001[Music] morning it's all good to see you is everyone ready for this incredible event this is my favorite day of the year it's going to be great it's great to be here again my name is Lauren Beckham Falcone and I will be mcing this event along with my friend here Andre Williams this is my ninth year moderating moderating the legislative reception and I am thrilled to be co- mcing for the first time with Andre who is a self advocacy liaison with the Massachusetts developmental disabilities Council thank you Lauren good morning everybody how's everyone doing to this fine morning that's really good so my name is Andre William I am a 32-year-old self- Advocate originally from sumerville Massachusetts and this is my first time ever coem seing the legislative reception and I am honored to be
002here today Welcome to our 47th Annual legislative reception hosted by the Massachusetts developmental disabilities Council and the Ark of Massachusetts current legislator legislators and state agency heads should check in at the legislator table to my left this is my left sometimes I have trouble I do it I just do this uh to so we can acknowledge your presence and we're thrilled to have our 2025 legislator of the Year awardees state senator Robin Kennedy and state representative Shan garulli they're here with us this morning and we're thrilled other legislators and officials who are here to support our community include we're going to do this you want to do it first I'll do representative Amy mang gilo representative Vanna Howard Senator James Eldridge representative Tara Hong representative how do you put tacky Chan representative strong garble representative
003Christine Barber my representative shout out to her representative Thomas moley Senator Robin Kennedy we have more representative Michelle Badger representative Paul J Donado representative Kathleen latra and there's more Nancy alterio disabled persons protection commission Cindy Howard Center for Hope Foundation Laura Sanford committee public Council services and there's more Sarah Peterson Department of Developmental services and Christopher clasen Department of Developmental Services we have a huge crowd today I want to make sure that everyone can hear so please remain silent during our program yes thank you so to begin our program what Kel kada is here to give the opening remarks Raquel is the chairperson of the mddc she also serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations Raquel is the founder of the changing the world of people with disabilities foundation and a presenter and producer
004of its radio and TV program she is also a published author and a former lend Crocker and Newman fellow Raquel is married and has four beautiful children including a young man with cerebral py she understands the difficulties that many parents encounter while seeking resources for their children with disabilities that experience has inspired her to educate and fight for families facing similar issues particularly those in immigrant communities originally from the Dominican Republic she Raquel resides in haval welcome Rael [Applause] thank you so proud of you all right good morning okay let me see who have breakfast this morning good morning yes I'm so blessed and happy to be here today celebrate this wonderful wonderful morning good morning my name is Raquel Kara I'm a proud Latina woman with brown skin and M L back hair today
005I'm wearing my tan dress with old nav Blue Jacket feeling honored to stand up before you and of course my glasses because I'm getting old welcome ladies and gentlemen distinguished guests and fellow Advocate I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Senator president Karen spila house speaker ronal Mariano a secret office of all Human Service and under secretary Mary magom legislated and state agency official for joining us of this critical day of advocacy thank you and congratulation to our all 2025 legislative of the Year Senator Robin Kennedy and represented Sean garelli big of Applause for [Applause] him your wory commitment to disability Community is truly appreciated today we honor your leadership and you now join the rank of priority disability legislator Champion many of whom are here today please let's give it a lot
006and another big of Applause to [Applause] them as a Andre mentioned I'm a proud Advocate mother of four children my son Shan Kara hasi in medical complex two also of my children have ADHD of course I'm the one have ad HD2 our community have come together today also to celebrate developmental disability awareness month but this year there is a dark cloud uncertainty the loom overhead given proposed chance they are being considered in Washington DC and in the course today those possible changes could impact medic a session 4 504 and us State Department of Education those possible changes could roll to the back a hard fight for the right people with disability who has been joined decades so this year team safeguarding a right through advocacy is more meanful than ever advocacy is not just responsibility
007it is necessary the right of individual with ability like all human must be firstly protected and continually defended whether is a come [Applause] on whether it's a asset to Quality Health Care inclusive education or economy opportunity we must ensure that no one is left behind our community continue to face significant challenge particularly du the system barric to has been made worse by the ongoing Workforce tries the potential closures or special education program and possible cup to Medicaid service will be impact the will of being of Corless individual the this is hard for me because my language Native is Spanish so be with me please this is why we must stand together rise our voice and advocate for policy that Foster inclusive and equal Society with people with disability advocacy must be a strong persistent and
008unwavering policy maker leaders and Community must work to together to ensure that individual with disability are not only included but actively engaged in shaping the policies that impact their life as a mother or child with disability I witness firsthand the struggle of individual families Indo every day challeng is accessing to education employment and housing and health care but also I witness the power of advocacy is driving changes like are we doing today it is our Collective responsibility to educate long maker is all about our need service how we can dismantle a barrier and create opportunity that allow individual with disability to thrive furthermore as a Latina I recognize those challeng as you can see today are even great for individual from diversity background language VAR La culturally competent resource and economy dispar create created additional
