about access. People who can move through public spaces, meetings, timelines, and services without barriers or delay.

It also benefits institutions. Efficiency over care. Cost savings over dignity. Speed over inclusion. When disabled people are excluded from decision-making, the system is designed to move faster and cheaper, even when that comes at the expense of human impact.

Disabled people pay the cost. We wait longer. We fight harder. We are expected to adapt, self-advocate, and accept less. Our access is treated as optional. Our urgency as negotiable.

This is not just a failure of the system. It is a reflection of whose needs were prioritized from the start.

And it does not have to stay this way. When disabled people are included in leadership and design, the system changes. Access is built in. Timelines reflect real lives. Policies are shaped by lived experience instead of assumptions. What once benefited only a few begins to serve the many.

The question is not whether the system can change. It is whether we are willing to change who it is built for. That change starts when disabled people are no longer pushed to the sidelines of decision-making. When we are elected, appointed, invited, and heard. When our voices are part of shaping policy, not just responding to harm after it happens.

Because until disabled people are at the table, the system will continue to benefit those it was designed to protect.

02/02/2026

Why It Matters Monday: Who Designed the System?

Every system we live under was designed by people who had power and a seat at the table. Healthcare. Housing. Transportation. Employment. Education. So here is the harder question we need to ask. What happens when disabled people are not among them?

When people with disabilities are not elected as leaders, not appointed to boards, and not invited into policy conversations, decisions are made without our lived reality in mind. Timelines ignore urgency. Eligibility rules erase nuance. Efficiency is prioritized over dignity. Independence becomes conditional.

We see it in delayed wheelchair repairs. In inaccessible public meetings. In housing policies that assume one size fits all. In services designed around cost savings instead of human impact. This is what happens when disabled people are pushed to the margins instead of trusted as experts in our own lives.

We often tiptoe around the word representation. But representation is not symbolic. It changes outcomes. When disabled people are in leadership, systems shift. Barriers are anticipated instead of apologized for. Access is built in, not patched on later. Harm is prevented, not explained away.

Thinking globally helps us recognize this as a pattern. Acting locally is how we interrupt it.

Nothing changes unless we use our voices. And change does not come from isolated stories spoken alone. It comes from collective pressure, shared advocacy, and disabled people showing up together.

If you are a disabled person wondering how to get involved locally, here are real ways to take up space:
~Attend Town Hall meetings and public forums
~Join or start a local Commission on Disability
~Testify at legislative hearings, in writing or in person
~Call or email your state legislators and city officials
~Support and engage with disability-led advocacy organizations

Your voice matters. Your experience matters. And when we speak together instead of being siloed, systems have to listen. Because if we are not in the room designing the system, we already know how the story ends. That is why this matters.

02/02/2026

February Theme: Think Globally. Act Locally.

In January, we talked about autonomy and dignity. About who gets to decide. About being trusted with our own lives. Those conversations do not end at the individual level. They lead us to a bigger question. Who designed the systems we live in?

Across the world, disabled people are navigating systems that were built without us in mind. Systems that speak about us, make decisions for us, and prioritize efficiency, control, or cost over dignity and choice. That pattern is not unique to one country. It is global. And yet, the impact is always local.

It shows up in healthcare appointments where disabled voices are ignored. In education plans written without the student at the table. In housing, transportation, and support services that limit choice instead of expanding it.

Think globally. Act locally means recognizing that these experiences are connected, while also remembering that change starts close to home. It starts when disabled people name what we need. When communities listen. When policies are shaped by lived experience, not assumptions.

This month, we are zooming out to understand the bigger picture, while staying rooted in local action. Because autonomy is not a personal privilege but a collective responsibility.

02/01/2026

Throughout January, DPC intentionally centered autonomy, dignity, and choice as a direct challenge to systems change.

We did this to push back on the familiar “new year, new you” narrative. Disabled people do not need to change who we are to belong. What needs to change are the systems that shape our lives, the policies that limit choice, and the practices that treat autonomy as optional rather than essential.

January was about naming that clearly and without apology. And this does not end here. The calendar turning does not change lived reality. Disabled people do not stop navigating barriers when the month ends.

That is why this conversation cannot stop simply because January is over. We encourage you to keep it going. Keep sharing. Keep talking. And more importantly, carry what you heard and learned this month with you. Let it shape how you show up in your work, your communities, and your decision-making. Notice whose voices are missing. Notice when speed or convenience is prioritized over choice.

As we move into February, we will begin exploring how system change happens when we think globally and act locally, and how the values of autonomy, dignity, and choice must remain at the center of those conversations.

~Disabled Dinos created by DPC's own Emma Gelbard! Check out their instagram @ Emmagelbard for more disabled dinos and what they represent!~

01/29/2026

Take Action Thursday: Wheelchair Repair Reform

When a wheelchair breaks, life does not pause politely. Delayed repairs mean missed work, missed school, missed medical appointments, health complications and lost independence. They mean people stuck at home, relying on others, or forced into unsafe situations.

These delays impact real human lives every single day.

Many of you already know this issue well. For those who are newer, Massachusetts has two bills working toward the same goal. H.4358 and S.2662 share a common purpose: Advancing real wheelchair repair reform. Both bills aim to hold manufacturers and providers accountable by defining and enforcing a clear repair timeline.

