4.8.2026 Commission on Disability

Okay, this is the meeting of the Fall River Commission on Disability, Wednesday, April 8th, 2026.

Um, conference call meeting and that's right. I got to read this. Um, pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium. Attendees are thereby are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpersceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible.

Roll call.

Chairman Dennis Paulelli.

Uh here.

Vice Chairwoman Debbie Pico here. Commissioner Lisa Silva here.

Commissioner Dan Roblard here.

Commissioner Ann O'Neal Souza here.

Commissioner K Driscoll here.

Okay, great. Um, next item is public input and I will ask three times if there's any public input. So, uh, there is there any public input?

Is there any public input?

And is there any public input?

Okay. Hearing none, I will The next item is approval of the minutes. I can't believe it's been this long. Um, approval of the minutes for the meeting of January 24th.

No, January 14th. I'm I'm sorry. 2026 motion to accept the minutes of January 14th 2026 of the Fall River Disability Commission.

Second.

Do what?

Okay.

Is there any discussion?

Okay, I'll call for the vote. Roll call.

Chairman Dennis Paul.

Yes. Yes.

Vice Chairwoman Debbie Pico.

Yes.

Commissioner Lisa Silva, yes.

Commissioner Dan Robel, yes.

Commissioner Annne O'Neal Souza, yes.

Commissioner K Driscoll, yes.

Okay, next item is workg groupoup updates. Um, actually, um, this is what I want to do.

Um, one of our commissioners is going to have to leave us. So, what I'd like to do is I'd like to have a motion to take the item that we will be voting on, which is the uh uh the scholarship allocation. If we can have a motion to take that out of order, Mr. Chairman motion to uh move the the scholarship voting item to the top of the to the next item of business on the

agenda and further that uh all future voting items be moved to the top of uh all agendas going forward.

Okay. Do I hear a second to that?

Tbby Pico second.

Okay. Um is there any discussion?

Okay. Roll call.

Chairman Dennis Pulli.

Yes.

Vice Chairman Debbie Pachico.

Yes.

Commissioner Lisa Silva.

Yes.

Commissioner Dan Robard.

Yes.

Commissioner Ann O'Neal Souza.

Yes.

Commissioner Katie Driscoll.

Yes.

Okay.

The scholarship event will be on Saturday, May 16th. Um, we were just going over some of the details before we started, but uh I can tell you all that nine that five schools have responded.

Bishop Stang is um will not be participating this year because they they didn't have a a recipient.

In addition, um, uh, Bristol Aggie, um, has one recipient and all the rest, Dery Diamond uh Argusy Atlantis um, have two recipients each for a total of nine recipients. Um, we had talked in our work group and we, as you know, we don't make votes. That only happens in full commissions.

But there was a feeling that we should increase the scholarship from last year we did 2,000.

Um I think there were a few years that we did 3,000 but there was a a a feeling that we should increase it to 4,000 because we had we have we really do have sufficient funds in our account.

So, um, if we could put the motion on the floor to allocate, um, Mr. Chairman, wait. Oh, okay. Go ahead.

Uh, motion to allocate $36,000 for the 2026 uh, scholarships being awarded uh, by the four of the disability commission.

Okay. Do I hear a second to that?

I'll second that, Lisa.

Okay.

All right. We're open for discussion.

U Mr. Pelli, it's Debbie Pico. I did want to have a discussion regarding um regarding the scholarship and the amount that the commission has allocated. So um I understand that the um sub you know the working group had discussed this and you know looking at the finances of the commission and felt that we could um provide more money. My concerns with with that is that I I it is my feeling and my thoughts

with this is that the commission just set a set amount that we're going to be awarding every year. like most scholarship organizations like one cuz here at the school we'll have scholarships in many different family members memory or um so many different organizations that do it but it's always the set amount. So like like we know that let's say St. An's Credit Union is going to you know have a $2,000

scholarship. I think when we I don't I don't know. I just I just believe that we should just have that we just agree as a as a group that we're are going to allocate let's say it's $2,000 every year to how many recipients that were able to get as long as there's funding available. I don't believe it should fluctuate every year.

