Disability Policy Consortium

About us. By Us.

Redefining the role of government as it affects the lives of people with disabilities.

 

DPC’s credo is “About Us, By Us”: the belief that when decisions are made about people with disabilities, people with disabilities must play a lead role in making them. Our mission is to ensure the voice of people with disabilities is heard on key issues, to support the health of our community through participatory research and expert policy analysis, to and empower grassroots disability leaders to transform their communities.

DPC logo: the yellow dome of the state house over the letters "DPC" and words "Disability Policy Consortium" in black.

Advocacy

Over the last several years, our advocacy team has achieved policy victories including winning the right to fresh air for people in mental health facilities, staving off cuts to homecare and paratransit that would have forced thousands of people into nursing homes against their will, and leading a campaign that since 2013 has more than tripled the state's investment in providing affordable housing to people with disabilities, from $3.45 million to $12.5 million.

At present, in addition to pandemic-related work, we are fighting to make housing more accessible and affordable, to protect disabled parents from systemic discrimination in the family law system, and to make access to durable medical equipment like power wheelchairs more equitable.


 
Large blue text reading "YES Health" with smaller green text underneath reading: "Your Experience: Speak up for better health care"

YESHealth

Our research team conducts groundbreaking, community-led studies on the issues that most impact people with disabilities nationwide, including a study we are currently conducting in partnership with Brandeis' Lurie Institute on the impacts of both opiate addition and opiate criminalization on people with physical and mental health disabilities.

 
my ombudsman logo: a donut shape on a light grey background. the donut blends from teal to blue to purple and back to teal

MyOmbudsman

My Ombudsman helps people with and without disabilities get the care they need from their MassHealth health plans. We ensure that individuals can exercise their rights and access the benefits they have as a MassHealth member. Any MassHealth health plan member can reach out to My Ombudsman when they need guidance accessing their benefits or navigating the healthcare system. We provide these services in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and American Sign Language, all by native speakers, and most of the staff who work with members both have disabilities themselves and are current or former enrollees in MassHealth's programs.