Boston Center for Independent Living

06/25/2026

The BCIL Community Living Advocacy team is excited to announce our book club "Read, Reflect, & Connect" starting on July 2nd!

Join us once a month to discuss a selected book in a welcoming and inclusive setting. Meetings will include a guided discussion of the book's themes, characters, and ideas, as well as opportunities to share your thoughts and hear from others. Whether you're an experienced reader or just looking to connect with your community, all are welcome.

To register, contact BCIL Community Living Advocate Juhi Shahani at 351-22-1711 or [email protected].

06/25/2026

Happening tonight! Be sure to get your tickets at the link below!

WGBH will be hosting disability rights activist and author Emily Ladau and violinist Adrian Anantawan for ‘Disability ReFramed: Celebrating Our Childhood on TV’. Together, they'll discuss the role representation played during their formative years and why inclusive storytelling continues to matter today. Their conversation will be moderated by Claire Houston of the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) at GBH. Audience members can attend in person or virtually.

To buy tickets, visit www.wgbh.org/events/disability-reframed-celebrating-our-childhood-on-tv.

(Image: A pink outline of a retro TV with the GBH logo and "Disability Disability ReFramed: Celebrating Our Childhood on TV" written inside of it. A smaller yellow outline of a different retro TV with "June 25, 2026 5:30 - 8pm" written inside of it.)

06/24/2026

Last week Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Co-Chair of the Task Force on Aging and Families, alongside leadership of the Task Force on Aging and Families, Chair Matsui, Chair Schakowsky, and Co-Chair Dingell, unveiled the Facilitating Access to Service and Timely (FAST) Repairs for Wheelchairs Act, essential legislation to streamline wheelchair repairs by removing extra unnecessary, burdensome requirements for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. The FAST Repairs for Wheelchairs Act aims to put an end to the months-long delays in wheelchair repairs that can often put wheelchair users’ lives on hold.

“Congresswoman Pressley’s bill is tremendously important. Lengthy delays in repairs to wheelchairs and other medical equipment– and that’s what prior authorizations can cause– endanger the health and compromise the independence of people with disabilities and seniors.” said Bill Henning, the Executive Director for the Boston Center for Independent Living.

To read the bill in full, visit https://pressley.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/PRESMA_055_xml.pdf.

06/24/2026

Disability Advocates Advancing our Healthcare Rights (DAAHR) will hold a virtual forum on Thursday, July 23 at 1:00 pm on changes and threats to Medicaid-funded home and community-based services (HCBS) in Massachusetts. We encourage users of HCBS—which includes PCA services and Adult Foster Care—and advocates to attend.

EOHHS Secretary Kiame Mahaniah and new MassHealth Director Ryan Schwarz have been invited.

ASL and CART have been requested. Please contact us at [email protected] or 617-338-6665 if you need accommodations.

DAAHR is a collaboration between BCIL and the Disability Policy Consortium. To register, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/VmiqSF47TZulukj6arP_MQ

(Image: Graphic about the DAAHR virtual forum with white text distributed on a dark blue background. Photo of a black man speaking into a microphone in front of a group.)

06/21/2026

WGBH will be hosting disability rights activist and author Emily Ladau and violinist Adrian Anantawan for ‘Disability ReFramed: Celebrating Our Childhood on TV’. Together, they'll discuss the role representation played during their formative years and why inclusive storytelling continues to matter today. Their conversation will be moderated by Claire Houston of the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) at GBH. Audience members can attend in person or virtually.

To buy tickets, visit www.wgbh.org/events/disability-reframed-celebrating-our-childhood-on-tv.

(Image: A pink outline of a retro TV with the GBH logo and "Disability Disability ReFramed: Celebrating Our Childhood on TV" written inside of it. A smaller yellow outline of a different retro TV with "June 25, 2026 5:30 - 8pm" written inside of it.)

