good evening Welcome to the April 8th Commission on Disabilities uh meet monthly meeting If we could please uh salute the flag I have the trusty flag here I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the
republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all Uh if we can have a roll call of the members vice chair Certainly So with us tonight um Ralph Dico is
Jason Baron present Present Okay Ellie Vargas present Uh Ann Marie Fiori is absent and Pauline Perno vice chair I am here Okay perfect With that done we'll move on to uh item number one is a motion to
approve the meeting minutes from the March 11th uh 2025 meeting I had sent those out to uh all the commission members last week to take a look at Um if um everyone any every any everyone that was here at the last meeting uh if
you were able to take a look at it if there was any problems or any questions please let me know If not any members that were here if I could have a motion to approve Motion to approve and second from any members that were here
Uh all those in favor I those approved Okay item number two is updates and next step steps from the March 11th meeting Uh first of is the the norm one that we normally have on here is updates from Pauline and Marie um regarding the uh
calendar for future monthly guest speakers Um Marie as is as is away So she won't be here at this meeting she did not have any to report to me before she had uh gone away So just uh a followup with uh
Pauline So I had um reached out to a couple of different organizations One did get back to me um and they felt because we were out of their catchment area that they would not be an appropriate uh guest speaker at one of our meetings which was fine Um I've also reached out to
Waypoint Adventures um who they do collaborate also with um DCR but they are on the property of the Cotting School in Lexington and I actually watched a clip of them on Chronicle a couple weeks ago Um so I've
reached out to them and I'm waiting to hear back um because we are in their catchment zone and I think that that would be a really good uh guest speaking opportunity but I think it would also be a great collaboration They're the ones that have adaptive equipment They the
clip that they showed was um adaptive skiing which was quite interesting I've never seen it done either I've I've crosscounted and that was about as adventurous as I've gotten Um but this
was really quite interesting and I was quite impressed with what they do They've got the Waypoint has locations here and down south and I believe it's North Carolina So there's a couple of different places but we are in their
catchment zone So I'm hoping to hear back from them and if all goes well we can invite them to our May meeting and maybe um come up and do a little um live from River Beach adaptive sports So yeah Or we could possibly see
if is if they want to be included Uh we could talk to them about our all the beach day Well that's beach too Yeah Yeah we could bring them in see what they offer and we could talk to them about that too as we I'll keep it as I hear um I'm hoping to
hear back this week so that we can finalize them to um at least speak at a May meeting and at least get exactly well that that sounds that sounds very promising Thank you Pauline You're welcome Okay Um next is an update
to the music therapy program collaboration reveal parks and recreation department Um I am going to just I we did receive uh an email last week from from Rachel Child um which is
who who is affiliated with the um with the community engagement who's a community engagement clinical manager for the community music center of Boston she is had been talking with uh w with
us along with um the River Parks and Recreation Department uh because they're trying to solidify bringing them on as a vendor for the city So she has sent the information over to them to to set them up as a vendor um and she had sent some
information along um she wanted to follow up regarding staffing and unfortunately they had some expected changes unexpected changes in Iran which has significantly impacted their capacity for April and she's looking uh
to possibly delay and have the first workshops in May um and look for programming for for um June to August So once we can get it excuse me solidified with them being a vendor then we can
move to the next steps But I just wanted to update everyone and not let everyone think that this was falling by the wayside and we were not still moving forward with it There's just been some unexpected delays on their part and to get them set up as a preferred vendor
within the city reair So um just wanted to let you know that Um on a second note for um programming um and I have posted it on the disabilities Facebook page that the pot parks and rex has an art
program um that they have Um so I'm not sure if anyone has seen that And if you can bear with me for um one second I can try and pull that up and we can I can
share that um on the screen I just needed one second to get that Get my share share screen and please let me know if you can see the app program for adults with
disabilities if that's sharing on your screen Pauline are you Yes I've got it Okay And if this is being um promoted through the U River Parks and Recreation U anyone for any wants some more information with
