Disabilities Access and Integration

Improvements for disability access benefit all of us and stronger disability integration gets us to a better society. Sadly, many of Newton’s public buildings remain out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, originally passed in 1990, more than three decades ago. Newton's playgrounds also require ADA-compliant upgrades, which can be expensive – as all playground upgrades today are. (Fortunately we made important progress on this during the pandemic period when playgrounds were closed anyway.) ADA compliance is the absolute bare minimum of disability access, and we should be ashamed that we have still not built a community everyone can fully access after all this time.

As your Ward Councilor and member of the Programs & Services Committee, I have…

• Advocated for full, equal access and inclusion for people with disabilities in our public spaces.

• Helped residents navigate city services for themselves or family members with disabilities.

• Spoken in support of better sidewalks for all of us, whether using a wheelchair, a walker, a stroller, or none of the above.