So you think it should be a a a um a set amount?

It should be the set a set amount um like whatever it is every year pending as long as it's fund available. Like I think that's the key. But I don't think it should be 1,000 one year, 2,000 another year, three, you know, like like right now with $4,000. I don't know. I don't remember the last time if we've ever issued $4,000 scholarship to nine recipients. I just think as a group, and that's just my thoughts on

this, is that it should just be a set amount that um we're going to be allocating um to these schools and not necessarily be based on if we have more money than is needed because maybe those funds could be used for um other other things. But um that's just my thoughts on this. I just think that um then it becomes just fair like that way past graduate graduates didn't get the same

amount like and I understand it's all funding based but I just think it it just becomes very it becomes equitable and fair that there is that we are setting aside so much money every year and it's the same every year.

Okay.

Can I hear some more comments on that?

Chairman, this is Katie Driscoll. Um I just I have a question. Do we have any information that we send out in advance when students apply that that state what the amount is? Because I do think um to Debbiey's point too is like that consistency and that that discussion should probably be done before people apply because maybe again they they have a a certain expectation based on the

information they received. But is there anything that we have in the materials that we send that indicate the amount?

Um, we just approved last year the policy program program policy and I I mean I suppose I can run and it's right it's not too far from where I am to go and look it up. I don't know if anybody has Mr. Chairman. Can I can I help here? Not to cut my colleagues off, but can I uh state a uh a point of information that there is that there is no set dollar

amount in the scholarship policy stating that each scholarship will be worth a certain amount that there there is nothing about the dollar amount uh that we award every year. Uh so it's it's fully at our discretion. I'm going to uh yield back to my colleague. Uh and before there's any uh I do have some discussion on this matter, but uh Miss Driscoll still has the force. So I'll yield back to her for now. But there

there is nothing about the exact amount of the scholarship that each student receives.

I thank you. Mr. Pelli, can I just um follow up on a couple of more comments for Mr. Dresco?

Let's make Yeah, let's make sure Katie's finished.

I just want to finish explaining the process to to Miss Dresco.

So, okay.

So, m Miss Griscoll, there was no um applying. So, and we can definitely share the policy um program like the policy on the scholarship program. All we require from the schools is they just have to identify a student who lives in For River who has a disability um and has been accepted to college.

That's that's all the criteria is. So unlike some of the other scholarships like like we have a couple here like we had the um the Rodri scholarship. So there was a committee kids had to apply the committee decided who was awarded the scholarship. That's not the case with the forever commission on disability scholarship that we issue.

All we require is that guidance counselors look at their student population, take a look at it at students with disabilities who have been accepted to college. Does that help explain what what our criteria is?

Absolutely. And I think that both all of those answer my questions. I think I was just concerned what had we messaged right around that that amount if if we're discussing a change um so close to the awards being given but um you all answered my question so I I yield for further discussion when I um when I send the information out and I send it out several times a year. I don't just do it once. Um

because every year you learn something new. Um and you kind of improve your technique. And um I always send every time um when I first send out I first send out around October and November the first notice goes out. It always includes the policy.

In February there's a reminder and and that doesn't go out without the policy.

So, the policy apps are out in February because I like the way it lays out the kinds of information that helps um uh that helps our our account manager and and myself. It it helps us out when to get the money out into the colleges quickly. So, they get a copy of that. So I I don't recall seeing a dollar amount either in in in the policy and I think but don't swear me to it. Um

I think it does mention that we do make a vote in at our April meeting but I I I don't I need to go back and look it up.

Um I probably should have done that today but I didn't. So, um, so I'm hope I I hope I'm answering your I hope we're answering your question, Katie. And, um, and I'll just open the floor for more discussion.

Mr. Chairman, did did Vice Chairwoman Patiko yield the floor or does she have further discussion or questions?

Yeah, I'm I'm all set, Mr. Peli. Thank you.

Okay, Mr. Chairman.