that please reach out to the Re Parks and Recreation Um and you can find out about that It's on Tuesdays that started on March 18th Um and I believe that as you can see it's it's happening at 150 B Street There's a $6 fee per class when
you show up um on site So it's from 5:30 to 6:30 on Tuesday evenings but for more information please reach out to the River Parks and Recreation Center Do you have an update on how they're doing with that I haven't I haven't spoken to um to
them in a couple of weeks Um I I talked to them the first after the first week They they I think they I think it was in the paper too They had about three or four people for the first week like like everything new It's going to take some time to build up Y um but it's a start
And I told them to let let us know little bit of something you know because if they end up having word of mouth oh this was a real great experience Oh my god my my my 16-year-old really enjoyed it Hopefully one person can invite one Maybe it will grow that way as well So
and I know they're promoting it through the life skills at the high school right Um so they reached out to the life skills Um so they are promoting it there too I'll stop sharing my screen and I'll come back to you Um the last thing that
we had on the agenda was update regarding the letter that we had sent as a commission to representative Charco regarding the review of beach crossing Um but I haven't received any response back And um Ellie if you wouldn't mind do if do you have that copy of that
email that we sent out the letter If not I can send you a copy If you would you want to follow up with with Representative Turko's office on that Yep I could do that If you could send me it I'll go to his office Yeah I'll send you a copy of the letter Um if you could
just follow up on on behalf on behalf of the Re Commission on Disabilities um to see if uh anything can be done or any response Uh I'd appreciate it No problem We'll do Okay Um and uh as you
can see on item number three I just had it penciled in here just in case because I had to get this posted Um but it was just open as if any guest speaker So we do not have any So we can skip over item number three and go to item number four
um which was the Kota Commission on Disability Alliance which was scheduled for last Wednesday April 2nd but it was postponed until tomorrow Wednesday April 9th due to an event that they were
attending at the state house um last week So that's the reason why the DPC was attending an event there So that's why the coder uh uh meeting was postponed till then So there's no uh update on that and uh what I will do is
next month I will update you for the both the uh April and the May meeting Um next item number five is just some information regarding the remote public meetings uh was extended through June of
2027 Um and I'll just read the information here that is in the agenda The pandemic error legislation that allows public bodies to hold meetings remotely has been extended through June 30th 2027 The extended temporary amendment to the open meeting law signed by governor
last week house which was house bill number 62 authorizes a quorum of a board or a committee to meet remotely and to require remote public access The prior authorization for remote public meetings was set to expire on March 31st 2025
Public bodies may use a variety of platforms for remote meetings so long as the public has adequate alternative means of public access Meetings may be purely remote or hybrid Individuals required to appear and present before a public body
remotely must be given the same level remote access of members of the public body This statute contains an emergency preamble and therefore takes effect immediately So I am so glad for this and I actually helped fight for this The only and I I
I'm I am happy that it was done I just wish that it it didn't have to be done as two-year extensions all the time and wish that it was permanent but you know the saying beggars can't be choosers So at least this is a a good step forward
Um and I'm I'm glad I'm glad for for everyone for this uh not only uh people in the disability in the disabil disability community that can attend uh public meetings uh but families of young
young children young adults and that care for um older family members in the house that can attend public meetings um such as our commission on disabilities Now it' be nice that a lot more um public meetings will go to this this uh
platform as we can see and we've been doing it now since uh since the pandemic It's not that hard to do Um it's just takes a little bit of time and effort but it it is great to do it And not only do we have do we have it um on Zoom but
we have um red thanks to River TV it's live streamed on their YouTube channel along with being on Re TV at the same time Um so we try and make this um as accessible as possible without anyone needing to uh to leave their home Uh and
of course it's recorded so anyone can always go back um and and watch it at a later time uh at that convenience as well Um open it up to any members if they want any comments on this or their
