Category: IL Conference

You’re invited to the 2026 Massachusetts Independent Living Conference!

Conference details:
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center
181 Boston Post Road West, Marlborough, MA 01752

NOTE: As of September 2nd, the conference has reached capacity and registration is closed. To be added to the waitlist, please email Aliza Levine at alevine@masilc.org

RSVP details:
RSVP at https://masilc.formstack.com/forms/2026ilconference_registration

Registration for the conference is free of charge, however priority is given to staff from the 10 Independent Living Centers and appointed members of the Massachusetts Statewide Independent Living Council.
The registration deadline for the conference is September 9, 2026.

Individuals who are requesting communication access should register as soon as possible. Requests received after September 2nd, 2026 may not be guaranteed.  

Agenda:

• 8:30 am: Registration, exhibitors, and breakfast
• 9:20 am: Welcome & Commissioner Presentations
  • Commissioner Toni Wolf, MassAbility
  • Commissioner John Oliveira, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind
  • Commissioner Opeoluwa Sotonwa, Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• 10:15 am: Morning Workshops
• 11:30 am: Lunch
• 12:15 pm: Keynote Panel: Shifting Cultures, Changing Systems: Journeys in Independent Living
  • MacKenzie Bonaiuto, CORD
  • Valerie Pease, AdLib
  • Joan Philip, Your Access Advocates
• 1:00 pm: Afternoon Workshops
• 2:30 pm Closing Session: Shaping Our Future: Your voice in the next State Plan for Independent Living
• 3:30pm : End of conference

Workshops:
Morning workshops – Please choose one when registering.  

• Unhoused and Unconnected: Meeting the challenge of housing stability for people with disabilities
  • Presenter: Angela Clarke, Community Counseling of Bristol County, Inc.
  • Description: This workshop first offers an overview of the homeless system, provides clarity around understanding the trauma responses of those facing homelessness and considers solutions in meeting housing needs for those unhoused. The workshop reviews  definitions of housing instability and homelessness across different funding sources and helps participants understand how to access services throughout the Commonwealth.

• Looking Ahead – Non-college Options after High School
  • Presenter: Leslie Leslie, Federation for Children with Special Needs
  • Description: Students with disabilities attend postsecondary education or training at rates far lower than their peers without disabilities. There are many options that lead to good careers. Explore certificate and license programs, 2 year degrees, apprenticeships, corporate training, military and federal service training as well as volunteer options.
• Empowering the Disability Vote: A Guide for Advocates
  • Presenter: Brianna Zimmerman, Disability Law Center
  • Most Americans believe that voting is an important part of being a good citizen, and researchers agree that there are social, economic, and health benefits to voting. People with disabilities are just as interested in voting as their nondisabled peers; however, they are less likely to vote and three times more likely to encounter barriers to voting. In this interactive workshop, we will provide an overview of the rights of Massachusetts voters with disabilities; share information about accessible voting options; and brainstorm creative strategies to empower the disability vote in our everyday work. (All are welcome to join, whether you are new or experienced to getting out the disability vote!)
• Unraveling the Mysteries of Guardianship Alternatives
  • Presenters: Sandy Heller, Betsy Johnson, Craig Kinney, and Lee Larriu, Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council 
  • Description: This session, Demystifying Guardianship Alternatives, breaks down the legal, practical, and ethical landscape of decision making supports available before guardianship becomes necessary. Participants will explore a range of less restrictive options such as supported decision making, powers of attorney, representative payees, and learn how these tools can preserve autonomy while still providing needed protection. The presentation clarifies when each alternative is appropriate, how they function in real world scenarios, and what families, professionals, and individuals should consider when choosing the right level of support. The goal is to replace confusion with confidence and empower attendees to make informed, person-centered decisions.

Afternoon workshops – Please choose one when registering. 

