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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.
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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/

04/07/2026

April of Advocacy: The Moment It Changes

Yesterday we talked about turning awareness into action, but how do we get there?

Awareness is noticing something isn’t working. Advocacy is deciding you’re not okay with it. And that shift doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it’s quiet. It’s the second or third time something happens and it stops feeling like a one-off. It’s realizing you’ve been told to “be patient” more times than you can count, that the delay isn’t unusual, that the barrier isn’t accidental. It’s the moment where it stops feeling personal and starts feeling like a pattern.

That’s where advocacy begins. Not when everything is figured out. Not when you have the perfect words. But when “this is just how it is” stops being a good enough answer. And from there, it can take a lot of different forms.

For many people with disabilities, advocacy starts with self advocacy. Speaking up in a medical appointment. Asking for what you need at school. Setting boundaries. Naming when something isn’t working, even in everyday conversations. Those moments matter. And it can grow from there.

Advocacy can look like sharing your experience so someone else doesn’t feel alone. It can look like sending an email, making a call, or responding to a Call to Action. It can look like showing up in community spaces and connecting your experience to something bigger. It can look like organizing, planning, and pushing work forward behind the scenes. It can look like testifying, meeting with legislators, or working toward systems level change with organizations like DPC. It can be personal. It can be local. It can be systemic.

None of these are better than the others. All of them are part of how change happens. Because advocacy isn’t one moment or one role. It’s built from many different actions, layered together over time. Because once you see it, it’s hard to go back to not seeing it.

What’s something that shifted for you from “this is frustrating” to “this needs to change”?

Want to help sustain the work DPC is doing? Donate here tinyurl.com/AOA-2026

04/07/2026

Did you know our April of Advocacy has historic roots?

In April 1977, disabled activists across the country took action to demand enforcement of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the first federal civil rights protection for disabled people.

The law had already been signed, but without regulations, it wasn’t being enforced. On paper, it existed. In real life, nothing changed.

So the community organized. On April 5, disabled people occupied federal buildings across the country, including in Boston, New York City, and San Francisco. They showed up together and pushed for action in a way that could not be ignored.

In San Francisco, activists held a sit-in for 25 days, the longest occupation of a federal building in U.S. history. People built community inside those walls, supported one another, and stayed until something changed.

On April 28, 1977, the Section 504 regulations were finally signed.

That same spirit of action continues today, and there are many ways to be part of it. For organizations, agencies, and institutions, one of the most meaningful ways to contribute is by taking a closer look at how systems are designed, who is included in decision-making, and where barriers still exist.

At DPC, our training and consulting work is rooted in disability-led perspectives and lived experience. We partner with organizations to move beyond surface-level understanding and toward real, structural change. That means asking harder questions, building more inclusive practices, and making sure disabled people are not just considered, but actively shaping the systems that impact their lives.

April of Advocacy is a reminder that change does not happen by accident. It happens when people take action in the spaces they are in, with the tools they have.

As you think about your own role, whether as an individual or as part of an organization, consider what it would look like to move from awareness into action.

If you want to learn more about this history, Crip Camp and The Power of 504 share the stories of the activists who led this movement. And if your organization is looking to deepen its understanding of disability and take meaningful steps toward inclusion, visit disabilitydei.org to learn more about DPC’s training and consulting work.

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04/06/2026

Why It Matters Monday: From Awareness to Advocacy

Over the past few months, we’ve been sharing stories about the things people don’t always see. The barriers that quietly shape everyday life. The systems that are harder to navigate than they should be. The moments where access, autonomy, and dignity are not guaranteed. Many of these experiences are familiar to disabled people, but for others they can come as a surprise simply because they are rarely talked about openly.

Earlier this year we spent time exploring autonomy and choice. We talked about the importance of acting locally while thinking globally. And throughout March, we worked to make the invisible visible by sharing real experiences from disabled people across our community. Those stories were not shared by accident. They were shared because understanding the problem is where change begins.

But recognizing the problem is only the first step.

The next step is advocacy.

Advocacy is how lived experience turns into policy change. It is how barriers begin to turn into solutions. It is how the everyday realities of disabled people reach the people who have the power to improve the systems around us. Sometimes that looks like someone sharing their story at a hearing so lawmakers understand the real impact of a policy. Sometimes it looks like advocates meeting with decision makers, educating communities, and building coalitions to push for better systems.