feelings on it Um floor is all yours I don't see why I don't see why they couldn't make a law permanently though to fix that at some point just so that they don't have to keep going through every or at least make it longer year- wise just because it's a lot of work for
the legislature and I'm just thinking you know why Yeah and it was done at the last minute again Yeah exactly And it it just becomes more a lot of work for them Well yeah And for you know you're always going to have people that can't attend I mean then they're being denied access I mean it costs more money to do things a
different way Why not just leave it in place It's not hurting anybody right You know I'm wonder anybody looking at statistics as far as um I don't even know can do that like how many
people go on to view I mean is anyone looking at that so that when it the two-year period comes up someone can go forth and say well you know we did this continually for you know for the last two years and our statistics show that we had x amount of viewers x amount of
participation is anyone looking at any of that or is that Yeah that's a good question Could that be look something somebody to look at that I mean I don't go about doing it You know what kind of access to programming you'd have to have but there has to be someone who has some
insight into that because usually if they're looking at extending programs you're going according to what kind of statistics do we have to support what we're doing and to support it this way right I'm just I I mean I'll be happy to
look into it to see you know if that's something that a body is looking at some Yeah if you can that be that would be great But that's that's a great suggestion I I just know um from different different committees that I
that I belong to there is a great need and want for this um across the board And the more that it's available the more people that you'll get involved in taking part in um in remote participation
uh for for meetings And it has to really be publicized Right now it's it's not well known and who has it and who doesn't have it But if all meetings had some type of a a a remote hybrid component to it I think you'd see a lot
more participation um from from uh from from people constituents residents uh all over Um I I just think it's a plus the more accessibility you have the more people that you'll be able to uh to to bring in
to Well I think the the that's proof of what you said but I also think to show just how it affected you Colleen last week You were stuck in traffic but also those with disabilities how they would be disenfranchised I mean we're stuck in simplest traffic that already would have
put you at a disadvantage because if we had to show up physically and maybe somebody isn't able to do that and when you're you know say the meeting was yesterday and I had my eye doctor now I would have been wiped out whereas I could at least still participate right you know that's and participation
virtually is a whole lot better than not participating at all at all exactly absolutely so let's me take a look and to see if I can find I'll call a couple of um surrounding communities and see what they're doing See if anyone in their community is looking at that or
see if they have any insight as to who I contact I'm more than happy to help I wonder if there I believe PBS was PBS was trying to do a survey on it I know they were trying to do a survey um with um one of the independent living centers
Um I I think it was like Metro West Independent Living Center uh was trying to work with uh PBS on a survey that they were trying to do on that So just just wanted to let you know that I wonder if more more of the state
agencies would also get on board with that They a lot of the state agencies are doing remote uh meetings No no I mean to support it I'm saying to push more because of you know their clients may not be able to attend otherwise I'm just
saying in that man I don't mean I know they're doing it and that's true Yeah They don't have to And the thing is too is they don't have to do fully remote They can do a hybrid component Right Exactly But if they're in support this legislation says this this what what I like that this this this legislation
says right in it It says um meetings may be purely remote or hybrid which is great So you could decide if you want to be purely remote which we are uh as a commission on disabilities here in reve purely remote But we would have the option if you're hybrid you just have to
have um the chair or president um or or or you know the the governing body of that commission or com our or committee or council to be in in person and then uh the rest of your committee commission
or council would be uh remote uh is what that what that means on a hybrid component to have the which is which is I think is I I don't see a downfall to it I only see uh
benefits to having hybrid or remote right You know but I've always been I've always been a proponent since day one I've had I've always had um I've always had online meetings way back when Paulie
you can remember before even before the pandemic in school I was one of the first ones that had online PTO meetings and it worked because we got more and we didn't even have the great and we didn't even have the great technology that we have now I know you know So but I've