• Navigating Mental Health Through an Independent Living Lens
  • Presenter:  Jill Gichuhi, NAMI
  • Description: Supporting people who are experiencing mental health symptoms can be challenging, especially when systems feel complex or hard to navigate. This workshop is about ways to support people at different points in their mental health journey, with a focus on choice and self-determination. We’ll start by looking at how people experience mental health in different ways, including how they define their own needs and what support actually feels helpful to them. We’ll also look at the mental health system and how different kinds of support fit together. We’ll also look at situations that can make things more complex, like high distress, hard-to-follow communication, or when someone seems stuck or disengaged. We’ll talk through how to respond in those moments while still holding clear, respectful boundaries.
• Consumer Housing Workshops & How to Adjust to Changing Consumer Needs
  • Presenters: Sam Larue, Southeast Center for Independent Living, Steve Stollberg, Your Access Advocates,  Andy Forman, Boston Center for Independent Living, and Cindy Ribeiro,  Southeast Center for Independent Living, Samantha Bertolino, Adlib
  • Description: This workshop explores the topic of consumer housing workshops and how to better understand their role in consumer housing search. Consumer housing workshops are an integral part of the housing work done by Independent Living Centers. They establish a baseline understanding of what consumers can expect staff to help them with and how the Independent Living philosophy works. However, the 10 Massachusetts Independent Living Centers have reported varied experiences in hosting these sessions, despite the continued need for housing support among consumers. A panel of four Independent Living staff engage in a moderated discussion, talking about how they approach leading housing workshops and how centers can work collaboratively to share best practices in supporting consumers with housing searches. This discussion follows up on months of outreach and collaboration between staff from all 10 Massachusetts Independent Living Centers and the Statewide Independent Living Council as part of a project to address changes in consumer housing needs over the past 2 years.
• Making It Meaningful: Fostering Active Participation for High-Support-Needs Youth in Independent Living Programs
  • Presenters: Maddie Heavey and Maximo Pimentel,  Boston Center for Independent Living
  • This workshop will explore practical strategies for supporting youth with high support needs in meaningful participation in independent living programs. Participants will learn how to create inclusive, accessible programming that promotes choice, self-determination, and engagement for youth with diverse support and communication needs. Topics will include instructional strategies, differentiation, adapting materials and activities, and supporting communication and participation. Attendees will leave with practical tools and strategies to make independent living programs more inclusive, engaging, and accessible for all youth.
• Preparing for Emergencies
  • Presenters: Jamie Barry and Fernando Calderon,  Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency
  • The workshop is geared towards individual/family planning for emergencies with considerations for those in the independent living community. This workshop could be helpful for an individual that has an access or functional need as well as those that support them.

The 2025 MA Independent Living Conference was held on September 16.

The conference is geared towards staff from the 10 Independent Living Centers and appointed members of the Massachusetts Statewide Independent Living Council. 

A conference flyer is available here.

Agenda

Welcome and MA Commissioner Presentations

• Welcome by MASILC Chair Nancy Garr-Colzie and Vice Chair Desiree Forte
• Commissioner John Oliveira, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB)
• Commissioner Opeoluwa Sotonwa, Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH)
• Deputy Commissioner Kate Biebel, MassAbility

• 10:15 am: Workshop Session I
• 11:30 am: Lunch & Keynote by Jessica Podesva, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
• 1:00 pm: Workshop Session II
• 2:30 pm: Closing Session: Reflect & Connect led by Noel Sanders, Senior Community Organizer at Boston Center for Independent Living and Benji Kemper, Community Organizer, Center for Living & Working

Participants will have the opportunity to attend one workshop in each session.

Workshop Session I

Keynote

Jessica Podesva, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)

Workshop Session II

Reflect & Connect

For the last activity of the day, participants were asked to sit with different people. Noel Sanders, Senior Community Organizer at Boston Center for Independent Living and Benji Kemper, Community Organizer, Center for Living & Working, led the activity, where participants discussed their experiences of disability community and within the Independent Living network.

More photos

Exhibitors

• Aging Service Access Point (Springwell)
• Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts (BIA-MA)
• Disability Law Center
• Disability Policy Consortium
• Easterseals Massachusetts
• Federation for Children with Special Needs
• Health and Disability Program, Department of Public Health
• Housing Navigator MA
• MassAbility
• Massachusetts Behavioral Health Helpline – Call or Text: 833-773-2445
• Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
• Massachusetts Law Reform Institute / Civil Legal Aid for Victims of Crime
• Massachusetts Office on Disability
• My Ombudsman
• NAMI Massachusetts
• New England ADA Center
• PCA Workforce Council
• REquipment
• Work Without Limits

The conference was held on September 17 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center in Marlborough.

All of the photos are posted at MetroWest Center for Independent Living, however, most are also shown below.

Speakers

The welcoming presentations were by MA state disability commissioners.

