Lawmakers honored at Disability Employment Awareness celebration Olivia Ray — WWLP

Hundreds packed into the Great Hall of Flags at the State House on Wednesday to celebrate Disability Employment Awareness Month.

BOSTON (WWLP) – Hundreds packed into the Great Hall of Flags at the State House on Wednesday to celebrate Disability Employment Awareness Month.

This year, the scope of the celebration was expanded to include a panel about voting rights for disabled people.

The panel informed onlookers about accessibility tools available to voters, including technology that assists visually impaired voters. Attendees were also invited to a speaking program that highlighted state employment opportunities.

The lieutenant governor spoke about her administration’s initiatives to create more employment opportunities for disabled adults, including an employment dashboard that keeps track of how many jobs are available. “This is just the beginning. This is really a tool we can really build off of,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We’re helping keep everybody in the workforce that wants to be in it, and providing those pathways.”

Two legislators were honored at the celebration. This year, they were both from central Massachusetts. One honoree spoke about pushing back against stereotypes about disabled workers.  “There’s a certain soft bigotry of low expectation with which we will frequently deal, so we have to be ever vigilant even as we celebrate our successes,” said Senator Michael Barrett, an honoree.

The senator encouraged able-bodied people to stand up against the discrimination that they see in the workplace.

For more information about how Massachusetts employers accommodate workers with disabilities, check out the Job Accommodation Network.

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