Youth & Young Adults

The Federation’s first-ever Youth Advisory Board has just gotten underway! This new group of board members and adult allies have started working together to lend their voices to the Federation’s disability advocacy work. 

The Advisory Board is also designed to give young people a voice in decision-making processes that affect their lives and communities.

This past summer, the Federation's transition team expanded our outreach for NextGen Careers, a pilot initiative in vocational rehabilitation through the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC). We sought out a group of young adults with diverse abilities to serve as paid cultural brokers.  Their outreach work allowed us to better engage in peer-to-peer engagement and to create new connections in communities across Massachusetts.  

The Federation works for inclusion and access for children and all people with disabilities, including those who identify as LGBTQIA+. This past June, we partnered with a grassroots group of self-advocates to help make the Pride parade and festivities in Boston more accessible.

Have you heard the news?  The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has revised the Individualized Education Program (IEP) form. Some school districts chose to start using the new form during the 2023-24 school year.  As of fall 2024, the new IEP form is required to be used in all schools throughout the state.