• Commissioner John Oliveira, MA Comm for the Blind (MCB)
• Commissioner Opeoluwa Sotonwa, MA Comm for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH)
• General Counsel Molly Karp for MassAbility

The lunchtime Keynote speaker was Carmen Rosado from Stavros CIL.

The closing speaker, Dominque Dunford, ED from ENDependence Center Northern VA (ECNV) spoke about “A CIL’s Journey Toward Greater Equity and Inclusion.”

Dominique shared why ECNV uses an equity and justice lens to guide its work serving people with disabilities throughout the Northern Virginia region and how it has embarked on setting a new path forward in its three-plus-year journey toward that mission. She shared best practices, insights, and pitfalls on their tough but rewarding journey.

Workshops

Participants attended one workshop per session

Workshop Session I

• From Awareness to Action: Addressing Disability Stigma in Youth Engagement
  • Presenters: Danielle Daughtry, Federation for Children with Special Needs (FCSN) Transition Coordinator, Maddie Evans, FCSN’s Youth Engagement Coordinator, and Matthew Tricca, FCSN Youth Advisory Board member
  • This presentation will address the topic of disability disclosure – a very personal decision that can vary depending on the environment and an individual’s need for support.  We will talk about the pros and cons of disability disclosure, how to approach disclosing a disability, and how to address challenges that may arise afterwards.
• Transportation Advocacy Roundtable
  • Presenters:
    • Jen Healy, Quaboag Connector
    • Tara Lynne Southard and Kay Schoucair, Boston Center for Independent Living
    • Carmen Rosado, Stavros
    • Alexis Walls, MA Public Health Association
  • Advocates for affordable and accessible transportation will share advocacy victories and ongoing campaigns. Learn how you can be part of systems change for more accessible and affordable transportation in Massachusetts.
• Peer Support for Mental Health Well-being
  • Presenters: Gabriel Fonseca, Director and Rachely Ramos, Operations Manager, Northeast Independent Living Program’s Recovery Learning Center
  • This presentation will dive into the importance of peer support and how it impacts meaningful connections that lead to mental well-being. An overview of peer support will be discussed, along with the resources available to promote such practices with the end goal of incorporating such benefits into the workforce.
• Nuts & Bolts of Housing Search
  • Presenters: Andy Forman, Independent Living Public Benefits Advocate, Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) and Gabriella Lukas, Consumer Records Specialist, BCIL
  • Limited access to adequate housing especially impacts persons with disabilities who are often low-income and in need of specific accommodations. BCIL’s monthly Housing Workshop hosted by Andy Forman and Gabriella Lukas is designed to educate consumers on how to conduct their own searches for affordable and accessible housing. Come to this session to learn about the structure of the BCIL Housing Workshop and review the nuts and bolts of housing search for ILC consumers including:
    • The types of affordable and accessible housing available in Massachusetts (including state and federal voucher programs)
    • Tips for communicating with housing authorities and landlords
    • How to request reasonable accommodations for disabilities

Workshop Session II

• Storytelling for the Independent Living Movement
  • Presenter: Benji Kemper, Community Organizer, Center for Living  & Working
  • Experience the power of personal storytelling as a tool to connect with others and for advocacy in your community. Practice telling your personal story and learn about your colleagues as you share what motivates you to be part of the independent living movement during this interactive session.
• Mindfulness for Everyday Living
  • Presenters: Lori-Ann Tessier, BA, Sociology, MA, Child Life & Susan Buchholz, BS, Human Services, Executive Director, HeartWell Institute
  • Mindfulness bridges the practices of meditation and compassion by fostering awareness and nurturing a deep sense of empathy towards oneself and others. Research underscores the capacity and transformative power of mindfulness to not only manage stress and enhance job satisfaction but also to cultivate a proactive, resilient and adaptive approach to the stressors of everyday life.
• Disaster Preparedness for the Disability Community
  • Presenter: Jamie Barry, Survivor Assistance Coordinator, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)
  • This presentation will dive into what hazards we face from natural and man-made disasters, how to prepare ourselves, and how to help others in our community prepare.  This presentation will help those wanting to provide a preparedness presentation to others, including tools to create a plan and a kit.
• Resources for Transition Aged Youth: Panel Discussion
  • Presenters
    • Erin Basler, Youth Services Coordinator, MetroWest Center for Independent Living
    • Anne Marie Rivers and Brandy Eder, Department of Developmental Services
    • Steve Michelson, Northeast Independent Living Program
    • Mike Dolan and Ken Davol, School-Based Transition Aged Services (TAS) at Keefe Technical High School
    • ­­Yves Lamitie, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
  • Transition Age Youth (TAY) have A LOT going on. For disabled students facing a drastic shift in how they use support services, this is often described as a cliff. However, with preparation and practice, TAY gain tools to navigate the change and direct their path into adulthood. Join a panel of professionals to learn the differences between Youth and Adult services, specific transition resources, and discuss how CILs can facilitate a smooth journey from youth to adult services.

