Commissions On Disability Alliance (CODA)
CODA is a group of members of Commissions on Disability (CODs) across the state. R Feynman, DPC’s senior community organizer, leads monthly CODA meetings on Zoom. During calls, people on CODs share advice, mentorship, commiseration, and coordination. Many towns and cities face similar issues over time, so one goal of this group is to make sure that no one has to “reinvent the wheel” and spend a long time figuring out the solution to a problem that another town has solved. The group has created guides over time for certain topics that are confusing and/or important.
There are a wide range of people who attend CODA - some have been on their COD for decades while others are brand new; some are well-established and some CODs are still getting their bylaws written; some come from big cities and some from small towns. Most members are volunteers on their commissions, but some city and town employees also attend - especially ADA Coordinators.
If you are a member of a Commission on Disability and would like to join our monthly calls, please contact R Feynman at rfeynman@dpcma.org
CODA guides
CODA has created an array of guides and helpful documents for use by any COD.
Getting Funds and Creating Access: A practical strategy guide to the 22G Parking Fund Process for Local Disability Commissions [read in .docx format] [read in pdf format]
New Member Orientation to Massachusetts Commissions on Disability [read in .pptx format] [read in pdf format]
Advocacy Guide for CODs and their members [read in .docx format] [read in pdf format]
What is a Commission on Disability?
Many towns and cities in Massachusetts have a Commission On Disability (COD). Commissions on Disability promote the inclusion and integration of people with disabilities in the community’s activities, services and employment opportunities. They are formed by a vote by Town Meeting or City Council, and have the same status as other boards or commissions in the city or town.
Commissions:
Advise and assist municipal officials in making sure they follow federal and state disability laws
Review policies and activities of municipal departments and boards as they affect persons with disabilities
Give information, recommendations, advocacy and technical assistance to people, businesses and organizations in all disability issues
Coordinate with other local groups organized to meet the needs of persons with disabilities
You can find more information at mass.gov/commissions-on-disability
History of CODA
CODA formed in the spring of 2013 or 2014. Rob Caruso and Girard Plante, then co-chairs of the Newton COD, invited Kristen McCosh of Boston to a meeting. They had been talking about standardizing the APS, Accessible Pedestrian Signals, sounds across neighboring towns and cities to limit confusion.
Together with members of Cambridge and Brookline CODs, this group chose different sounds to signify East/West crossings and North/South crossings. They would be the same through the 4 cities/towns, which made it safer and easier for Blind and low-vision people commuting or traveling between these very interconnected areas.
Upon completing this project, they knew that CODs should be sharing information and best practices, and working on solutions together. They all thought that we needed a group or Alliance of any and all Commissions On Disability. No limit should be set as to membership.
Originally, it was called the Alliance of Commissions On Disability (ACOD) soon to be changed to Commissions On Disability Alliance (CODA).
Disability Policy Consortium came on board a while later, after Jeff Dougan from the MOD sent an email to all CODs across the state. Since then, a DPC community organizer has led the calls - First Colin Killick, then Lenny Somervell, and now R.