- Permanent Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities
Media Contact
Imene Bouziane Saidi, Executive Director
Room 428, 4th Floor, Massachusetts State House and on Zoom — PANELISTS:
- Maura Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer | The Arc of MA
- Barbara L'Italien, Executive Director | Disability Law Center
- Olivia Thompson, Partners for Youth with Disability Participant
- Bridget Murphy, Project Manager | Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and MA Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities Commissioner
MODERATORS:
- Keith Jones, President and CEO | SoulTouchin' Experiences LLC
- Regina Marshall, Commissioner | MCSPD
- Imene Bouziane Saidi, Executive Director | MCSPD
MEET OUR PANELISTS AND MODERATORS:
Meet Maura!
Maura Sullivan is the incoming Chief Executive Officer for The Arc of Massachusetts. She will take on this role in November 2024. Maura has been leading Government Affairs for The Arc for a decade. She is also the Director of Operation House Call, a nationally recognized training program and partnership between The Arc and all major Massachusetts Medical Schools.
Maura’s Government Affairs work includes leading the advocacy for the passage of several significant legislative achievements, and she has been instrumental in securing increased funding for the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) budget, the direct support workforce, and MassHealth. In addition, Maura directs the policy and advocacy of Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts.
A former LEND Fellow, Maura holds a master’s degree in public administration from Suffolk University. She is also a devoted mother of three, including two transition-age sons who have autism and intellectual disabilities.
Meet Barbara!
Barbara has been a leading advocate at the intersection between politics, law, health care and policy for twenty-five years. She has served as both a State Representative and State Senator in the Massachusetts Legislature, focusing on the rights and needs of people with disabilities, seniors, people who are economically disadvantaged and the LGBTQ community.
Her advocacy concerning Autism built the service delivery system for educational, social-emotional, and medical support and included establishing and chairing the first Autism Commission and passing comprehensive mandated medical insurance coverage. Barbara gave up her State Senate seat to run for Congress in 2018. She has been a Government Affairs Director for the Massachusetts State Treasurer, The Arc of Massachusetts and Partners in Health. She has served as the Executive Director of the Disability Law Center for the past two years with a focus on systemic policy and legislative advocacy.
Meet Olivia!
Olivia Thompson is a 25-year-old living in Boxboro Massachusetts. She is a college graduate with a degree in Media Production. Currently, she is finishing up an Artists + Repertoire internship where she found up and coming Los Angeles musicians to be featured in a showcase. She previously was a peer leader for Partners for Youth with Disabilities’ Youth Leadership Forum. She has been a part of multiple panels.
Her hobbies include playing sports and listening to music. She believes voting is a right for all and wants to start fighting for what matters to her.
Meet Bridget!
Bridget Simmons Murphy is a Project Manager in the Elections Division in the office of Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin. She graduated from Stonehill College and also studied at University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland. Bridget began her career working for the Fine Gael Political Party in Dublin, Ireland. She has since worked in development for The American Ireland Fund, Partners Healthcare, and also as a consultant to several statewide, city, and local political campaigns in Massachusetts.
In January 2006 Bridget joined Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin’s office with the primary focus to ensure the voting process is accessible to all voters in Massachusetts by providing training to local election officials, surveying polling locations, providing assistance with all aspects of the accessible voting units, and working on the Accessible Vote by Mail team.
Meet Keith!
Keith Jones is the President and CEO of SoulTouchin’ Experiences LLC,. It is an organization aimed at bringing a perspective to the issues of access inclusion and empowerment, which affect him as well as others who are persons with and without disabilities.
To achieve this multicultural, cross-disability education and outreach efforts he collaborates and conducts trainings with the purpose of strengthening efforts to provide services and information for people with disabilities. The issues he tackles are wide ranging from immigration, criminal justice reform, health care and environmental justice just to name a few.
Paralleling with his policy and social justice work Mr. Jones is a multitalented artist who along with Leroy Moore and Rob Temple founded Krip Hop Nation which is an international collection of artists with disabilities. Krip Hop Nation is currently celebrating 14 years with the recent Emmy Award winning success of their title song for the Netflix documentary of the Paralympic Games, Rising Phoenix and its critical acclaimed sound track.
Meet Regina!
Regina Marshall is the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Advocates; a provider of services to individuals facing life challenges. In her role, she is responsible for daily operations and oversight of Community Services and Administrative Operations. She joined Advocates in 2015 with the goal of shaping policy and making systemic change in order to help Advocates provide the best possible services to the people it supports. Since then, she has built a diverse team of operation leaders committed to Advocates’ mission and values. Regina brings to her position at Advocates a broad range of experience as a legal advocate and administrator at both the executive and operational levels of state government.
During her tenure at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, she oversaw disability agencies that include the Department of Developmental Services, Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, and the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Regina also served as Center Director of the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, which serves over 1,200 clients, where she was responsible for all clinical and administrative operations. In 2020, Regina joined the board of trustees at Bethany Hill Place. A resident of Framingham, Regina holds a bachelor’s degree in political sscience and African American studies from Simmons College and a law degree from Northeastern University. She is the proud mom of three — twin daughters and a son. In the rare free time she gets between working and parenting, Regina loves to cook and bake.
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Commission's Executive Director Imene Bouziane Saidi at imene.bouzianesaidi@mass.gov
Learn more about the election process and voting
General Election
Election Day: November 5, 2024
Deadline to Register: October 26, 2024
Vote by Mail Application Deadline: October 29, 2024
The Secretary of State's Office has made a booklet of information for voters available. This booklet breaks down what voters will see on their ballots, the processes available for voters, and other important information about the election. The translated booklet is available online in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Khmer. There are also large print, ASL, and audio versions available.
Upcoming Elections (state.ma.us)
Registering to Vote (state.ma.us)
Online Voter Application (state.ma.us)
My Voter Registration Status: Search (state.ma.us)
Voters with Disabilities (state.ma.us)
Find Local Elections Offices & Dropboxes (state.ma.us)
Track My Ballot Elections Division (state.ma.us)
Find My Election Information Elections Division (state.ma.us)
The Arc Voting Resources
REVUp! Massachusetts
VOTE411
Disability Law Center Surveys on assessing accessibility at polling stations:
Long survey link: https://www.dlc-ma.org/polling-place-grassroots-survey/
Online training is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gx-PDJ8d4k The training is also given live on Zoom before most elections.
Sign up for emails from REV UP MA to stay in touch. https://revupma.org/wp/sign-up/
Short survey link: https://www.dlc-ma.org/polling-place-compliance-short-form/
Report voting access barriers anytime by calling our Intake Line at 617 723 8455 or by completing a form by clicking this link: https://www.dlc-ma.org/ask-for-help/
The Arc’s Election Center thearc.org/registertovote
Autistic Self Advocacy Network Your Vote Counts: A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Voting in the US autisticadvocacy.org/policy/toolkits/voting
Self Advocates Becoming Empowered GoVoter Project sabeusa.org/govoter
American Association for People with Disabilities REV UP: Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power aapd.com/advocacy/voting
League of Women Voters Education Fund
You can learn more about the process and overcoming any barriers from The Arc at : www.thearcofmass.org/voting
- Check out our webinars and guides!
- The Elections Division of the Massachusetts Secretary of State can be reached at 800-462-VOTE (8683) toll-free or 617-727-2828.