City seeks input on accessibility issues

Boston is launching its first-ever survey of accessibility issues around the city as Mayor Martin Walsh and the Commission for Persons with Disabilities prepare the city’s disability strategic master plan. The online survey aims to discover the city’s most significant accessibility-related needs in the city so City Hall can build upon the Imagine 2030 strategic plan released last year.

“The Commission’s survey will serve as the foundation for the City’s disability strategic master plan,” Marty Martinez, chief of health and human services for the city, said. “The survey will guide our efforts in more robust planning that will ensure Boston is accessible to people of all abilities.”

Walsh said, “We will continue to prioritize equitable access for all until there are more opportunities than barriers, and where accessibility is built into everything we do.”

The survey asks respondents about the accessibility of the various city buildings, the city’s website, polling locations, sidewalks and city parks. The survey also inquires about the respondent’s level of community engagement. Once the city gathers data from the survey, it intends to put it to work “reducing barriers related to architecture, procedures, attitudes, and communication, as well as promoting equity in housing, education, employment, transportation, and civic activities.”

The city said it wants to hear from people with disabilities, family members of people with disabilities, as well as advocates and professionals who work in the disability community. The survey will be available online through June and hard copies are available by mail through the city’s Office of Disability. For help completing the survey by phone, contact the Office of Disability at 617-635-3682.


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