Conference Exhibitors

General Photos

The 2023 Independent Living Conference was held September 26, 2023 in Marlborough, MA.

Photo: MASILC Members

The one day conference brought together staff and board members from the ten Independent Living Centers in Massachusetts; the members of the Statewide Independent Living Council; staff from MRC, MCB, and MCDHH; and other members of the disability community from across the state.

Please see below for the conference agenda and description of the speakers and workshops.

Download the 2023 IL Conference flyer.

Conference Agenda

• 8:30 Registration, breakfast, and exhibitors
• 9:30 Conference Welcome & Commissioner presentations
  • Commissioner John Oliveira, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind
  • Commissioner Opeoluwa Sotonwa, Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
  • Commissioner Toni Wolf, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
• 10:15 – 11:30 Workshops – Choose 1
  • CORI, Re-entry, and Housing
  • Stronger Together: The NCIL Advocacy Platform     
  • Student Vision in the New Massachusetts IEP Form
• 11:30 Lunch starts
• 12:00 Keynote: Ed Augustus, Housing Secretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities
• 1:00 – 2:15 Workshops – Choose 1
  • A Practical Overview of Involuntary Admission, Civil Commitment, and Involuntary Treatment in Massachusetts
  • Accessible Public Transportation Panel: Advocacy & Resources
  • Immigration and Benefits
• 2:30 – 3:30 Closing speakers – Barriers and Facilitators in Access to HCBS for People of Color, Brandeis Community Living Equity Center (CLEC), Kimberly The, CLEC Co- Investigator and Jennifer Lee-Rambharose, CLEC Project Coordinator

Welcome

Steve Higgins, Executive Director at Independence Associates (left) and Nancy Garr-Colzie, Treasurer or MA Statewide Independent Living Council.

Commissioners

Ed Augustus, Housing Secretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities

Workshops

CORI, Re-entry, and Housing

Alyssa Golden, Community Legal Aid 

Community Legal Aid (CLA) is the civil legal services organization serving Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties. They provide legal assistance with a broad range of civil legal issues including family law matters for survivors of domestic violence, housing (eviction defense and housing discrimination), public benefits, elder law, employment law, education law, veterans legal issues, immigration (in the subsidiary, Central West Justice Center), and criminal records and reentry legal issues. 

Alyssa Golden is the Senior Supervising Attorney for the CORI/Reentry unit. This unit provides legal assistance to individuals seeking to seal and/or expunge criminal records and people facing public and subsidized housing denials and terminations due to criminal records issues. Further, the unit provides assistance with employment denials and terminations, as well as some other types of civil consequences of the criminal court system.  She is going to talk about these legal issues, options for addressing them, and the connections between criminal records issues and both race and disability discrimination. She will also inform you about how to access legal assistance through Community Legal Aid. 

Stronger Together

Jessica Podesva J.D., Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, and Mary-Kate Wells, Programs Director, National Council for Independent Living 

This workshop will provide an overview of the NCIL advocacy platform with a focus on the following: 

• 5 For 5 Campaign – Increase Federal Funding for IL to Five Hundred Million to support the Five Core Services 
• Upcoming Re-Authorization of the Rehab Act 
• Importance of coming together as an IL network to effect change on a national level 

Student Vision in the New Massachusetts IEP Form

Leslie Leslie and Rebecca Davis, Federation for Children with Special Needs

Massachusetts has updated their Individualized Education Program (IEP) form for the first time in over 20 years.  Transition planning and student vision are now an integral part of the form.  This workshop will review sections of the new form on student concerns, student vision and post secondary goals, offer questions to help a student define their strengths and interests, and examine ways to include employment goals on an IEP.  Although the new IEP will not be implemented until school year 2024-2025, let’s get our students ready to fully participate in their future!

