Help Your City’s Fee on Incapacity [OPINION]

The Fairhaven City Disability Commission recently convened for the first time in over a year after the pandemic disrupted its regular meeting schedule. The CoD’s collaboration with the Massachusetts Office of Disability advocates guidelines and projects that make communities more accessible to our communities with disabilities.

As a former member, I was delighted to join the Fairhaven CoD and had the honor of being elected chairman of the commission. As a sibling of someone who lives with autism, the work to ensure the accessibility of our city is very important to me. And I am fortunate to head a commission made up of passionate and committed residents.

However, during the meeting we learned that there were very important accessibility projects in the city that were stalling due to the pandemic. I imagine this is the case in other Commonwealth communities, and there are still many towns on the south coast that have not yet established a CoD.

According to the state’s website, Acushnet, Rochester, Marion, Lakeville, Freetown, Berkley, Swansea, Dighton, and Rehoboth have not established a CoD or ADA committee by May 2020.

I encourage anyone interested to find out if there are any vacancies in your city’s disability committee, or to help set up a CoD if your city doesn’t already have one. Many town halls and town halls are located in older buildings that make full access difficult, but not impossible with proper advocacy.

Accessibility for community functions and the day-to-day running of local government is a fundamental right. More than ever, there must be a strong coalition of citizens who have come together in the movement for an inclusive society.

Marcus Ferro hosts the Marcus Ferro Show, which airs Saturdays on 1420 WBSM from 1pm to 4pm. Contact him at [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this comment are solely those of the author.

11 of the most colorful houses on the south coast

The history of the south coast is rich and so many houses stand tall and proud, alive with almost every color of the rainbow. From Mattapoisett to Fall River and everywhere in between, here are some of our favorite colorful South Coast homes.