Work like this does not happen on its own. Behind every testimony, every meeting, and every step toward progress is a network of people committed to sustaining the work. Advocacy takes time. It takes resources. And it takes a community willing to invest in building a more accessible and equitable future.

Because real change is not a single moment. It is the result of people showing up, sharing their stories, and continuing the work together.

So as we move into a month focused on advocacy, we want to hear from you. What does advocacy mean to you?

Have you ever shared your story, spoken up about a barrier, or supported a cause that matters to you? And if not yet, what might advocacy look like in your own community?

Want to help sustain the work DPC does each day? Consider donating to DPC's Annual fundraiser for April of Advocacy! Use the link: tinyurl.com/AOA-2026 or visit dpcma.org/donate

04/03/2026

Donate to support DPC's mission for disability justice and health equity at tinyurl.com/AOA-2026 ! 🤩

This April of Advocacy, we are setting out to raise $5,000 to support our work empowering the voices of people with disabilities across Massachusetts. DPC relies on grassroots donations to power our advocacy, research, and education programs, and to support our dedicated team of community organizers, disability educators, and public health researchers.

Our work would not be possible without your support! 🙌

Every Friday, we'll provide a fundraising update to show how much progress we've made towards our $5,000 goal. As of today (April 3rd), we have raised $52! Will you help us fill the bar with your own donation? A gift of any size makes a huge difference.

⭐️ Share this post to help us reach even more people and donate to DPC's April of Advocacy campaign at tinyurl.com/AOA-2026 today!

04/02/2026

Things No One Tells You About Disability

There are a lot of things people do not tell you about disability. Some are practical. Some are emotional. And some only begin to make sense once you are already living it. Many of them stay invisible for a long time.

One of the first things no one tells you is that no one may actually say the word disabled. During diagnosis, you hear everything around it. Doctors explain symptoms, risks, and how your body might change. They may tell you that walking could become difficult or that you may need to use a wheelchair. But very often, no one simply names it.

Instead, the reality reveals itself piece by piece. And it makes you wonder why. Is it discomfort? An attempt to soften the truth? Or is it because disability has long been treated as something too negative to say out loud?

No one tells you how quickly the world can begin seeing you differently. The moment someone notices a wheelchair, a service dog, or any visible sign of disability, something shifts. It is often subtle. Assumptions are made before a conversation even begins. People decide what they think you can or cannot do without ever asking.

No one prepares you for how much independence can depend on systems actually working. For many disabled people, independence is not the absence of support, it is the ability to direct your own life within it. But that independence can become fragile when services fall through, equipment breaks, or systems fail to show up the way they are supposed to.

No one tells you how much of life becomes a calculation. Not just financially, but structurally. Decisions about work, relationships, or growth are often weighed against the risk of losing the supports that make daily life possible. It creates a quiet tension, where moving forward is not always as simple as it should be.

And no one tells you how your awareness of the world changes. You begin to notice things others rarely think about. Accessibility stops being an abstract idea and becomes something you assess everywhere you go.

But there is another side people do not always talk about.

Somewhere along the way, disability stops being just a diagnosis and starts becoming a community. You find people who understand without explanation. People who have already figured out the workarounds, the strategies, the ways forward.

When the world was not built with you in mind, creativity becomes second nature. Disabled people are some of the best problem solvers you will ever meet, because we have spent our lives finding solutions where none were offered.

You begin to see that disability is not just about limitation. It is about perspective, connection, and a kind of strength that comes from navigating a world that was never designed for you in the first place. And once you see that clearly, something shifts. You stop asking how to fit into that world, and start asking why it was built this way to begin with, and who it was never meant to include.

Because the problem was never our bodies. It was the systems, the assumptions, and the barriers we were expected to quietly work around.

That might be the part no one tells you about disability.

04/02/2026

Take Action Thursday

What would you tell the world about living with a disability?

If you are a current Massachusetts resident with a disability, this is for you.

Your story matters. Not just as a moment, but as part of a larger history that deserves to be seen, heard, and remembered.

DPC’s Disability Histories Project is collecting personal stories from disabled people across Massachusetts. Stories can take many forms. Writing, poetry, visual art, audio, or something entirely your own. There is no one right way to tell your story. What matters is that it is yours.

