Massachusetts Advocates for Children

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟

We are delighted to announce that Laura Perez is taking on a new role as MAC’s Helpline Manager! ✨

This marks a new phase and level of investment in MAC’s Helpline — a lifeline for so many families in urgent need of support on education rights and advocacy. Laura has grown the capacity of our Helpline by leaps and bounds through the unprecedented moment of the pandemic. Her extensive experience and passion for supporting families with children with disabilities and fostering our incredible group of Helpline volunteers is unmatched. We are so grateful for Laura’s leadership as we continue to evolve MAC’s Helpline during our next phase of growth!

We are always in need of experienced volunteers on our Helpline! If you are interested in learning more about volunteering, please reach out to Laura at [email protected] or 617 357-8431.

For more information about our Helpline, visit https://www.massadvocates.org/helpline

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟

We are extremely excited to announce that Janine Solomon is stepping into a new role at Massachusetts Advocates for Children as the Director of Pro Bono and Learning! 🎉 This big change underscores our commitment to partnering with the private bar to advance education equity.

Janine brings a wealth of experience and expertise in special education law to this position. She has already been supporting legal aid attorneys and collaborating with pro bono counsel to advocate for the education rights of children and families for her entire tenure at MAC. Her leadership in this new role will expand our capacity and broaden our impact so that MAC can reach even more children at a time when the needs are greater than ever.

For those interested in learning more about our pro bono opportunities, please reach out to Janine at [email protected] or by phone at (617) 874-5361.
Join us in congratulating Janine on her new role! 🌟

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟

We are thrilled to announce that Diana Santiago is stepping into a new role at Massachusetts Advocates for Children as our first-ever Legal Director!

Diana has been dedicated to advocating for equal educational opportunities at the intersection of immigration, multilingualism, and disability, with a focus on autism. She brings unparalleled vision, knowledge, and relationships to this pivotal role at MAC. Diana’s leadership and commitment will raise our legal advocacy to new heights as we chart MAC’s next chapter.

Join us in welcoming Diana to this critical new role at MAC as we advocate so that all children and youth in Massachusetts can learn, reach their potential, and thrive.

For more information about our work and mission, visit our website at www.massadvocates.org.

☀️A beautiful summer day in Lawrence spent celebrating our incredible community! At MAC, we’re committed to creating more communal and supportive spaces for families with children with disabilities. Thank you to everyone who joined us and here’s to building more inclusive spaces!

Stay tuned for more Lawrence family events!

🎉 Exciting news! The Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) bill has passed the Senate! This important legislation will enhance access to essential communication tools and technologies for students with autism and other disabilities who are non-speaking or have limited speech.

A heartfelt thank you to sponsor Senator O'Connor, Senate Ways and Means Chair Rodrigues, and Senate President Spilka and cosponsors for their leadership, as well as House Sponsor Representative Barber!

Stay tuned for more advocacy opportunities as the bill continues in the process... Onward!

MAC's own Johanne Pino, Project Outreach and Training Coordinator, was recognized with the Unsung Hero Award at the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI) Emerging Trends 2024 Conference! Johanne has been working behind-the-scenes to support inclusive higher education in our state since 2007. We truly appreciate her dedication and deep commitment to education equity for youth with intellectual disabilities and autism. Congratulations, Johanne!

When the breakthrough higher education bill was signed into law in 2022, Massachusetts became the first state in the country to ensure all state colleges and universities include students with intellectual disabilities and autism. At the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI) Emerging Trends 2024 Conference yesterday, several leaders were recognized for playing instrumental roles in passage of the higher education law.

The conference recognized Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael J. Rodrigues, who played a critical role in passing the higher education law. Because of his commitment and strong leadership, public colleges are now required to offer inclusive opportunities, opening doors for students with intellectual disabilities and autism to fully participate in higher education with their non-disabled peers.

Legislative and Policy Director for Chair Rodrigues, Jeremy Spittle, received the Unsung Hero Award for his key role in supporting Chair Rodrigues. Mr. Spittle worked tirelessly gathering vital input from the community and using his exceptional skills to support the Chair in building consensus among stakeholders. Both Mr. Spittle and Chair Rodrigues were pivotal in the decade-long advocacy to pass the higher education law, and we are beyond grateful for their leadership.

MAC wouldn’t be able to do the work we do without the vibrant advocacy community that we’re part of. Congratulations Chair Rodrigues and Jeremy Spittle, and thank you for continuing to advocate tirelessly for more inclusive opportunities for youth with disabilities in our state! 👏

We had an amazing time at the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Access to Justice Awards Celebration last week! Our Senior Project Director, Julia Landau, received the Lifetime Achievement Award which recognized the lasting impact of her advocacy in closing the opportunity and achievement gaps for students with disabilities. We’re so grateful to have her leadership as MAC continues to ensure that students with disabilities are learning in inclusive classrooms with the services they need, that students with disabilities of color are accessing equitable opportunities, and that newly arrived students are entering schools across the state with the supports they need to thrive.

Congratulations, Julia, and all of this year’s honorees! And thank you to the MBA for this wonderful recognition.