Our bills propose a wheelchair must be repaired within 10 business days, instead of the current *average* wait of 72 days.

The bills get there by:
~Eliminating prior authorizations on most wheelchair repairs ~Requiring providers to stock common parts
~Creating accountability so repairs are treated as essential, not optional

This is about dignity, mobility, and the ability to participate in everyday life.

If you want to help move this bill across the finish line, there are two easy ways to get involved:

1) Email Destiny at dmaxam@dpcma.org to set up a meeting with your State Representative. You do not need to be an expert. We will support you every step of the way.

2) Or join Unstuck, our community space for wheelchair users and allies. We meet every other Monday at 11am on Zoom to share experiences, learn together, and turn barriers into action. Register for Unstuck here: tinyurl.com/DPC-Unstuck

Change happens when people show up. We would love to show up with you.

01/28/2026

For the full statement and a list of resources, visit tinyurl.com/DPC-Solidarity

The Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) stands in solidarity with immigrant communities across Minnesota and the nation facing violence and overreach from federal immigration enforcement. The fight for disability rights has always been interconnected with other movements for justice; we stand with immigrant communities because our liberation is bound together.

Immigrants are also members of our disability community. Disabled immigrants bear a disproportionate burden of harm from these operations, facing compounded risks of violence and discrimination. They experience greater brutality during apprehension and systemic abuse in detention, including denial of medical care, communication access such as ASL interpretation, and basic needs. At the same time, many of the people who make independence and community living possible for disabled people across the country – our care workers, friends, and family members – are immigrants. When enforcement tears apart families and communities, it destabilizes the entire care infrastructure that disabled people depend on. When parents are apprehended at schools and workers detained at job sites, disabled people lose the supports that make our lives possible.

This violence threatens not only individual lives, but the very possibility of the work we do. DPC's work is grounded in collaboration with policymakers to shape just, equitable policy. This requires functioning democratic institutions, transparent government processes, and the ability to organize without fear. When federal agents operate with unbounded authority, targeting vulnerable people, creating an atmosphere of terror, and retaliating against those who protest peacefully, they undermine the foundation of democratic governance. Disability rights advocacy requires trust in institutions and protection for those who speak out. We cannot build a more just society for disabled people while government agents are acting with violence.

To immigrants in our community: we see you, value you, and you are not alone. We will not allow fear to silence our voices and prevent our collective action – because fear loses its power when communities act together.

For the full statement and a list of resources, visit tinyurl.com/DPC-Solidarity

01/27/2026

What does independence really look like?

We are often taught that independence means doing everything on your own. No help. No support. Total self sufficiency. For disabled people, that definition has never fit our lived reality.

Independence is not about doing everything alone. It is about autonomy. The ability to direct your own life. It is about dignity. Being respected as the expert of your own needs. It is about choice. Deciding how support shows up, when it shows up, and who provides it.

For people with disabilities, independence exists on a spectrum. It looks different for everyone.

It can look like living in your own home with PCA support that allows you to meet your needs while maintaining control over your day.

It can look like driving a vehicle with modifications that make mobility possible. It can look like navigating public spaces with a guide dog or service dog. It can look like using assistive technology, adaptive tools, or a support person to complete tasks.

These supports do not take away independence. They are what make autonomy, dignity, and choice possible in daily life. True independence is not measured by how much help someone avoids. It is measured by whether a person has the freedom, respect, and support to live life on their own terms.

~Disabled dinos created by DPC's own Emma Gelbard! Follow their instagram at emmagelbard to see more disabled dinos!~

01/27/2026

Registration is open for DPC’s Annual Legislative Briefing. Join us at the Massachusetts State House

📍 Room 428
🕐 1:00–4:00 PM (speaking portion begins at 1:45 PM)
💻 Hybrid event with a virtual option
✍ CART and ASL interpreters will be provided
Accessible Entrance Drop off: 122 Bowdoin St, Boston MA (outside of Capitol Coffee)
👉 Register now to attend: tinyurl.com/dpc-briefing

As we mark DPC’s 30th anniversary, this year’s briefing will bring together community members, bill sponsors, and legislators for an afternoon focused on the disability issues our community cares about most.

You’ll hear from people sharing what DPC has meant to them, along with updates on priority bills like wheelchair repair reform, affordable housing, and hearing aid coverage, and how you can help move them forward.

This is also a key opportunity to meet directly with your legislator. Now is the time to call or email your state senator or representative to schedule a meeting that day. Let them know you’ll be attending an advocacy day with DPC following the briefing. Legislators’ calendars fill quickly, so early outreach matters. If you need support scheduling/attending a meeting with your legislator please email advocacy@dpcma.org and we will get back to you!

The best times to request meetings are after 3pm, or before 1:00pm if you plan to arrive early. A member of DPC’s advocacy team can join you for your meeting. Just connect with a DPC community organizer and we’ll help coordinate.

👉 Register now to attend: tinyurl.com/dpc-briefing

Whether you’re new to advocacy or have been part of this work for years, we hope you’ll join us.

Address

25 Kingston Street , Fourth Floor
Boston, MA
02111

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://dpcma.org/, https://dpcma.printful.me/

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