been doing it for years and just just a great proponent for it Um okay With that being said I'm going to move on to item number six which is commission members And if you notice we changed this to lightformational items So it's like if
anybody has anyformational because of open meeting laws uh anything that would have to be discussed or voted on has to be posted ahead of time butformational items um can be can be discussed So if
any commission members have anything of point of information that they wanted to state that would be useful for anyone please uh speak now Um I know Jason you had something that you would like to that you would like to share that you
thought was kind of interesting that you that you found out about Yeah definitely uh you know uh as I said before my mother was you know following this person that's in a wheelchair and he happened to go on a Disney cruise talking about accessible and I think uh you know cruises and stuff and different
accessibility things and he had like uh things about curbfree uh access for cruises and other different things and he's planning a cruise next year for only wheelchairs and their families that you know that um to be able to go so that they can enjoy it uh because it's
hard to get you know and you may not always have options like that and sometimes people feel like they can't enjoy these things because they have to look into everything all the time because it does get exhausting You know you go to the doctor and the basic thing you know you never know what you're going to get So it's kind of nice to see
that So she brought that up and uh it seems like he was planning a lot of fun for next year So I'm going to look into it further and see you know if it's possible if I can join something like that or be able to afford it you know then I'll do it It's just a little bit more challenging now these days So you
know got to plan your care and everything else with it So but it sound like a lot of fun Well thank you for uh for sharing that Uh any other members have anything else they would like to mention Oh
I I have uh one thing that I just received an email um I believe it was late yesterday that I'm going to share my screen and I will read it out loud what it is So let me get to my screen
share and find it and let me make sure it is viewable trying to Okay
Okay So what what I have is it's so what we have is the universal the DCI's universal access uh group Of course my screen is not moving on me Let me try and move it over here
so I can get it better So DCI's universal access program came out with their spring 2025 program schedule Uh and what I will do is scroll down and so they have their adaptive recreation fund And for general
information you can uh go to DCI's universal access program which is dedicated to providing outdoor recreation opportunities in Massachusetts state parks for visitors of all abilities Accessibility is achieved
through site improvements specialized adaptive recreation equipment and accessible recreation programs Uh of course my screen wants to break out on me Okay The universal access program offers adaptive accessible programs program programming
seasonally at state parks pools and rinks We partnered throughout the year with All Out Adventures Easter Seals Easter Seals Massachusetts Holy Oak Rose and Waypoint Adventures Is that the one of the groups Yep that is it Yep To
provide programs statewide Wait for the next page to come before I read it for you line Our structured programs feature adaptive equipment professional staff and instruction and support Friends family members and companions are encouraged to take part in our programs
alongside participants with disabilities UAP which is universal access programs uh seasons Our spring program season runs from April through May Our summer program seasons runs from June through August And our fall program season runs
from September through October and our winter program season runs from November through March Their website where you can check out information is mass.gov uhdcrac to keep uptodate with our activities Uh they have a contact list
If you would like to get added to their contact list that be notified of up of upcoming events and activities you can email them and you can access that from the mass.govdcrac and they have release
forms and pre-registration A current release form is required for all of their programs and you must pre-register with the organization running the program To pre-register cancel or check in about inclement weather please contact the pro program proiding
organization listed for each program In essential eligibility criteria and program attendance guidelines you must also meet the essential eligibility criteria and follow our program attendance guidelines for activity The EEC helps you
understand which the EEC stands for as essential eligibility criteria the skills you need to participate in our programs For risk management considerations everyone who attends our programs must complete a release form and meet the EEC including caregivers
and group staff You can meet the EEC independently or with the help of a caregiver family member friend or PCA You visit visit them at mass.govuap/ GVUPEC to learn more If you have concerns about your ability to meet the