Yep. Go ahead. Uh thank you. Uh a as stated earlier, there is no dollar amount uh uh about what we're going to award per year. Uh when we set the criteria for this this scholarship five or six years ago, uh we purposely did not want a committee because if there was going to be any committee, I would have moved that it be the committee of this commission. It's our money. We're

in control of the money by Massachusetts general law. We purposely uh we didn't want a committee of any kind. We purposely chose uh back at the infancy of this program to leave everything up to the discretion of the guidance department or the special ed coordinators or or whatever title uh that would be appropriate for each institution.

uh are warning their students. Uh so we could have had a nice fancymmy uh committee of 13 members. We this commission could have done it. We chose not to. I like the way this is running.

It's very smooth. Uh this is our money.

We ought to be able to say this year we're going to do A, next year we're going to do B. And next year we're going to do C. We should not be h uh hamstringing ourselves as we sit here right now or any other future commissions that may come after us. So uh I I support the motion as it stands.

Uh there's been a motion and a second.

We've had discussion. If any other member has discussion, uh, I would ask the chair to take it at this time. If not, since there's a motion and a second procedurally, I'd ask for a roll call vote on my motion. With that, I yield.

Thank you.

Okay. I I just want to see if there's any I just want to um I just want to see if there's any more uh any more feedback from from the commission before we go for a roll call vote. I want to make sure everybody absolutely and and that's procedure. Mr.

Ste, we we have to complete discussion before we can take a roll call on any motion. I yield. Thank you.

All right. Anybody else?

Okay. I'll just ask one more time just in case. Does anybody else have anything else to add um to the discussion?

Just to clarify um the the the motion before we go forward it was to change it from 2,000 to 3600. Is that is that correct?

My motion was just to allocate the dollar amount uh Commissioner Driscoll which is $36,000 which breaks down to $4,000 per scholarship. Okay, thank you for clarifying.

Okay.

Um, I will go for a roll call vote.

Chairman Dennis Pelli.

Yes.

Vice Chairwoman Debbie Bucho.

No.

Commissioner Lisa Silva.

Commissioner Lisa Silva, I wonder if she's having trouble unmuting.

Can we come back to her just in case?

Sure.

Commissioner Dan Robelard.

Yes. Commissioner Ann O'Neal Souza.

No.

Commissioner Katie Driscoll.

Yes.

Commissioner Lisa Silva.

I'm sending her a text message.

It's okay cuz sometimes um I've gone to many many conference calls and Zoom meetings. People have trouble un unmuting their cell phones and iPhones and

This is Debbie Pachico. I'm not able to get her. Um, Dennis, wasn't there Didn't she have to be somewhere at a certain time?

She did. She did.

It's already 3:27. I'm wondering if she had to Oh, wait. She It looks like I may be getting a message coming through.

Hold on one second.

I'm seeing the squiggly line. So, let's see what this comes through.

All right. Still waiting.

Oh wait.

Yep. She Yep. She had to leave. I texted Danny. Could only stay on 20 minutes.

Didn't expect. So, um, so she had to leave. So, Mr. Pelli, do we still have a quorum?

Oh, yeah. Yeah, we still have a quorum.

Okay. Then I say we just continue then.

She She had to leave.

Yeah, we have a quorum. Okay. We now we can we can um post the final results.

Okay. So, there were two yes and two no, right?

Okay.

So, it's a sport vote. Uh um uh secretary uh uh Barab.

Yeah, it was a tie vote. So on a tie vote, the motion fails.

Okay.

Um was the vote 22?

There was actually a three yes and two no and then one non there.

Three yes and two no. Could we go over Could we have for the record please exactly who voted what on the roll call just so the record is crystal clear? Uh, Secretary Baraby, please.

Chairman Dennis Poselli said yes. Vice Chairwoman Wiggo, no. No. Answer from Lisa. Commissioner Dan Roblard, yes.

Commissioner Anna O'Neal, Susan, no.

Katie Driscoll, yes. Three, yes. Two, no.

Three to two with one not voting. And after that, that motion carries.