009Harless our advocacy must be inclusive of all Community ensure that equal is all heart of the fight let us work together to safeguard our right through [Applause] advocacy let us be the voice to educate policy maker and bring about change that is needed let us all inform law maker about policy that prioritize accessibility inclusion and [Applause] equally let us ensure that every day an individual regardless their ability background soci economic EST had the opportunity to live with dignity and live an independent life in our community together we can make lasting impact together together we can Safeguard our right I'm closing and I extend my deeply gratitude to each of you of your commitment and dedication to people with the development and other disability to our disability legislation champion thank you for being here today thank
010you for you unw verying support and Leadership we can know this alone our work is just beginning and through a continual advocacy and collaboration we can and we will future that that is more inclusive just and equal and is for all thank you so much have a good [Applause] day persistent and unwavering thank you Raquel before we begin the awards presentation we want to recognize more alleged lators and officials who are present can I I'll start yeah all right I'll start okay Rachel cailan from triangle Inc Jason F fogler from lend and Boston Children's Hospital Megan Chapman at fcsn Joshua kamyo from the mass Down syndrome Congress Anna Cook from work Inc Laura Sanford for the Committee for Public Council Services Lisa hwit cpcs Rebecca Davis fcsn Department of Transitional services thank you representative Adrien
011Ramos representative Rodney Elliott secretary Jones of Labor and Workforce Development and Katie Driscoll of CCI we are here this morning to honor our legislator awardees we'll Begin by recognizing Senator Robin Kennedy Senator Kennedy is a lifelong Worcester resident and serves as the state senator for the first Worcester District she is a dedicated champion of the Care economy we're focusing on strengthening services from Child Care to Elder Care investing in the workforce improving Regional public transportation and add addressing racial and health inequalities in her inaugural year Senator Kennedy was instrumental in advancing key legislative initiatives to enhance the well-being of Massachusetts residents with with disabilities she is the Senate chair of the joint committee on children families and persons with disabilities and she serves on several other key committees that oversee legislation impacting our community Senator
012Kennedy has championed several significant bills to support people with disabilities including the ACT to create affordable homes for people with disabilities an act to promote an enhanced care worker minimum wage an act regarding families and children in need of assistance and an act relative to consumer health data immediately before joining the Senate Senator Kennedy served as the chief operating officer at the Y the YWCA central Massachusetts we're excited to have Senate President Karen spilka here to present the ward Senator spilka has served as Senate President since 2018 Senate President spila has been a steadfast leader on disability issues since joining the legislature more than 20 years ago she received our legislator of the Year award twice in 2007 and 2013 she is a true champion for the disability Community thank you for being here today
013to help present this [Applause] award how are you good how are you it's good thank you good to see you too Hi how are you Hi good morning oh come on you guys can do better good morning much better much better I have to say it is really impressive and humbling looking out at all of you here today thank you thank you for coming here today for coming to the State House which is your house thank you for coming to advocate for all people with varying abilities and making sure our Commonwealth is the most inclusive and fair place it can possibly [Applause] be thank you Lauren and Andre for seeing this great job thank you so much it's great to see you and Mora and re Raquel Mary Peter for sharing his story and I
014do want to offer congratulations to representative Shan garelly for for getting this award as Lauren mentioned on I am very honored I have been uh bestowed this twice and it's something that I am very proud of I could not be prouder to be here to help present this award to such a deserving colleague as Senator Robin Kennedy before I talk about the senator and how great she is I do want to say a few things about the Ark of Massachusetts and the developmental disabilities Council you both organizations and all of you here are leading the way in this state to make us closer to an inclusive and supportive Commonwealth that all of our residents with varying abilities need and they we deserve [Applause] I want to let you know that I am on the front
015lines the Senate whole Senate is on the front lines and you are all right there with us thank you for that many of you may know this is personal to me I was the legal guardian and caretaker of my sister Susie who had Down syndrome who unfortunately passed away about seven years ago she has made such an impression upon me in my life and continues to ground me on days when it's particularly tough and the legislators either the Reps or the Senators know how tough this can be there are days when I wonder why am I doing this and I think of my sister Suzy and the answer is right there for people like Susie and others across the Commonwealth who need and deserve an inclusive warm welcoming Commonwealth that they can be as productive
016and self-sufficient as they can possibly be we all benefit from that so I want to thank you for helping to Advocate to make Massachusetts one of the best states in the nation in helping people with varying abilities thank you also on the front line is Senator Robin Kennedy the Senate chair of the committee on children families and persons with disabilities that was the committee I first chaired many years ago it had just been created and I was the first chair so it's a very important committee to me and I have to say I know it's in terrific hair hands with Senator Robin Kennedy as the Senate chair I'm very proud of her her and proud of the committee there is no one I'd rather take up the mantle than Senator Kennedy I am uh give
017me a minute I am so proud to be here to be able to acknowledge Senate Senator Kennedy I think if you've dealt with her you know you directly know how deeply passionate she is about these issues How Deeply committed she is and wholeheartedly from the bottom of her heart dedicated to making progress for all of the disability Community she is and and this is putting it mildly a fierce advocate for what she believes in she is unwavering in her mission to make this state to make this Commonwealth a better place most importantly she is thoughtful principled and a compassionate colleague who is very invaluable to the Senate's work not only on this committee but on all areas all of the Senate's work her North Star is simply doing the right thing and there is no