06/20/2026

Join the City of Boston at ADA Day on July 15, 2026 from 12 - 2pm! This annual event celebrates the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This year the event will take place at the newly renovated Copley Square Park. Activities include a disability resource fair, music, food, and fun.

Disability accommodations, interpretation, and translation services are available at no cost to you. If you need any of these, please email Colleen at [email protected] or call 617-635-3682. For more information about the event, visit www.boston.gov/ADA-Day.

(Image: Graphic about the 2026 ADA Day with text and QR code distributed on a dark blue background.)

06/19/2026

The Disability Law Center (DLC) will be hosting three open forums in the next three weeks in Boston, Brockton, and virtually. These Disability Community Conversations will allow the disability community to raise awareness about the legal issues that matter most. Participants’ feedback and concerns is crucial to guiding the DLC’s efforts towards what matters most.

The forum for the Boston area happens on Wednesday, June 24, from 10am – 12pm both in person and virtually at Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) on 10 Winter Place. The following forum happens on Thursday, June 25, from 10am – 12pm in Brockton at the Massasoit Community College Student Center on 1 Massasoit Boulevard. Lastly, the virtual forum happens on Wednesday, July 8, from 6:30 – 8pm via Zoom only.

To register for any of the three Disability Community Conversations, please visit www.dlc-ma.org/2026-community-conversations/.

(Image: Graphic with text and QR code distributed alongside a man with a prosthetic leg and a woman in a wheelchair.)

06/18/2026

BCIL will be closed for Juneteenth on Friday, June 19, and will reopen on Monday, June 22.

Wishing everyone a happy Freedom Day!

06/17/2026

Among wheelchair users who struggles with long waits for their chairs to be repaired is Franklin Pineda-Lopez, who works at the Boston Center for Independent Living. He said he once waited more than a year to fix an armrest on his wheelchair. He said it’s necessary to keep his balance, avoid aches and prevent falling.

Pineda-Lopez, who has a spinal cord injury, commutes from Haverhill to downtown Boston three times a week and is often out in the city meeting people. He attributed delays to insurance complications as well as slow repairs.

“It’s not like a car where there’s many car shops and you can just … take it anywhere and get it fixed,” he said. “Our wheelchairs are our legs.”

(Image: Woman in a motorized wheelchair crossing a street in Downtown Boston)

The wheelchair repair market in Massachusetts is dominated by two companies.

06/14/2026

As part of the Neighborhood Fresh Food Access Initiative proposal (voted by residents in February of 2026), the Office of Food Justice is using Participatory Budgeting funds to support their Boston Farmers Market Coupon Program. This initiative boosts residents' purchasing power and supports local farmers by providing coupons for use at 18 neighborhood markets. The program makes fresh, healthy food—produce, protein, and seafood—more accessible to Boston residents.

Applications are open from June 8th until June 28th!

Eligible residents can apply to receive coupons through a short web application (one per household) and will enter into a randomized lottery. Eligibility will be based on self-reported age (18+), household income, and Boston residency. Selected applicants will receive coupons and be assigned to a specific partner site for coupon pickup, while all remaining eligible applicants will be placed on a waitlist.

Residents can apply in 3 ways:
1. Online: Apply directly online at boston.gov/farmers-market-coupon
2. In-Person Enrollment Assistance Sites: These sites will be responsible for helping residents apply in person, answer any questions about the program, and have staff that can speak one or more of the threshold languages of the City of Boston. Note: BPL will be supporting residents who show up at a branch with applying as staff capacity allows.
3. Phone Line: Residents can call 3-1-1 if they need assistance. This option will have interpretation assistance for residents.

Have more questions?

Visit boston.gov/farmers-market-coupon for a link to the application and FAQ about the program.

image: City of Boston logo

The Boston Farmers Market Coupon Program provides eligible residents with coupons to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods at participating farmers markets in Boston. THE APPLICATION OPENS ON June 8, 2026 and closes on June 28, 2026 APPLY NOW