About Disability Policy Consortium (DPC)
DPC is Massachusetts' leading disability rights organization. We've won major victories for our community in redefining the role of government as it affects the lives of people with disabilities through grassroots advocacy, community-based participatory research, and policy analysis and development.
Get to know us better: Learn why we do what we do, meet the team, read an overview of our history—and more.
Our Model
DPC takes a multi-pronged approach to systemic change, rooted in meaningful community partnership.
Systems
Grassroots organizing and advocacy for public policy reform and intergenerational knowledge transfer and leadership development
Our Impact
Inputs
Dedicated, representative, and effective staff, Board, and volunteers
Deep subject matter expertise and credibility
Strategic, diverse, and trust-based network of partners to mobilize stakeholders and drive systemic change
Outputs
Community Outreach: meeting communities “where they’re at” through accessible materials and campaigns
Technical Assistance: training workshops, consulting engagements, and advisory committees
Actionable Thought Leadership: publications, speeches, testimony, public letters, and webinars
Goals
Independence: The ability to lead full, dignified, and self- determined lives
Inclusion: Closing the education, employment, healthcare, and housing gaps experienced by people with disabilities
Empowerment: People with disabilities are well-represented in positions of public trust, leadership, and authority at every level
Our Coalitions
Smart partnerships: Led by community, driven by trust, focused on systemic change.
Our Partnerships
We've worked with major regional and national partners, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Community Catalyst to Brandeis University and Mathematica, on research covering a diverse array of subject matters-ranging from the impact of opiates and opiate policy on people with disabilities, to racial and linguistic barriers in accessing home health care, to scalable strategies for closing the disability employment gap.
Our ‘Why’
Our mission is to ensure the voices of people with disabilities are heard on key issues, to support the health of the community through participatory research and expert policy analysis, and to empower grassroots disability leaders to transform their communities.
Our vision is a redefined role of government in the lives of people with disabilities, resulting in a Commonwealth, country, and world in which equity, access, and justice are centered and in which independence, inclusion, and empowerment are secured and promoted for all.
Our credo is About Us, By Us—the belief that when decisions are made about people with disabilities, people with disabilities must play a leading role in making them.
While many other organizations in this sector work on behalf of the disability community, we are led by the disability community: more than 75% of our staff (including our Executive Director and entire staff and Board leadership team) have disabilities: from learning disabilities and mental health diagnoses, to paralysis and deafness.
Individual
Healthcare mediation, patient advocacy, and case management services to 4,000+ Medicaid members through the state-funded MyOmbudsman program
Institutional
Education, training, and technical assistance services that enhance Massachusetts organizations’ accessibility and inclusivity
Outcomes
Civic Engagement: People with disabilities are equipped to fully participate in the public policymaking process
Inclusive Institutions: schools, workplaces, care providers, residential facilities, and State Houses
Public Awareness of Disability Policy Issues: legislators, regulators, family members, caregivers, and allies
Community
Participatory research that centers the voices of people with lived experience of disability and sheds light on key issues facing the disability community
Meet the Team
-
Harry Weissman
Leadership
Executive Director -
R Feynman
Advocacy
Director of Advocacy -
Charles Carr
Advocacy
Senior Legislative Liaison -
Emma Gelbard
Advocacy
Community Organizer -
Sam
Advocacy
Community Organizer -
Peter St. John
Operations
Director of Information Technology -
Kimberly Bradshaw
Operations
Director of Human Resources -
Grant Yosenick
Operations
Executive Assistant -
Dennis Heaphy
Research
Lead Researcher -
Maggie Sheets
Research
Research Coordinator -
Taline Da Silva
Research
Research Associate -
Noel Martin Rubio
Development
Development and Communications Director -
Ellysheva Bunge-Zeira
Education
Director of Training and Consulting -
Sabrina
MyOmbudsman
Director -
Dahyanna
MyOmbudsman
Outreach Manager
Board of Directors
Jeff Keilson, President
Sandy Novack, Vice President
Yousef Bellil, Treasurer
Sandy Remz, Secretary
Allegra Heath-Stout
Carol Hilbinger
Josh Montgomery
Keisha Greaves
Jason Savageau
Crystal Evans-Pradhan
Penny Shaw
Heather Watkins
Ivy Vélez
Brandon Huxley
Jini Fairley
History
Since 1996, DPC has ensured that people with disabilities have a seat at the table when laws are written and public policy changes are considered.
Our work fighting architectural, attitudinal and communication barriers has made Massachusetts a better place to live for the nearly one million citizens who are living with a disability.
2008
DPC identified over 500 violations of sidewalks and curb cuts in Boston, leading to a $40M investment in sidewalk ramp repair and construction. DPC also negotiated an agreement to improve accessibility at the State House, resulting in an annual appropriation of more than $200,000 for accessibility improvements.
2012
The Disabled Advocates Advancing Our Healthcare Rights (DAAHR), co-founded by DPC and comprised of over 20 community-based organizations, helped to ensure Massachusetts’ place as the first state to implement the dual-eligible program for disabled Medicare and Medicaid members.
2018
DPC and Boston Center for Independent Living won a $1.15M increase to the Alternative Housing Voucher Program through our jointly-led Housing Advocacy Leadership team. Over the last ten years, we have increased AHVP funding from $4M to over $26M, enabling hundreds of disabled people to access affordable, accessible housing.