018one there is no one that can take her off course she has brought her leadership to the fights for fair pay for care workers increasing assistance for children and families and protecting our health data Senator Kennedy I am grateful that you are in the Senate and could not be prouder to be able to present to you today today's award congratulations thank you oh okay I think you probably want to get this right here hold that up and I'll see my speech on behalf of the mddc and the Ark of Massachusetts we're delighted to present you with this artwork called uh cing Bird hovering by Ashley Wolf Ashley if you're out there who is an artist at the Gateway Arts in Brook line Ashley is here in the audience Ashley hi you congratulations beautiful thank good
019job good job you want to pose for a picture all three of you apprciate there you go hold on one more picture no Senator Kennedy congratulations on being Massachusetts legislature of the year awarde and uh I think this is where you speak thank you so much thank you my goodness I am truly truly humbled and and slightly overwhelmed this morning uh certainly i i as as was mentioned previously I come to this work from the Human Service field as a provider like so many of you and moments like this uh still are are pretty pretty overwhelming and Incredibly humbling Madame President I am so incredibly grateful for your partnership uh for your mentorship uh for your leadership in the Senate and as you shared briefly today but I know we've spoken about so many times
020and she supported me in the efforts that we're trying to do through the committee so many times to make sure that we truly are pushing these issues forward and let's be clear it's not easy work there's a lot that goes before the committee on children families and persons with disabilities a whole lot of stakeholders with a lot of ideas on how things need to be done and so I'm incredibly grateful for your truly kind words and your support Ong the way and for bestowing the Trust on me to carry forward this committee for a second term I'm incredibly grateful for the honor to be able to return as the Senate chair and Mr speaker thank you for sending chair Livingstone back to work with me because uh we're a great partnership and we're looking forward
021to getting a lot done this year I do want to also acknowledge and say thank you to some of my colleagues in the administration that are here that I work side by side with uh day in and day out to to address these issues I see under Secret Secretary of Health and Human Services Mary McGowan uh Commissioner of DDS Sarah Peterson I see my my friend and colleague the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones here there's so much that we need to do that spans across our Administration across government across the Commonwealth and I would be remiss if I didn't also acknowledge Carla Richardson the State House Ada coordinator who I know loves when I when we acknowledge him but he he is truly the the power behind making making sure that everything
022we do here in our building in your building is truly accessible and I'm really grateful for all he's done to help myself and chair Livingstone make sure that our committee hearings are 100% accessible for every member of our Commonwealth from the birkar to Across the state making sure that everyone has the ability to share their thoughts and to be heard and so I'm incredibly grateful for that and certainly certainly to the Ark of Massachusetts and the massach us developmental disabilities Council thank you for this incredible honor and for your partnership over the past few years and in the partnership going forward I I often say with these recognitions to me it's not about the work that's been done it's about the promise and commitment about the work we're going to do forward so know that
023every time I look at this beautiful painting I'll be reminded and inspired to continue to do the work supporting our communities of all abilities goes beyond the legislation that we have before us it's about creating an environment where every individual is valued is seen is included and is empowered to thrive quality of life should never be determined by barriers to access or opportunity it is our Collective responsibility to break down those barriers whether they're physical systemic or attitudinal when we invest in inclusive education accessible Transportation affordable housing and meaningful employment opportunities we strengthen our entire Commonwealth by lifting everyone we make our Commonwealth the most competitive in the St in the country people with disabilities our leaders our innovators our artists our Vital contributors and your voices deserve to be at the center of the
024policy m polic making making a seat at every table possible and let's be clear everyone in this room knows it and I certainly know it if those most impacted are not driving the solutions we will not get it right we will not get it right this award inspires me to keep pushing forward with the support of our providers Advocates organizations that ensure that disabilities are at the Forefront of every conversation during these times of great uncertainty there is great pride in knowing that so many of us will stand next to our most vulnerable communities in solidarity to push the fight for a more Equitable and just Society there is still much work to do but together I believe that we truly can build a Massachusetts where Equity is not just a goal or a buzzword
025but is our reality and also we're not just going to safeguard our right to advocacy I am counting on each of you to be Champions alongside us to be Advocates alongside us to guide us to lead us and to help make make Massachusetts a better place again thank you to mdcc the ark and everyone here today for your unwavering commitment to inclusion to dignity and to Justice thank you so much congratulations thank you [Music] thank you Senator Kennedy and Senate President spila we are so grateful to both of you for all the work you do on behalf of our community we have more legislators to acknowledge before we move on Andre so we have representative Sally Karens we have Barbara lalion from the disability Law Center Harry Weissman executive director of the Disability Policy Center
026Josh Cutler from the executive office of Labor and work for Dev moment before we move on does anyone have a black iPhone missing it's on the arc table by the grand stairway if anyone has a black iPhone missing all right and then next we have Senator Ryan Fatman and representative JD Livingston all right so now it is time to repres to present the legislator of the Year award to a good friend of mine representative Shan garly thanks to him and his support to the mddc the ark and best buddies I am standing here today so thank you I am personally excited that he is receiving the recognition that he richly deserves representative garley has been dedicated to supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities since he was first elected to represent the 23rd middle sex
