Barrett Honored for Disabilities Work

State Senator Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, has been recognized for his commitment to people with disabilities. MASS Advocates Standing Strong -- a self-advocacy non-profit that promotes fairness for people with disabilities -- chose Barrett for its Special Dedication Award because of his support for the Disabled Persons Protection Commission (DPPC).

During the debate over the new fiscal year budget, Barrett successfully pushed to boost funds for the DPPC, calling it a life-saving agency. The DPPC runs a hotline for reports of abuse committed against people with disabilities. It oversees investigations and develops plans to protect victims from further harm.

Between fiscal years ’09 and ’13, the DPPC saw a major increase in caseloads. Meanwhile, budget cuts forced the agency to reduce staff. Barrett advocated for increasing the agency’s budget by $360,000, a 15 % jump. “Since the onset of the recession, human services programs such as the DPPC, have had to do more with less,” Barrett said. “This new funding is a step in the right direction.”

MASS Advocates Standing Strong also highlighted Barrett’s work on the “Real Lives” bill, which was recently signed into law. The bill, sponsored by state Representative Tom Sannicandro, D-Ashland, and fleshed out by Barrett and his staff on the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, allows clients of the Dept. of Developmental Services to select their own services.

Barrett called the new law a “game-changer.” “In the past, people have had to accept services more or less as they’ve been handed to them,” Barrett said. “Choices have been somewhat limited. Now we’re flipping that model on its head.”