Okay.

Okay. The motion carries.

Um, okay.

Okay. I'm going to move on to the rest of the agenda.

Um, under workg groupoup updates, um, uh, the ADA, uh, I have a couple things to report.

First of all, the ADA improvement grants announcement came out.

Um, uh, Ann, I got your your announcement from the mayor's office and also the Massachusetts Office on Disability also sent one out. Um, and and this this involves any Title 2 related uh projects in the city in in any municipality.

Um, one of the one of the persons I did contact already was was Mr. Mike.

was Mr. Mike Dion who is um the project concerning the um Abbott Court sensory playground that's being looked at. So he he will probably be going after that ADA improvement grant. Um so that's available as of May 1st. I'm not sure I haven't read the whole thing yet, so I'm not sure what the deadline is. If I'm not mistaken, I think it's a six week deadline. It's a very short turnaround.

So um so um so the second um the second thing I want to report on is the um the CAM training. Um uh the ADA work group met with we had a nice meeting with uh Annne O'Neal Souza.

um uh chief of staff and I think acting city administrator. Am I am I correct on that? I don't want to. Um at any rate, we had a very good workg groupoup meeting. And one of the things that uh came out of the meeting was that we wanted to make sure that all department heads take advantage of the and their departments if they wanted to take advantage of CAM training.

And that's our our sponsorship is Wednesday, June 10th and Wednesday, June 17th, 10:00 a.m. to 300 p.m. both sessions. Okay, that's it's not it's not second session is not repeat of the first. It's a continuation. The first part tends to deal with the actual ADA law and the second part, second session tends to be to deal with the Massachusetts architectural access laws and specifically how to do a site

inspection. So that's and it's free and it's all virtual, but you can also sign up if you don't if you're not available on June 17th and June 10th, they can sign up for any any of the other dates that I mentioned. And there's also a link to register. So that's gone out. Um um and on May 5th, is it May 5th? Yeah.

Um the ADA work group and other city officials will be doing a tour of all the polling places. Um this is I guess this has all come from the city council. There's been some dissatisfaction of the new polling arrangements that were made.

um uh the new polling arrangements, new polling places.

So um so that will be on May 5th. It's going to be on the bus tour to all the polling places. So I guess in June they'll kind of they'll finalize the polling places based on a letter that u Mr. Ryan Lions is working on um to deal with some of the changes and what the transition plan found in terms of polling places.

So I think that's it on I'm just trying to see if I am missing something.

Um and I'm not. Okay. So, the next item is policies from Vice Chair Debbie Pacho.

Um, am I muted or am I on?

You're not muted.

I couldn't remember. Um, at this time I don't have any updates. I know that there was um a recommendation that came through from Mr. Robel, but I have not had an opportunity to meet with the other member of the working group to discuss it. So hopefully at the next meeting I'll have an update. I also Mr.

Vitali, I am going to excuse myself cuz I need to get to an appointment.

Okay.

Cuz I know so we took care of all the voting items. Am I correct?

Uh the only vote we need is to adjourn.

Um but otherwise we're all set.

We still we still have our quorum.

We have a quorum as the vice president.

Okay.

Oh, wait a minute. There's so much going on in my house right now.

I'm sorry.

Oh gosh. That's okay. It's all right, vice chair. Um Okay. All right. Thank you so much, everyone. Have a great um evening.

You too.

Bye-bye.

So frazzled. All right. Um um let's see. It's you.

I'm I'm here. Um it's you, me, uh Ann O'Neal, Souza, and Katie. Correct.

That's right. That's four. That's a quorum of seven, I believe.

Yep. We still have our quorum.

Um the next item is finance and you've all got the budget report from March and we've already we've already taken care care of D which is outreach which deals with uh which dealt with the scholarship vote which we took.

um and um the next is the website workg group.

I don't know for people who do not who may not know um Sam Mr. Sam Mock who has been our web master um is teaching at Henry has got a full-time teaching position at a school.

So, he will no longer be doing our website, but he's going to hold on to it until we've gotten we've identified someone and until he has trained them.