This project is about more than documentation. It is about making sure disabled voices shape the narrative of our own history.

New this year, DPC is offering free storytelling workshops for anyone who wants support in telling their story. Whether you are just starting or have already begun, you are welcome.

Workshops will be held on Zoom from 5:30 to 7:30 PM on the following dates:
~ March 30
~ April 6, 13, 27
~ May 4, 11, 18
~ June 1, 8, 15

Space is limited.

Take action:
Fill out the form to get involved: https://tinyurl.com/DPC-ShareYourStory

Or reach out at disabilityhistory@dpcma.org You can also call (617) 307-7775 and leave a message with your information and any access needs.

Your story is not just personal. It is part of our collective history. What you choose to share today helps shape what gets remembered tomorrow.

What part of your story feels important to hold onto right now?

04/01/2026

Introducing April of Advocacy

Over the past few months, we have been building toward this moment together. At the start of the year, we began by talking about autonomy and choice. The simple but powerful idea that disabled people deserve the same ability as anyone else to make decisions about our own lives. Where we live. How we move through the world. The supports we use. The paths we choose for ourselves.

From there, we turned our attention outward with Think Globally, Act Locally. We looked at the ways disability advocacy does not only happen in large policy conversations. It also happens in our neighborhoods, in city halls, in local meetings, and in the everyday barriers we encounter. Change often begins in the places closest to us.

Throughout March, we focused on Making the Invisible Visible. Together we named the moments people do not always see when they think about disability. The assumptions people make. The quiet weight of medical trauma. The time, energy, and systems that shape daily life in ways many people never have to think about. These stories were not shared simply to raise awareness. They were shared to show why advocacy is necessary.

Because advocacy begins with lived experience. Every barrier we named, every story shared, and every invisible moment made visible helps show the places where systems still need to change. When disabled people speak about these realities, we are not just telling stories. We are identifying the work that still needs to be done.

That is where April of Advocacy comes in.

Last year, the Disability Policy Consortium launched April of Advocacy as a way to highlight the work being done to move these conversations into action.

Throughout April, we will be sharing the advocacy efforts happening across DPC. From legislative campaigns and policy work to community organizing and education, this month is about showing how lived experience turns into real change. But advocacy does not happen on its own. Behind every campaign, every policy effort, and every community initiative are people working every day to move this work forward. It takes time, resources, and sustained commitment to continue building a more accessible and equitable world.

April of Advocacy is not only a time to highlight the work, but also a time to help sustain it. Throughout the month, we will be sharing ways people can support DPC’s advocacy so it can continue to grow. Whether that means sharing our work, joining campaigns, helping spread awareness, or contributing financially, every form of support helps ensure that this work continues.

Because making change possible requires more than good ideas. It requires community, commitment, and the resources to keep moving forward. The stories we shared throughout the year helped make the invisible visible.

In April, we turn that visibility into action.

04/01/2026

Throughout March, we spent time naming the things people do not always see about disability. We talked about the moments that often remain invisible to the outside world. The assumptions people make when they see disability. The quiet weight of medical trauma. The time, energy, and systems that shape daily life in ways many people never have to think about.

These are not always the moments people notice, but they are the ones that often define how disabled people move through the world. We shared these experiences not simply because “people don’t know what they don’t experience,” but because understanding these realities helps explain why advocacy matters.

Disability advocacy does not begin in policy meetings or legislative hearings. It begins in lived experience. It begins in the everyday moments where systems fail, barriers appear, and people are left navigating structures that were never designed with them in mind. When we make these experiences visible, we begin to understand the urgency behind the work.

The policies we fight for are not abstract ideas. They are connected directly to the realities disabled people face every day. Access to healthcare, transportation, housing, services, and civil rights are not theoretical issues. They shape whether someone can live safely, work, participate in their community, and build the life they want. That is why this month matters.

And it is also why what comes next matters. Last year, the Disability Policy Consortium launched April of Advocacy, a month dedicated to highlighting the work being done to create a more accessible and equitable world for disabled people.

If March helped make the invisible visible, April is where we focus on what we do about it. Throughout April, we will be sharing the advocacy efforts happening across DPC. From legislative campaigns to community organizing, we will highlight the work being done to address the very challenges we spent March talking about.

Because the moments we shared this month are not just stories. They are the reason advocacy exists in the first place.