027District in 2008 he was the lead sponsor of the higher education access legislation also known as the Massachusetts inclus inclusive concurrent concurrent enrollment initiative which passed into law in 2022 [Applause] now this groundbreaking law allows people with Autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities to attend college and have inclusive higher education experiences making the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the first in the nation to do so representative garelly has been successful in passing legislation for health insurance coverage for children and individuals with multiple sclerosis extending AB PA coverage for people with Down syndrome in forming a disability leg commission to study the history of our state institutions he is a lead sponsor on multiple bills that are legislative priorities to both for the mddc and the Ark of Massachusetts rep garelly has been instrumental in budget advocacy and
028is a tireless voice for individuals who are turning 22 and transitioning into Adult Services representative garble received this award in 2015 and now joins a small number of legislators who have received this honor twice so we are pleased to have house Speaker Ron Mariano here to help present the award after many years in leadership roles in the House of Representatives representative Mariano was elected by his peers as Speaker of the House in 2021 in 2016 representative Mary IO received our legislator of the Year award in recognition of his dedication to and support of the disability Community House speaker Mariano and representative garble please come up to the [Applause] podium stepped on all my lines Ste on on my lines here you go hello he's lucky he's as big as he is because he stepped on
029all my lines he talked about all the things I was going to talk about and unfortunately there isn't a thing I can do about it he did a far better job introducing sea than I could ever do uh he he is well aware of of Sean's background and his commitment to all the issues that you folks face you know it's great to see this crowd here today it's always a great turnout but it seems to be especially crowded today and it has to be because of the folks that are getting the award I know Shan from the day he walked into the house of represent this has been his issue it's his issue in All Phases what he can do for kids what he can do for adults every month is disability month with Sean
030Gaby he is committed he's committed to to writing all the little wrongs that create the second class citizenships that you have to endure he has worked in the identify them he brings them up at every opportunity it's his commitment and his force of will that gets us here that gets me involved in issues that I didn't understand I had to ask him to explain that whole concurrent uh name of the ability file I didn't know exactly what it did but I do know whatever it does it helps everyone in this it helps everyone in here today um it's a little disconcerting now I'm hearing I'm hearing voices uh but again you know Sean is SE has this is his second time winning this award I I feel humbled to be even here introducing him he
031should introduce me uh because I I've never never won anything twice so I'm lucky I won the speakership once more than once yeah well but I am I am so happy to be here and I'm especially thankful to the to the O and and the new director for for honoring Sean because I think you can never honor his commitment enough because it is a daytoday year toye commitment to that transcends the legislative year transcends his legislative business it's how he lives his life I and that's probably the most important thing I can say about him it is how he lives his life he's concerned about people he's concerned about the issues you face wants to be helpful and gets to work and he has a partner now man it was just an accident that we
032Jay but I appreciate I appreciate the the the uh the comment but but it is it is funny how that works sometimes the Partnerships are just hit it hit it right off and we are very fortunate and one of the other things is that Jay Livingston who is the new chairman and Shawn are close and I'm sure Shawn will have his ear on a few remain in causes that that uh Sean has and is concerned about but again I am thrilled to be here for Shan uh I I think it's very special that he's been recognized twice uh and I guess I'm going to turn it over to him because I could Andre took all my all my Kudos that I was going to give him for all the bills I don't have anything thank
033you very much thank you so thank you Mr Speaker good morning um first of all Andre thank you so much for that kind warm introduction thank you for your incredible advocacy we met each other starting at Best Buddies I can't think of uh anybody I would rather have introduced me than you and uh I know representative Barber is your is your I know representative Barber is your favorite rep you want to my second favorite person to ever introduce me speaker Ron Mariano I can't think of a speaker who has been a champion for this community you know he's very humble and so I don't know what the higher red bill was he knew what it was he helped get it past it will not have happened without him last [Applause] session last session in the
034House of Representatives speaker Mariano was the one to lead the effort to make sure the House pass the ABA insurance coverage bill for young people with Down Syndrome critically important we've been waiting we've been waiting 15 years to get it passed and he did it speaker Mariano brought the ban of the RW to the House of Representatives and we passed it and you know when I went to Majority Leader Mariano at the time about the higher red bill I talked to him about it and you know he doesn't talk about his background as an educator but he had many students with autism and down Center him and he told me Sean it was the right thing to do that this bill is the right thing to do but we need we need to make sure
035the language is right to make sure that students with autism and down syndrome can succeed in every classroom in one of our 29 public higher red campuses and Sean I'm going to help you do it and he kept his word and it took over a decade to get it done but m shett became the first state in the country in law to have the Macy program codified so thank you Mr Speaker for your leadership I am so humbled and grateful congratulations to the Ark of Massachusetts and the mddc on your organizing ability on your Effectiveness when it comes to policy um I couldn't have a better group of friends uh to do this work with with and I'm so grateful to both outstanding organizations Mora I know you were just came in from Chicago you
036were out at a healthc care conference and so thank you you know she's new to the helm filling the big shoes of Leo sarisan isn't Mara doing a great job give her a round of applause and a a warm a warm congratulations to my friend senator Kennedy on your well-deserved award you have been a champion for this community so thank you for your incredible work Al along with my friend chair Jay Livingstone and the committee on Children and Families we can't wait to see what you get accomplished this session I want to thank uh my staff that are here my colleagues staff across this building Advocates and self Advocates who are here today nothing gets done in this building without the staff and that's the truth and if you've met with your staff you know
