Healey proposes rename of state agency to remove stigma against disability community

Gov. Maura Healey has proposed renaming a 67-year-old state agency, a switch that she says will remove stigma surrounding individuals in the disability community and boost their employment opportunities.

The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission would be renamed MassAbility, under a new bill filed Thursday. "Rehabilitation is a term that is no longer relevant to the work" of the agency, she said, and connotes that "something is wrong or needs to be fixed."

"It's going to help us ensure that no one is left behind in their efforts to pursue strong livelihoods, living, working, thriving, as I said, here in the state," Healey said at a press conference. "It will modernize the language across all enabling statutes with the aim of removing outdated and stigmatizing terms. These changes will provide clarity and consistency."

The commission provides job preparation for students ages 14 and older, in addition to the Vocational Rehabilitation Program to support individuals in the workplace who have physical, cognitive, intellectual or mental health conditions. The agency also helps people navigate their disability benefits, offers assistive technology like wheelchairs and car modifications, and provides services to allow people with disabilities to live in their communities.

The MassAbility renaming proposal reflects research, including focus groups, surveys and conversations, with the disability community, businesses, providers and advocacy groups, according to Healey's office.

The governor's legislation would also remove from statute the words "handicap," "handicapped" and "retarded," according to Healey's filing letter. Those would be replaced with "barrier," "person with a disability" and "person with intellectual disabilities."

Healey also proposed to repeal what her filing letter described as the commission's "antiquated, and now non-existent, program for extended sheltered employment for people with disabilities."

Agency Commissioner Toni Wolf had said in March that the commission was on the cusp of rebranding to better capture their work of providing services to people with disabilities and forging "innovative" partnerships. The agency was established in 1956 to "champion personal choice, equality, empowerment, and independence," according to its website.

Wolf said Thursday she realized the agency needed a new name after a young adult had said, "I am not broken. Why is there 'rehabilitation' in the name of a disability agency?"

Stigma against the disability community is rooted in misconceptions, which Wolf said significantly affects how individuals are treated in hiring and housing decisions.

"We believe in a common truth that when we work together, we expand what's possible for individuals with disabilities. We expand hope, we expand self-determination, and we expand voice in our community," Wolf said. "Our ability to expand what's possible is at the core of what we are about, and that is why today, we are proud to say we are MassAbility."

The name change requires legislative approval.

"I can't speak for my colleagues in the Legislature. But personally, I think it's a great change and commend you for doing it and look forward to the discussions in the Legislature," Rep. Jay Livingstone, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, told Healey at the press conference.

More than 800,000 Bay Staters have a disability, said Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh.

The commission can help those individuals find employment amid the state's workforce shortage, but Walsh said not all potential clients are taking advantage of the agency's services. People with disabilities are "an asset to any employer," Walsh said.

"The name 'MassAbility' captures all the untapped potential that's unlocked by the agency's employment and independent living services," Walsh said. "MassAbility conveys the message that employees with disabilities have unique lived experience, perspectives, skill sets, mindsets and representation."

Cindy Walker, the agency's new communications coordinator, said she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease as a teenager that left her unable to walk. She said the agency, which employed her mother as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, helped her modify her home and get mobility devices aimed at boosting her ability to live independently.

"Names and impactful messaging are synonymous with hope," Walker said. "We're focusing on heightening our abilities to make us as competitive as possible in today's ever-changing job market."