A message from City of Boston Disability Commissioner Kristen McCosh on COVID-19

Dear Disability Community Members,



As we move into the second full week of this State of Emergency, I hope you are all staying healthy and safe, and doing as well as possible under these continuously changing circumstances.



You may have heard that Governor Baker issued a “Stay at Home” advisory earlier today. I wanted to reach out to let you know that we are aware of the many difficulties this causes for people with disabilities, and we are actively working with City and State officials to address the critical needs of our community.



A public health crisis such as this affects every aspect of people’s lives, but it has a disproportional impact on the disability community. Officials have asked us to take extreme measures to try to limit the spread of COVID-19, beginning with social distancing and now with asking everyone to stay home. We know that this can have serious consequences for those who depend on in-home caretakers.



As public servants, all staff in the City of Boston are working diligently to address the enormous challenges that our residents are facing right now. We are currently putting together a list of resources for persons with disabilities who need access to food, in-home care, or other goods and services. We will send this information out in the coming days.



This pandemic is extremely complex, and its impact will be felt in both the short term and long term. For now, we are focusing on the immediate needs of people in the disability community, to help everyone get through the height of this crisis safely. Once the situation is under control, we will focus on longer term needs.



Please stay informed on the latest updates by visiting the CDC's website on COVID-19. Information on what the City of Boston is doing can be found here. As always, feel free to contact our office if you have any questions.



Sincerely,