- Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council
- The Arc of Massachusetts
On Thursday, March 6th, The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC) and The Arc of Massachusetts hosted their 47th Annual Legislative Reception at the Massachusetts State House. A record number of individuals - over 600 - gathered to celebrate Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
Amidst a time of uncertainty in the intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) communities, this year's theme was "Safeguarding Our Rights through Advocacy." This theme recognizes the need for continued advocacy to protect people with I/DD's rights and freedoms. Some rights that community members identified as important to them included their ability to live in and access the community, access to quality education, access to competitive and integrative employment, and others.
"The rights of individuals with disabilities, like all humans, must be firstly protected and continually defended," said Raquel Quezada, MDDC Chairperson who delivered the event's opening remarks.
"There are so many rights that people with disabilities have fought long and hard for. We are all here today to amplify the importance of safeguarding our fundamental rights through advocacy," said Andre Williams, MDDC Self-Advocacy Liaison, who also served as this year's co-emcee.
This year's Legislator of the Year awards were presented jointly to Representative Sean Garballey and Senator Robyn Kennedy. Both Rep. Garballey and Sen. Kennedy are tireless advocates for Massachusetts residents with developmental and other disabilities, and both have sponsored legislation that appears on the MDDC's legislative priorities list. With this award, Rep. Garballey, who first received the recognition in 2015, now joins a group of four other legislators who have received the honor twice. Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano, 2016 Legislator of the Year, and Senate President Karen Spilka, 2007 & 2013 Legislator of the year were in attendance to present the awards to Rep. Garballey and Sen. Kennedy. Both legislators were presented with artwork created by self-advocate artists employed by Vinfen's Gateway Arts.
"We've accomplished a lot together, every single person in this room; but we unite together for the challenges ahead... Massachusetts must always put inclusion and opportunity first," said Rep. Garballey during his acceptance speech.
Executive Office of Health and Human Services Undersecretary Mary McGeown presented Governor Maura Healey’s proclamation of March 2025 as Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. A full version of the proclamation can be found here.
This year's keynote address was given by Peter Wyman, the father of four adopted adult children with I/DD and complex medical needs, who has decades of experience in the direct care workforce. In his remarks, Peter discussed the importance of ensuring a fairly paid direct support workforce: “When I started [in direct care] in 1979 at the age of 15, my first paycheck was $3.65 an hour and I was proud of that. … Today, nearly 50 years later, direct care workers make just $19.50 an hour. That is an increase of 42 cents a year since I was 15. We say we value our most vulnerable, but our pay rates tell a different story... These are the people who care for our most vulnerable citizens; yet, they are paid so little," said Wyman.
To all who joined us for this annual day of advocacy, we thank you for your continued commitment to our communities.