2021
DPC overturned discriminatory COVID-19 crisis standards of care and secured the creation of in-home vaccination programs and ASL interpretation services at community vaccination sites.
1996
DPC was established in response to a proposal to merge three state disability agencies. 240+ members of the disability community, united in a common cause, came together to successfully defeat that proposal.
1999
A DPC-led coalition won a $22M increase in funding for three disability agencies. This increase ended ten years of level funding, enhancing resources for disability services and was instrumental in the creation of the DeafBlind Community Access Network.
2009
DPC held three statewide public forums called the Olmstead Initiatives to co-develop solutions to gaps in home and community-based services for elders and people with disabilities
2016
DPC contracted with Uber to develop accessible ride share options for people with disabilities in Massachusetts.
2020
DPC co-founded a coalition of 20 disability and elder rights organizations working to fundamentally reform the nursing home and long-term care industries.
Stay up to date on DPC’s latest work.
Check out our News section, and sign up for the DPC newsletter to be the first to know about the latest news and action items.
Employment Opportunities
DPC encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. DPC is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, veteran status, military service, genetic information, receipt of free medical care, or any other category protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
Current Job Openings
Funding
Disability Policy Consortium (DPC), a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has navigated significant challenges in securing operational funding over its three decades in operation—especially as foundations often prioritize direct services over disabled-led organizing, education, and systemic change work.
But community demand for DPC’s programming, such as the My Ombudsman program—which ensures continuous healthcare access for over 4,000 Medicaid members annually—continues to surge. The end of automatic Medicaid enrollments following the COVID-19 public health emergency period could jeopardize the coverage of up to 300,000 disabled and economically disadvantaged individuals across Massachusetts, underscoring the urgent need for responsive and expanded advocacy.
Despite these trends, and in direct response to escalating levels of need and ongoing economic, housing, and health and social care crises, DPC strategically grew its workforce and enhanced organizational resilience by building productive partnerships and diversifying our funding portfolio.
Investing in DPC will support a predominantly disabled-led team dedicated to fostering a more accessible, inclusive society by delivering transformative, community-led, and community-centric solutions to social injustice at every level of engagement—from individuals to institutions to communities to systems.
Supporters
MassHealth (My Ombudsman)
Community Catalyst ($50,000 in earned revenue and technical assistance to the national Community Solutions for Health Equity Program)
Partners for Advancing Health Equity
Mass Renews Alliance ($5,000)
Mackenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call ($500, Lever for Change)
Grants
Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston ($350,000, federal sub-grant)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ($350,000)
Health Care for All ($73,000, state sub-grant)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation (~$65,000)
Brandeis University Lurie Institute for Disability Policy ($50,000)
Human Services Research Institute ($50,000, federal sub-grant)
City of Somerville (via American Rescue Plan Act Appropriations) ($25,000)
City of Lynn (~$25,000, state sub-grant)
Charles F. Bacon Trust ($15,000)
Massachusetts Department of Public Health ($2,000)
Cummings Foundation and Association of Fundraising Professionals-Massachusetts Chapter ($1,000)
Families USA ($1,000)
Sponsors
Point32Health ($25,000)
Commonwealth Care Alliance ($20,000)
CityBlock Health ($15,000)
Partnership to Improve Patient Care ($10,000)
Advocates, Inc. ($5,000)
Health Management Associates ($3,000)
Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston ($3,000)
Boston Center for Independent Living ($2,000)
1199SEIU ($1,000)
Amramp ($1,000)
Association for Behavioral Health Care ($1,000)
Disability Law Center ($1,000)
Eastern Bank Foundation ($1,000)
Lamb Insurance Services ($1,000)
ARC of Massachusetts ($500)
BNBuilders ($500)
Easterseals of Massachusetts ($500)
Vinfen, Inc. ($500)
WORK, Inc. ($250)
Bay State Council for the Blind ($200)
Reflection Films ($120)
Liberty Mutual, Inc. ($75)
Google, Inc. (Employer Charitable Match Program) ($50)
Donors
Carol Kaminskas ($2,000)
Charlie Carr ($1,000)
Mark Whitehouse ($1,000)
Kathleen Dugan ($500)
Jini Fairley ($500)
Christine Griffin ($500)
Jeremy Paul ($500)
Chris Volpentest ($500)
David and Aimee Weissman ($250)
Joe Bellil and Linda Long-Bellil ($200)
Rachel Tanenhaus ($180)
Ellen Breslin ($150)
Rene Weiss ($150)
Bill Allan and Mary Lou Maloney ($100)
Su Benaron ($100)
Chris Hoeh ($100)
Rachel Jellinek ($120)
Carol Menton ($100)
Sara Traigle van Geertruyden ($100)
John Walden ($100)
Justin Crowe ($50)
Sophie Hansen ($50)
Noel Martin Rubio ($50)
Lisa Thorson ($50)
Dennis B. Heaphy ($40)
Shaya French ($30)
Karen Bureau ($20)
Carol Hilbinger ($20)
Sasha Shenk ($20)
Allegra Heath-Stout (10, monthly, recurring)
Joseph Lyons ($5, monthly, recurring, on pause)
Donate to DPC today.
Your donation will support grassroots organizing and community-based research that makes our state a more accessible and inclusive place.
Or learn about donation to DPC.