City of Boston to Host Annual Disability Community Forum on May 8, 2025

Forum will serve as an opportunity for Boston residents with disabilities to connect with City services and departments and provide feedback on issues across Boston neighborhoods

Mayor Michelle Wu, the Commission on Persons with Disabilities and the Disability Advisory Board today announced that the City’s annual Disability Community Forum will take place on Thursday, May 8, 2025 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. The event, held at Suffolk University Law School, is open to the public, with hybrid attendance options allowing participation both in person and on Zoom. To register for this event, please visit boston.gov/disability-forum.

“As we continue our work to make Boston a home for everyone, we are working to ensure that residents with disabilities are connected to services and community,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Boston’s Disability Community Forum is an important way for residents to shape the City’s ongoing efforts, provide feedback, and build community. I encourage everyone to attend this critical forum and help inform the work we do across Boston to make our city more inclusive and accessible."

This year’s event will feature a brief presentation from Kristen McCosh, ADA Title II Coordinator and Disability Commissioner for the Mayor’s Commission for Persons with Disabilities. She will share the Commission and Board’s Annual Report. The event will then open for public comment from Boston residents and a Q&A session with Commissioner McCosh and Disability Advisory Board members. The event will provide an opportunity for Boston’s disability community to help shape ongoing City services, share their feedback on initiatives across neighborhoods and ask questions to various City departments. The forum will also provide City officials an opportunity to listen to residents with disabilities and learn more from their perspective across Boston neighborhoods. The public is encouraged to submit questions and comments in advance of the forum on the registration form found at boston.gov/disability-forum. 

“Boston’s annual Disability Community Forum provides a valuable opportunity for people with disabilities to connect directly with City officials," said Boston Disability Commissioner Kristen McCosh. "We work hard to ensure that Boston is an accessible and inclusive city, but we want to hear from you. I encourage everyone who is involved in the disability community to attend our forum this year so you can tell us your priorities for accessibility and inclusion in the City of Boston."

Last year, Mayor Wu and the Commission on Persons with Disabilities welcomed over 100 attendees in-person and on Zoom. Issues such as accessible housing, transportation, sidewalk safety, and disability discrimination were discussed. The opportunity to listen to Boston’s disability community provided City officials valuable information that improved city departments ability to plan for increased disability accessibility and inclusion in every corner of the city. 

“The Disabilities Commission Advisory Board looks forward to the Disability Community Forum every year because it is a direct way to hear from the community. It is a great way to highlight accessibility work, and get feedback on issues that are directly impacting disabled residents, commuters, and visitors to Boston,” said Jerry Boyd, Chair of the City of Boston Disability Advisory Board. 

This event will be recorded by the City of Boston’s Cable TV channel, and following the end of the event a video recording will be available to stream on the City’s YouTube channel, Xfinity channel 24, RCN channel 13, and Fios channel 962.

To lear​n more about the Disability Community Forum, visit boston.gov, email disability@boston.gov or call the Mayor's Commission on Persons with Disabilities at 617-635-3682.