MAC is thrilled to announce that Julia Landau, Senior Project Director of the Disability Education Justice Initiative and Autism Center, will be recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Bar Association at the upcoming Access to Justice Award Celebration!

As an expert in special education law and exceptional policy advocate, Julia has worked on multiple major legislative campaigns including the overhaul of the state special education law, transition rights of older students, the establishment of rights and services for children with autism, and assistive technology. Most recently, she spearheaded MAC's efforts to pass the first-in-the-nation higher education law for students with autism and intellectual disabilities. She is a fearless advocate and mentor, and we are so grateful for the impact of decades of her leadership and vision at MAC... and for all that is to come!

In case you missed it in our spring newsletter, we're sharing a message from our Executive Director about the extraordinary $2M gift from MacKenzie Scott's Yield Giving. More than ever we are grateful to you - our community! If you aren't already receiving our newsletters, you can sign up for our mailing list on our website.

En caso de que te lo hayas perdido en nuestro boletín de primavera, compartimos un mensaje de nuestra Directora Ejecutiva sobre el extraordinario regalo de $2 millones de Yield Giving de MacKenzie Scott. ¡Más que nunca estamos agradecidos contigo, nuestra comunidad! Si aún no recibes nuestros boletines, puedes suscribirte a nuestra lista de correo en el enlace de nuestra pagina.

Celebrating Gift from Yield Giving

MAC staff and parent Susana LaZala made the case for trained and qualified school interpreters to members and legislative staff at the Gateway Cities legislative Caucus Meeting.

To learn more about An Act Relative to the Training, Assessment, and Assignment of Qualified School Interpreters in Educational Settings (H. 4416, S. 2587), go HERE:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d1cd93071be2d0001425ed6/t/66141ef26f88b3652974ee33/1712594674884/SchoolInterterBill_FactSheet.pdf

We're continuing our series of transition tips with part three!

In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, we are sharing a series of transition tips created by our 2023 Youth Fellow, Miranda Chen, for students with disabilities including autism. These tips were gathered from peer interviews, research, and her own experiences working as a Youth Fellow.

At MAC, we strive to celebrate autism acceptance and neurodiversity everyday. We hope this three-part series on transition can support and empower any transition-aged students going through the transition process!

Last week, MAC's Senior Attorney Diana Santiago gave a workshop for the Lawrence English Learner Parent Advisory Council (ELPAC) on immigrant and multilingual rights for parents and students in education. Thank you to all the parents who came and engaged with the activities!

We're continuing our series of transition tips with part two!
In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, we are sharing a series of transition tips created by our 2023 Youth Fellow, Miranda Chen, for students with disabilities including autism. These tips were gathered from peer interviews, research, and her own experiences working as a Youth Fellow.

At MAC, we strive to celebrate autism acceptance and neurodiversity everyday. We hope this three-part series on transition can support and empower any transition-aged students going through the transition process!

In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, we are sharing a series of transition tips created by our 2023 Youth Fellow, Miranda Chen, for students with disabilities including autism. These tips were gathered from peer interviews, research, and her own experiences working as a Youth Fellow.

At MAC, we strive to celebrate autism acceptance and neurodiversity everyday. We hope this three-part series on transition can support and empower any transition-aged students going through the transition process!

Transition: The period when a person transfers from school to adulthood or to another big life change.

New blog post out NOW! Written by Jevon Okundaye, Program Assistant of the Racial Equity and Access Program (REAP), the blog discusses the education rights of newly arrived families in Massachusetts. Read all about it in the blog “Education Services for Newly Arrived Students"!

To read more, follow this link: https://www.massadvocates.org/news/ask-a-self-advocate-education-services-for-newly-arrived-students

We urgently need YOUR help to support higher education for students with intellectual disabilities and autism TODAY!

Representative Garballey is filing amendment #552 to the House budget to increase funding for the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI) to provide college access for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and Autism. The House Ways and Means budget was just released and provides $4.5 million, rather than the required $5 million.

With YOUR help, we can increase the number of calls and emails to state representatives to ask them to co-sponsor the amendment, support MAICEI, and increase the budget to $5 million.

How can you help? You can call or send an email to your state representative! To access the email template, head to the link https://www.massadvocates.org/news/maicei and view the instructions.

Contact your Legislator to Support Higher Education for Students with Intellectual Disabilities — Massachusetts Advocates for Children Representative Garballey is filing amendment  #552 to the House budget to increase funding to provide college access for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and Autism. We need to get as many emails and phone calls as possible to state representatives asking them to co-s

¡Actualizaciones a nuestra línea de Ayuda!

Recientemente actualizamos las formas en las que puede comunicarse con nuestros representantes para obtener ayuda con asuntos de su familia, hijxs, o estudiantes. Ingrese a nuestra página para ver las tres diferentes formas de contactarnos:

1. Mire el calendario y escoge un tiempo libre para reservar una llamada.

2. Llene nuestro formulario. Nuestros formularios están disponibles en Inglés, Español, Português, Kreyòl ayisyen, Tiếng Việt, 中文.