037that and so to all the staff who are here today thank you so very much it's also great to see former recipients our great speaker of the house is a former recipient of this award I know we saw Christine Barber John Law uh Barbara lalian my friend Jim Brett a former recipient of this award is here as well there are many in the room thank you so much you know this is my favorite event of the year it really is it's a great event crowded beyond measure but we gather here at the State House your state house as Community Partners Partners legislators legislative staff Advocates self- Advocates we all come together at a time when this Federal Administration is working on a policy of zero empathy and they're literally working hard to implement harmful and
038malicious cuts to Medicaid we must be engaged on every level you know we you know we come here to celebrate our wins right with accomplished a lot together every single person in this room but we unite together for the challenges ahead and what does that mean Massachusetts must always put inclusion and opportunity first and that means several different things that means education that means higher education that means employment we care about the interaction between those with autism and police we care about the interaction between those with disabilities and the hospital they choose to get their care we care about the caregiver who has to change their loved one on a concrete floor because there's no changing table and we care about the employee wants to continue this critical work but can't because they just can't
039simply afford it well this is a room full of Partners and we will continue working together this term I am humbled by this recognition I am humbled by your friendship I am humbled by this outstanding Speaker of the House have a great day hold on hold on hold [Applause] on so on behalf of the Ark and the mddc I am happy to present you you with this batt fish painting by Deborah bski who is an artist with the gateway art Deborah I believe is in the audience can Deborah can you please come to the stage let me get are call so R garelly thank you so much for fighting so hard on so many pressing issues in recognition of everything you have done to support people with Autism and ID we honor you as our
040Massachusetts legisl later of the year [Applause] congratulations Rob [Applause] garelly congratulations representative and thank you Mr Speaker for joining us here today we are so glad to have the opportunity to honor our legislators of the year and we thank them for their leadership and hard work if brings us hope knowing that you're in our Corner fighting for the supports and services that are so critical for people with developmental disabilities now we want to represent recognize more uh legislative Champions who are here today for 47 years we have celebrated legislators of the year in the state house in the representative and House of Representatives and Senate some of our past honores are here today please notice they are wearing their legislative Champion lapel pins and they were presented with a special challenge coin earlier this morning
041at this time we ask that you stand up and wave so that we can acknowledge you thank you so [Applause] much thank you so I just want to say thank you all to all of our legislative champions for the work that you have done over the last years and decades to safeguard our rights and improve the quality of life with of PE for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities here in the state of Massachusetts we applaud you and we all appreciate you thank you so much just another quick shout out to representative Jessica janino and representative Kristen castner before we continue with the program Andre and I want to share some information about ourselves and why we are so passionate about being involved with this amazing Community I am lbf of the Bob and lbf
042and the morning W radio show before waking up at 3:30 in the morning for the past 14 years I was a reporter for the Boston Herald I was also a regular contributor to Boston 25 doing the cable news WGBH I was on TV a lot it's scared me um I'm proud to be but I am very very proud to be an honorary board member at the Massachusetts Down syndrome Congress I'm also a graduate of the Massachusetts families leadership series and a longtime friend to the Arc of Massachusetts mddc I live in Canton with my husband Dave who's over there that handsome fella and my daughter Lucy Lucy has Down syndrome she's also smart funny the greatest dancer and loves sporting the latest Styles though I I sometimes question the matching it's okay though she gets
043it from her aunt she loves to watch movies she watched Tootsie last night so that's a really good rewatchable highly recommend five stars no notes she is a good and thoughtful friend to everyone she meets she remembers their names and birthdays and if she doesn't she'll just ask you she's a graduate of K high school and is now enrolled at the Capstone program at the cotting school which I love in Lexington and she turns 22 in June Lucy Rose Falcone AWS me with her humor her determination she has opened a whole new world filled with perseverance gratitude and so much joy and a world that includes all of you and that's what I'm so grateful for Andre here's your turn thank you Lauren so for those who don't know me here are some fun facts
044about me I have worked with the Massachusetts developmental disabilities Council for 12 years thank you in fact this event was the first time that I started at the council I love working with the mddc self- advocacy and training team on trainings that help people with self-esteem employment and legislative advocacy being a part of the council for all these years has been an amazing experience I have also been involved with best buddies for almost 20 years I'm dating myself can't help [Applause] it and I recently won an award for the spirit of inclusion at their evening of opportunity Gala back in November so for those who don't know what best buddies is it is a nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities find true friendships with people without disabilities helps them find jobs and also be
045self- advocates in the community now being involved in these awesome organizations has helped me to become a better self- Advocate and share my story with people like all of you here today so thank you thank you as many of you know the Massachusetts developmental disabilities Council also known as the mddc or the council is an independent state agency dedicated to empowering people with developmental disabilities and their families to enjoy full productive lives by promoting self-determination Community inclusion and opportunity the Ark of Massachusetts is a disability advocacy organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities including autism and their families each year We Gather in March to observe intellectual and developmental disabilities awareness month this year's legislative reception theme is safeguarding our rights through advocacy as we all know that many