When disabled people share our experiences, we are not simply telling stories. We are naming the barriers that still exist and showing why change is necessary. Advocacy grows out of those moments. It grows from community, from lived experience, and from the collective belief that the world can and should work better for all of us.

And that is exactly what April is about.

03/31/2026

Fragility Is Not a Personal Failing

When we talk about participation feeling fragile, it is important to be clear about what that means. Fragility is not about disabled people lacking strength. It is not about motivation, grit, or determination. Many disabled people have built extraordinary resilience simply to navigate daily life.

The fragility we are naming lives in the infrastructure. It lives in repair systems that depend on backorders and unclear timelines. It lives in service structures that can change with little notice. It lives in meetings where access is still treated as an add-on instead of a baseline. It lives in funding decisions that prioritize short-term fixes over long-term stability.

When those foundations are unstable, individuals are forced to absorb the uncertainty. That uncertainty has a cost. It shows up in stress. In hesitation. In carefully guarded plans. In the constant awareness that something essential could shift without warning.

Over time, people can internalize that instability. They may begin to question whether they are asking for too much. Whether steadiness is unrealistic. Whether unpredictability is simply part of life. It is not. Strong infrastructure should reduce uncertainty, not create it. It should allow people to build careers, relationships, and communities without wondering if the ground beneath them will move.

If participation feels fragile, the solution is not more resilience. It is stronger systems. And stronger systems are possible.

03/30/2026

Join Us!

The Massachusetts Independent Living network invites you to Independent Living Education Day.

This is an opportunity to come together with advocates from across Massachusetts, share our stories, and speak directly with decision-makers about what disabled people need to live, work, and thrive in our communities.

Whether you are new to advocacy or have been doing this work for years, your voice matters. This is a space to show up, connect, and be part of moving change forward together.

When: Thursday, April 23, 2026, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Where: Massachusetts State House, Great Hall

RSVP here: https://masilc.formstack.com/forms/2026iledday

03/30/2026

Why It Matters Monday: When Participation Feels Fragile

All month, we have been naming what happens when access fails. Life narrows. Energy shifts. Responsibility moves. Barriers start to feel routine. Underneath all of that is something many disabled people know deeply: participation can feel fragile.

Not because we are fragile. Because the systems around us are. When infrastructure is inconsistent, daily life carries an extra layer of uncertainty. Will the repair be finished on time. Will the service hours remain stable. Will communication access be there when the meeting starts. Will the transportation arrive.

Even when things are working today, there can be a quiet awareness that they could shift tomorrow. That kind of fragility changes how people move through the world. Plans are made carefully. Opportunities are weighed. Energy is guarded. Participation becomes something that depends on whether multiple systems hold at once.

It should not feel that way. Infrastructure is meant to create steadiness. It is meant to make participation feel supported and sustainable. When that foundation is weak, individuals absorb the instability. Disabled people should not have to rely on endurance to maintain access to work, community, and daily life. Stability should not be a privilege or a surprise.

As we close this month of naming and noticing barriers, we are clear about this: the fragility many people feel is not inevitable. It is the result of systems that were not built strongly enough to hold everyone. And systems can be strengthened.

In the weeks ahead, we will begin sharing more about the work being done to build that strength and create lasting change. For now, we pause with this question: What would your life look like if participation felt secure instead of fragile?

03/27/2026

This spring, DPC is partnering with the City of Boston Disabilities Commission to create and facilitate a civic engagement course for Boston residents connected to the disability community. The program will launch in May and is called the Accessible Boston Leadership & Empowerment (ABLE) Lab.

While we are still collaboratively developing the course, registration is now open! We are looking for a diverse group of participants who are new to civic engagement to foster the next generation of disability leaders. If you are a Boston resident interested in getting more involved in your community and local government and have a connection to the disability community, we encourage you to apply!

The course will be six sessions from May 12th through June 23rd. Most sessions will take place at Boston City Hall and run from 5:30 – 7. Participants who attend a majority of sessions will receive a stipend of $250.

To apply, please fill out the registration form at https://shorturl.at/UOB55 before the end of April. If you have questions about the course or the applications, you can contact Ellysheva Bunge-Zeira, DPC’s Director of Training and Consulting, at ebungezeira@dpcma.org.

If you need disability accommodations or language translation in order to participate, please email disability@boston.gov or call (617) 635-4997.

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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