Um, we have a we have a lead and Katie uh Dan and I will be meeting with Diamond Regional Vocational Technical High School's Department of Web Development. We'll be meeting with them tomorrow afternoon at 1. Um, they have expressed interest in managing our website. So, we're going to meet with them tomorrow to see exactly what they have in mind. Um hopefully at our next commission meeting. Um, we'll have some

details and if it looks like we have um if it looks like uh our lead comes to fruition, I'm going to ask that they come to the full commission meeting as well to in case um commissioners have questions because if we're going to vote on a proposal um I think the rest of the commission is going to want to hear from um you from from diamond as a whole. So tomorrow the work group will continue

its vetting and then from there it will go to the full commission. So is there any questions about that?

And can I ask a question? Um chairman plesi it's Katie Driscoll. I just want to clarify cuz I know Sam has stepped back but it's my understanding is he still posting um these minutes until we have that replacement finalized.

He is still posting anything we want until we have the person trained which he's going to do and in place and then he will give it over to whoever you know whoever we decide. You're right. You're absolutely right.

Thank you.

Yep. I I had forgotten that detail. I'm sorry, but thank you for uh reminding me.

Um Okay. And we're on to old business. Is there any old business?

Okay. Under new business, we're going to we're doing a little bit of something a little different with this um new business. Um and um with Katie's position as president of community connections from time to time um she brings things to our attention and um the more I thought about this the more I thought that not only is this a good idea but this this item under new business will be um announcements and

updates from other commissioners.

Um we have a commissioner Dan Robelard who's on the who's on the SERTA board and so if there's any updates on paratransit issues disability related issues um oh god hang on guys.

Okay, a little reminder from my from my device. Anyway, um so if there's any any uh announcements or or or updates from other commissioners, the only caveat to that is if it's an item that needs to be voted on, it would have to be tabled and and taken up at the next meeting so that we could publicize it to the public. Otherwise, this is the time for any commissioner um to make any announcements or updates

that are disability related.

Chairman Plesi, I do have a um an update I thought of. Mr. Katie Driscoll, I just wanted to share um on May 1st, there is a Karen Force rally. So, the Karen Force um is part of the providers council. So, this is a a multi- agency event. Um, you know, Community Connections is part of the co-sponsorship, but people incorporated, many other organizations across the the South Coast. It is the

first time that the South Coast has had a regional event, and we invite um legislators and they they hear about the importance of the workforce. So, it's really about advocacy for disability workforce in terms of um equitable rates, loan repayment and forgiveness for for the service workers in that industry. So, it it may be of interest of people. It's it's open to the public and um it's at White West on May 1st and

it's really to support the disability workforce.

Thank you. This is exactly the kind of stuff that that that I'm encouraging that we that we hear from um other commissioners too. Is there any other What are the hours of that event?

Commissioner Driscoll, I am pretty sure it begins at 10:00, but I can send a flyer with the details. It typically is morning um with a little bit of breakfast, but I will um I can send a flyer with those details to be certain. I just don't have it in front of me.

Great. Thank you very much.

And a reminder for me that April is Autism Education Month. So, um I know there's there's kinds of educational activities that are going on. Um during that month, so uh is there any other announcements or updates?

Mr. Chairman, I have uh uh reached out to uh director Rouso of SRTA and get him to come and uh h have a workg group meeting with us and I'm waiting on his reply.

Thank you.

Anyone else?

Okay, the next our next meeting will be on Wednesday, May 13th, which will be three days before our event.

Um, so if there's hearing no other business, I can entertain a motion to adjourn.

Motion to adjurnn.

I need a second.

Second.

Second, Crystal.

Thank you. Otherwise, we'd be stuck here for another month.

Okay.

Okay. Um, roll call vote.

Cameron Dennis Palselli.

Yes.

Commissioner Dan Robelard.

Yes.

Commissioner Anon O'Neal Souza.

Yes.

Commissioner Katie Driscoll.

Yes.

Okay. We are adjourned.