046of you may be feeling really uneasy right now I know I am there's so much going on in our state in our country and in our world the mddc and the Ark chose this theme for the exactly that reason advocacy can help ease our anxiety and it is critical to protect the services that so many of us here rely on today is a day of empowerment where we can all work together our legislative reception gives us a chance to educate lawmakers and each other about the needs with people with DD and their families so they can enjoy a brighter future it's also an occasion for all of us to celebrate our amazing Community yes that's right so one right that I cherish is my right to live in my community and see my friends now
047earlier today some of you shared the rights that are important to you these essential rights are on the sign to my right there are so many rights that people would disabilities have fought long and hard for we are all here today to amplify the importance of safeguarding our fundamental rights through advocacy now we extend a warm welcome to everyone here in our audience including those who could not be here in person and are watching our event on YouTube We would also like to express our appreciation to over 50 organizations that are co-sponsoring this legislative reception this year they are listed on the sign here at the front of the room information about many of these organizations can be found on the co-sponsor resource table outside the great hall now we encourage everyone to check out
048these value Partners now if you are also on social media please share your photos and your experience here today and if you haven't had the chance to take a selfie with your friends colleagues and or legislators be sure to do so after the program ends now we would like to take a moment to thank everyone who made event this event possible the staff at the mddc the ark and the offices of our legislative Champions and the State House events team give them a round of applause cuz all that hard work come on they deserve [Applause] that we also want to give a shout out to State House Ada coordinator Carl Richardson who works hard every day to ensure that people with all types of disabilities can participate in democracy at the state house and we
049also want to thank Community work services for providing the food and drinks and our cart transcriber and ASL interpreters for our accessible Communications thank you guys so much [Applause] and we also want to thank the house broadcasting and legislative Information Services teams for their assistances in securing a live stream of today's event hello to all who are watching at [Applause] home at this time it is my great pleasure to introduce Mary mun who is the Commonwealth under secretary for Human Services prior to to joining eohhs in 2023 under secr secretary mun provided executive leadership to the massachusett society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children for nine years before joining mspcc Mary held various leadership roles in Massachusetts state government including chief of staff for the eohhs and Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Youth
050Services we are so grateful you are here today to share Governor Hill's Proclamation and announcing March as intellectual and developmental disabilities awareness [Applause] month I'm this way thank you I'm gonna Tu it here I think there we go um good morning um my name is Mary mcyo I'm the under Secretary of Human Services at HHS and it is my pleasure to be here today thank you for including me and I also want to extend my congratulations to our legislative Champions um and for all the work that you do every single day on behalf of Governor hilly and secretary Kate Walsh I also want to thank all of you for all that you do and the voice that you give to the importance of ensuring that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have the opportunity to
051work to live and to learn in communities across the Commonwealth since assuming this position I've appreciated the willingness of so many people in this room to partner with HHS and to support this work and our ongoing efforts will be even more important in the weeks and the months to come so I have one job to do today and it is to read the proclamation so let me get right to it whereas over 200,000 children and adults in Massachusetts have intellectual and developmental disabilities they reflect the rich racial and cultural diversity in our Commonwealth and whereas all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live and work in the community to do this they need the right supports and services they are entitled to these supports with the right supports they can live and com they
052can live and work in competitive integrated employment with the right supports they can live on their own in the community with the right supports they can learn alongside their peers individualized supports results in full inclusion and whereas people with intellectual developmental disabilities should be able to choose what they want for their lives this is self-determination selfdetermination improves people's lives when you choose for your for themselves it creates more opportunities when people choose for themselves they can thrive in real jobs for real pay when people choose for themselves they get a better education when people learn about decision-making and choice they are more independent when people choose for themselves they can be healthier and whereas many community members Provide support and care to people with intellectual developmental intellectual and developmental disabilities support can come from family
053members and Friends support can come from professionals and other community members these supports are essential whereas we recognize and value the important work that direct care workers do each day so that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live fulfilling lives whereas in Massachusetts we recognize the importance of safeguarding the human and civil rights of everyone in the disability Community we invest in services and supports that allow people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live full lives we imagine a future where all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities work live and learn in the community whereas in March we celebrate intellectual and developmental disabilities awareness month we recognize the value of inclusion we recognize the importance of supports and services we recognize that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities make the Commonwealth a better and