EEC or Pag which is the program access guide guidelines please speak with the organization leading the activity If you have general questions or concerns please contact us by mail at dcr.universalacmass.gov or phone them at
413-4617126 Hope that information was helpful Um and for uh anyone just please feel to reach out to universal uh access group which is part of of DCR Um they are the uh organization that helps us
tremendously with our day out at Ree Beach Um which we are planning for uh again for um this August And I am still I should have updated everyone on that that I'm still in the process of uh
working on the next steps of permitting um and just waiting for some specifics to file the final permitting with DCR for a site Um and it looks like that possibly we may be going down towards the Shirley A uh bath house this year Um
so I'm just waiting for confirmation that beach mats are down there um that will be down There's a train station there Um and I think it will be more convenient So I'm just waiting and I will update everybody um uh on that as
the process goes along Let me stop sharing my screen Um any questions or concerns on any of that I did get that email yesterday as well Okay perfect Okay Yeah So I couldn't
remember if it came in late yesterday or first thing this morning So it was late yesterday Yeah Yeah So I just wanted to make that be a everybody aware of it They they have some tremendous programming Yeah they do have tremendous programming
Um also um uh the uh item number seven was residents concerns or issues Um we have not received anything from any residents Um so there's no concerns or issues Um
so I will move on from that to item number eight is next steps and next steps will be the continuation of um we will just carry over item number two again as as next steps for next month
with the change that um Ellie will be trying to get us an update on the letter that we sent to Representative Turo Uh and I will forward that letter to her Um I will forward that letter that I sent
to Representative Turko to Ellie uh after this meeting uh first thing um in the morning As no everyone notices my emails come around 5:30 or 6 in the morning um because I try sending them before I go to my other job So it's not
that I don't sleep I try and do it before u before my other job So that's why I either send my email to you on uh on a Saturday or Sunday or 5:30 in the morning So not to conflict with anything So um hopefully that's okay And
hopefully nobody has their computers or their phones on that makes a ding when they get an email and say uh oh it must be Ralph sending us an email at that time waking us up I'm already awake All right Um item number nine is our
reminders Pauline would you be able to read it And there's been a little bit of change once again to it Okay great Yeah The the Commission on Disabilities Office number is 781-286 8267 Residents can also call Rever 311
directly and speak to their staff Monday through Friday They will answer most questions but if they are unable to assist you or if you prefer to talk with the commission directly please ask to be transferred to the disability office Please leave a detailed message and we
will respond to you shortly As always please don't hesitate to contact us if you would like something discussed or added to our monthly meeting agenda You can also let us know if you want to discuss any concerns The commission is here to help and assist all disabled
residents and their families in rever Okay One um other thing that I just wanted to mention um what I'm going to start doing if I I'm not sure if I'm going to continue to get them I haven't
gotten any but if we get any um variance applications that are sent to the AAB for any uh buildings or anything like that monthly I'm going to be adding that to the agenda for and send them in an
email to everybody to see so that we can discuss if we have any concern questions or concerns uh with any uh applications for uh for like developers or whatnot about putting um let's just say uh an
apartment building with uh what's what's called unit unit uh unit one or unit 2a apartments in it Uh or if they're looking for variances not to have certain amounts in them that we're we'll start discussing that at the monthly commission meetings if that's if that's
okay Um so but we haven't gotten any but moving forward if I do get any we'll start putting those on the agenda But once I receive them um I as soon as I do receive any by email I'm going to be sending them out because I won't be able
to wait to send them out when the agenda goes out because we have to look at it ahead of time so that if we have any questions uh that we'd be ready to discuss it at the meeting So I just wanted to let everybody know that Uh sounds good
Okay Um and our next meeting um via Zoom will be on Tuesday um May 13 2025 at 6 PM And I have a um motion to adjurnn Motion to adjurnn
Made by Jason A second Second by Pauline All those in favor I I have it Okay And uh before we before we finally adjourn I just wanted to wish everyone out there uh a happy Easter and a happy Passover
Um and please be safe and let's keep our fingers crossed that this weather is finally going to change for the better I hope Thank you Yeah Hopefully Yeah All right All right Have a great night now You too Bye
That was short