A Practical Overview of Involuntary Admission, Civil Commitment, and Involuntary Treatment in Massachusetts

Justin Woolf of the Disability Law Center and Shain Neumeier from Committee for Public Counsel

This presentation will take attendees chronologically through each step of the involuntary mental health treatment process in Massachusetts, covering the aspects most relevant to consumers. The goal of this training will be for participants to help their clients understand their rights better and to know when to contact the Committee for Public Counsel Services to seek legal assistance. It will include:

• When can an individual be “sectioned,” what happens after they are brought to the emergency department at a hospital, and when to request an emergency hearing;
• An individual’s rights upon transfer to a psychiatric facility, the conditional voluntary application process, and what happens when the facility decides to file a civil commitment petition;
• When can an individual be involuntarily treated with medication and/or electroconvulsive therapy;
• What happens after an individual is committed to a psychiatric facility;

The session will involve “issue spotting” exercises to help participants gain a better grasp of the subject matter.

Accessible Public Transportation Panel: Advocacy & Resources

• Nancy Garr-Colzie, SILC Treasurer, Board President of the Center for Living and Working, Standing member of the Transportation Planning Advisory Group of the WRTA, and Past Member of the WRTA Advisory Board
• Rachel Fichtenbaum, Manager of Grant Programs & Mobility Management, MassDOT Rail & Transit Division
• Mike Kennedy, CLW ADA/Access Advocacy Coordinator
• Katarina (Kat) Torres Radisic, BCIL Community Organizer / RTAG Facilitator

CIL Staff, Board members and representatives from MASSDOT will share ongoing efforts to improve available accessible transportation in Massachusetts. 

• Updates from the Massachusetts Community Transit Grant Program
• Worcester advocates’ efforts to increase accessible and affordable transportation options 
• The Joanne Daniels-Finegold lawsuit and the creation of the Riders’ Transportation Access Group. 20 plus years of advocacy to improve access on the MBTA 

Immigration and Benefits

Stephanie Souza and Kelly Hewitt of the Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands

The Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands provides free legal counsel and assistance for immigrants and their families. In this workshop, we will review some of the immigration petitions and applications that can lead to legal status and briefly discuss the eligibility requirements and application process. We will identify other organizations that offer legal services to the immigrant community.

We will then discuss access to public benefits for immigrants including:

• Overview of Health Connector & MassHealth Insurance Plans and Eligibility
  • Application process and documentation needed.
  • How to create a Member Account and Log-in.
• Health Connector Navigator Services.
  • How to find a Navigator Organization near you.
• Overview of SNAP benefits and Eligibility.
  • Application process, DTA Interview, and documentation needed.

Closing – Barriers and Facilitators in Access to HCBS for People of Color

Kimberly The, CLEC Co- Investigator and Jennifer Lee-Rambharose, CLEC Project Coordinator. Introduced by Anna Herman of MRC.

The Community Living Equity Center is excited to connect with members of the MASILC, IL staff, and friends of the independent living network Kimberly The, CLEC Co- Investigator and Jennifer Lee-Rambharose, CLEC Project Coordinator during the closing session. This session will discuss disability, racial equity, and Home and Community-based Services research. The purpose of this session will be to: 1) provide an overview of the Community Living Equity Center, 2) describe participatory research and the process of including disabled people of color throughout all research phases, 3) discuss preliminary findings on experiences of disabled people of color transitioning out of nursing homes and 4) provide initial recommendations for how to improve nursing home transitions for disabled people of color.

Please reach out to SILC Coordinator Aliza Levine at alevine@masilc.org with any questions.

Exhibitors (alphabetic)

Ahoi! – a brand new app that tells you whether or not many places are accessible, and also allows you to add your own reviews of locations.

Client Assistance Program, MASS Office on Disability

Easterseals MA

Executive Office of Elder Affairs

Federation for Children with Special Needs

Housing Navigator MA

MA Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Mass Relay

MassMATCH

Mass Rehabilitation Commission

My Ombudsman

NAMI Massachusetts

New England ADA Center

NextGen Careers

PLAN of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Inc

REquipment – Durable Medical Equipment and Assistive Technology Reuse Program

Special Needs Companies

Strategic Tax Planning

Work Without Limits

Random photos of exhibitors!