054more diverse place to live on behalf of Governor MOA hilly this proclaims March as intellectual and developmental disabilities awareness month thank [Applause] you thank you under secretary mum for joining us today now we are so lucky to live in a state where our leaders value the rights and contributions of people with disabilities now more than ever we truly appreciate having you on our side our next speaker is parent advocate Peter Wyman Peter is the adoptive dad of four men with intellectual and developmental disabilities aged 21 to 35 and he is the guardian of a young man living in a residential placement Peter has worked in the Human Services field for 46 years 35 of which have been been at Seven Hills Foundation as a family support provider Peter describes his life as unconventional and out
055of the box and enjoys traveling abroad with his family please give a warm welcome to Peter and the Wyman [Applause] family see okay oh no no I have a visual okay wait see I can't see well in case you didn't know I have a a visual uh challenge right now um so I'm going to be reading like a fourth grader and my daughter is going to take over the second page and I need to find it on a lighter note before we get into the meet and potatoes of things I just wanted to announce that Jacob Jacob can you raise your arm yes Jacob is going to be representing Rick and Dick Hoy this year in the Boston Marathon and he's going to be wearing their bib which is the equivalent of an Oscar award
056for for a dad like me so CJ over here over here I'll get right into it obviously you know that my name is Peter Wyman and I'm here with my children Jared CJ Jacob and my soon to be 18-year-old daughter Ava as long as as well as with my son's personal care provider Jonathan who I could not do this without I wanted you all to meet Miguel and marel as well but this would be sensory overload for them so I need to respect that so they are not here but their story and the story of families like mine needs to be heard I stand before you today as the single father heading into my senior years I'm already in my senior years raising children with complex medical and behavioral needs my family is probably the
057most diverse family in this venue today each of my sons came into this world fighting for a better life thanks to the sacrifices of their birth parents their stories are filled with unimaginable strength sacrifice and more from a mother fleeing the Cambodian genocide to a young pregnant woman traveling from Ethiopia knowing that she was carrying a child with Down syndrome and could not provide for him to a teenage mom who came here on a boat from Cuba who didn't even know that down syndrome could not be corrected I honor these parents every single day by being the best father I can be unlike many I chose my family's constellation after 13 years working at the Dr Franklin Perkins School I knew the kind of children I was best suited for they were the children that
058often others did not understand due to extreme behaviors that made folks shy away but that was my forte learning every facet of a person ity building Rapport informing relationships but those kind of relationships take years to develop yet in the Human Service world where Direct Care staff turnover is constant there is rarely enough consistency to build those deep bonds when I started at Perkin School in 1979 at the age of 15 my first paycheck was 365 an hour and I was proud of that I worked 14-hour days and I was paid $5 night to sleep on the floor in case there was a fire I was responsible for a unit of 10 children called the junior boys I stayed with them until I turned 29 years old at which point I adopted My First Son
059Jared who's over there and I lost my [Music] place I'm sorry to this day I continue to provide family support to several local families families very similar to my own and I have done that for 30 years today nearly 50 years later direct care workers make just 19950 an hour when you do the math that's an increase of 42 cents a year since the time I was 15 years old we say we value our most vulnerable members of society but our pay rates tell a different story families like mine rely on these workers to survive and yet they can't even afford to stay in the field without a livable wage we will continue to see a dangerous shortage of skilled caregivers today I'm here to ask you please take a serious look at why direct
060care workers are leaving the field and why so few are entering it the reason is obvious many cannot sustain themselves on a current wage these are the people who care for our most vulnerable citizens yet they are paid so little that they forced to work multiple jobs just to get by we need to ensure that direct care workers receive a livable wage so that we can recruit retain and truly value the professionals who make Independence and stability possible for individuals with complex needs like my sons without them families like mine and countless others will face impossible situations this is not just a Workforce issue it's a crisis for families like mine and individuals who rely on essential caregivers so let's act now to fix it hi everyone thank you for having us today um my
061name is Ava I am Peter's oldest daughter and I'm here to ask you what kind of state do we want to be Massachusetts has been a long leader in services for individuals with disabilities but there are still too many cracks too many unknowns we need need a livable wage for Direct Care staff so we don't lose the very people who keep this system afloat more capacity at DDS to track and respond to the most complex cases in emergency respit care and long-term Housing Solutions that provide stability for individuals with severe needs there should be no more we don't know what the budget holds in 2025 no more there's no placement available no more waiting for a crisis before action is taken my dad started his journey in this field in 1979 as he approaches his
062later years of his life he'd like to know he wraps up his life on a high note with no strings left untied we have the ability to create that future the question is will we thank you job ni job thank you Peter and family for those powerful words we are grateful for all of your hard work and dedication to the disability Community your advocacy and leading by example to empower individuals and families skip that part yeah skip that part so after the event this event is over we encourage you to visit your legislators and their staff and to share your stories with them you can also post a photo on social media with your legislator here at the State House please tag the Ark of Massachusetts and the mddc so we can share it as
063well our social media handles are in the program as well the more people who know about the great work your legislators do the better okay our next and final speaker is Mora Sullivan who will give the call to action Mora Sullivan is the chief executive officer of the Ark of Massachusetts she took on this role in November after a decade of leaving leading government Affairs and operation house call MOA has been a dynamic Force within the Ark of mass her advocacy is well known and respected so much here on Beacon Hill she works with the stakeholders across the branches of government and has been instrumental in the passage of crucial legislation MOA has helped significant increases in state budgets for the Department of De developmental Services Mass health and the workforce and we are eternally