3. Llama nuestro número y deje un correo de voz. Nuestro correo de voz esta disponibles en Inglés, Español, Português, Kreyòl ayisyen, Tiếng Việt, 中文.

¡Chequee el enlace para ver las actualizaciones! 😊💙
https://www.massadvocates.org/helpline
Línea de Ayuda: (617) 357-8431 ext. 3224.

Updates on our Helpline system!

We've recently updated ways in which you can contact our advocates for matters regarding your family, child, or student's education rights! By heading to our website and entering our Helpline page, you will see three different ways you can contact us:

1. Schedule an appointment by looking at the nearest available times

2. Submit an online form. Our forms are available in English, Español, Português, Kreyòl ayisyen, Tiếng Việt, 中文.

3. Call and leave a voicemail. Our multilingual voicemail is available in English, Español, Português, Kreyòl ayisyen, Tiếng Việt, 中文.

Head to this link to check out these updates! 😊💙https://www.massadvocates.org/helpline

Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC) invites young adults 18 to 26 years old with an intellectual disability and/or autism to apply for MAC’s Young Adult Leaders Fellowship!

This is an opportunity for a young person to learn the professional skills needed to work in an office and be an advocate. Interested in applying? Head on over to our website or click the link to apply by April 12, 2024!* https://www.massadvocates.org/youthfellowship

Mass Advocates for Children (MAC) seeks an entry-level education attorney or advocate who will focus on increasing access to education for newcomer families and students at the individual, student, and systemic levels through outreach, training, and advocacy. *

If this opportunity resonates with your interests and career goals, go to our website or to this link to apply before April 12th, 2024!
https://www.massadvocates.org/youthfellowship

*MAC will consider applicants who are licensed attorneys and/or who have other skills, qualifications, and knowledge to effectively perform in this role.

Estamos muy emocionados de compartir que hemos recibido $2 millones de dólares de MacKenzie Scott a través de Yield Giving!

El – administrado por – eleva las organizaciones que trabajan con personas y en lugares que más necesitan apoyo en EE. UU. Este fondo es una inversión en el movimiento hacia la equidad de educación en Massachusetts y nos permitirá continuar abogando los derechos de todos los niños en la escuela con el apoyo que necesitan para prosperar.

Para leer más, haga click en el enlace: https://www.massadvocates.org/news/yield-giving

We’re thrilled to share that we’ve received a $2 million gift from the Yield Giving Open Call!

The – managed by LeverforChange – focused on elevating organizations working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States. This gift is an investment in the movement toward education equity in Massachusetts, and it will enable us to continue advocating so that every child can go to school with the support they need to thrive.

Learn more about this exciting news through this link: https://www.massadvocates.org/news/yield-giving

We have a new blog post for you from our series “Ask a Self Advocate”, written by Jevon Okundaye, Program Assistant of the Racial Equity and Access Program (REAP)! Jevon writes about the intersections of race, disability, and education as he highlights pivotal historical moments that changed the course of America’s education system. Read all about it in the blog “Black History Month 2024 – The Intersection of the Civil Rights Movement and the Disability Rights Movement”!

Applications are now open for MAC’s Young
Adult Leaders Fellowship! We encourage any
young adults between the ages of 18 to 26 in Massachusetts to apply. If you have any questions, please contact Johanne Pino at [email protected].

Find out more and apply at www.massadvocates.org/youthfellowship

We're seeking a bilingual Lawrence-Based Educational Advocate who will focus on advocacy and training for and with Lawrence parents of children with disabilities. The Lawrence-Based Educational Advocate will work under the supervision of MAC’s bilingual Senior Attorney.

If this opportunity resonates with your interests and career goals, you can find more information and apply here: https://www.massadvocates.org/job-opening-educational-advocate

We're seeking a recent law school graduate for a Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) Bart Gordon Fellowship. The Fellow will focus on increasing access to education for newly arrived families and students through individual and systemic advocacy.

If this opportunity resonates with your interests and career goals, you can find more information and apply here: https://www.massadvocates.org/job-opening-bartgordon

🔔We are temporarily closing our online Helpline intake forms while we resolve an issue with submission.🔔 If you submitted a response to our Helpline form through our website this month, please call our Helpline at (617) 357-8431 and leave a message! We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience!

🔔Los formularios de admisión de nuestra Línea de ayuda en línea estan cerrados mientras solucionamos un problema con el envío.🔔 Si envió una respuesta a nuestro formulario de la Línea de ayuda a través de nuestro sitio web este mes, llame a nuestra Línea de ayuda al (617) 357-8431 y deje un mensaje. ¡Lamentamos las molestias y gracias por su paciencia!

🔔Our Helpline will be closed for the holidays starting today, December 15, and open again on January 2, 2024. Thank you all for your patience! From our team at MAC, we wish you happy holidays.

🔔 Nuestra línea de ayuda estará cerrada durante las vacaciones y escolares y volverá a abrir el 2 de enero de 2024. ¡Gracias por su paciencia! Desde nuestro equipo de MAC les deseamos felices fiestas.