064grateful Morris's focus on Health Equity has led to a passage of legislation and growth of operation house call a training program that equips medical and nursing students across Massachusetts with the skills and mindsets needed to care for individuals with ID and autism Mora exemplify amplifies the voices of those with profound and complex needs and she strives to uplift and Empower self Advocates caregivers and family members to share their stories and impact policy so come on up [Applause] Mora oh boy good morning everyone what a thrill to be here for my 10th year uh delivering the call to ction but to be here as CEO of the Ark of Massachusetts and to be here as the first parent of children with disabilities to lead the Ark in 70 years thank you so much for your support
065to today's speakers have been extraordinary Peter you and your family embody strength and love and Str structure and freedom and humor and Grace thank you so much for lighting up this room today but now I must ask you to brace while I speak to the current deeply concerning environment these are challenging times for The Ark and our Community Federal cuts and and executive orders will directly impact Us in Massachusetts we need our lawmakers to hear us and stand with us more than ever Medicaid is a Lifeline education Social Security the workforce and Dei these are support programs that are vital for people with Autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities in their families advocacy is essential to safeguarding our rights to these fundamental services so Advocates are you ready to step up all right the ark
066is ready also thank you to our entire staff who are working incredibly hard and many of whom are here today and I want to specifically thank and recognize my government Affairs team Nora bent Jose Lopez Charlie Fisk and Kevin Chavez I've also been really lucky to learn from an incredible leader Leo sarisan who is here today and he really taught me that in tough times you roll up your sleeves and you use every tool the ark has available to support families thank you Leo for your mentorship where you are in the face of Crisis like Workforce shortages and devastating Federal policies we find strength in leaders like representative garelly and Senator Kennedy how can they and all of you support us now we must focus on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts our services budget and legislation
067to uplift the workforce restore access to services and address the unmet needs of those with complex conditions so let's turn now to our call to action number one and and this is for the advocates everyone must be an advocate and I know you're tired of hearing me say that um but look around the room and feel this Collective energy this is our power the ark represents over 250,000 people in Massachusetts we need them all but we're also here to represent those who can't be here today those whose voices are not always heard so we need you to activate your passion for for this community respond to and share every action alert even if you think you already did it do it again um build relationships with your lawmakers and their staff and share your stories
068and then hold those elected officials accountable okay number two this is for the lawmakers thousands here in Massachusetts still remain without Sur Services they're isolated regressing forcing caregivers to leave their jobs investing in human services must be a top priority through the budget and legislation along with our partner advocacy organizations we ask for $100 million for chapter 257 the workforce rate Reserve this funding would maintain last year's momentum and raise the wages to $22.69 an hour uh the people that are caring for our loved ones that are caring for my children deserve more than that but especially in this tough budget year these incremental increases are a crucial step so yeah I'm going to take a short detour here to share some good news about the workforce um as you know the ark is all
069about legal change but we're also about social change we do this every day with our programs like operation house call Pathways to friendship and we do we were so lucky to actually receive and be awarded a grant from the federal government from Senators Mary and Warren and this grant will allow us to actually put $1.6 million into a Workforce campaign that will be a culture change we're so excited about this um and The Campaign Will basically emphasize the value of this work in this field it's a powerful Statewide marketing campaign and it's called with all your heart so keep an eye out for it because we need every effort as you know turning 22 and Community Day programs are suffering because of this shortage of Staff we need your support for turning 22 in Community
070Day programs it's unacceptable that 2,500 adults are still waiting for services the Turning 22 Cliff is worse than ever caregivers especially single parents are struggling people with profound autism and complex medical conditions are often left behind with an additional $10 million we can impact this weight list if Workforce shortages prevent funds from being used we must enforce the transferability to family support or Residential Services there are so many other critical areas where the arcs actively engaged self-direction Residential Services education support and more everyone with autism and ID has different needs and it's our job to show up for them in all the spaces where they need support lastly we need to pass our bills our legislative agenda this session focuses on a livable wage for the workforce ensuring Health Equity and promoting inclusivity and opportunity
071lawmakers you've recently heard from over 1,500 constituents about this agenda co-sponsor these bills strengthening policy in Massachusetts will help us fight back against these Federal cuts and threats we need every Massachusetts lawmaker to stand with us to engage with your leadership often and vigorously working together I believe we can write a different story and prepare for this uncertain future now I have the honor of thanking some people who made today a success a special shout out to the ark and the mddc teams to our artists again including our artist Carmela salvucci who made the beautiful state housee artwork that Graces the cover of our program and to the wonderful Gateway artists that were up earlier too and my deep gratitude to Lauren and Andre you guys were extraordinary today and to our wonderful co-sponsors as
072well so we encourage you all to meet with your legislators share your stories find the mddc and Ark staff they're out there at the doors to help you find your way um and try to fill out our program survey uh online um and I just want to end by saying I am so honored and proud to be part of this community especially right now let's carry each other through this and thank you for being here now go advocate [Applause] [Music]