You're cordially invited to join Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) and our community partners at the Fourth Annual John Winske Memorial Awards on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EDT at the Commonwealth Care Alliance offices on the Fifth Floor of the Lafayette City Center in Downton Boston.

We're excited to celebrate another inspiring year of disability rights advocacy and leadership with you this Fall. This event is made possible by the generous support of DPC's sponsors, including our LEAD & PRESENTING SPONSOR, Tufts Health Plan, a Point32Health Company.

Learn more about available sponsorship opportunities and benefits by e-mailing dev@dpcma.org.

DPC is Massachusetts’ leading disability rights advocacy and research organization. From defending and strengthening protections for people with disabilities to access prescription drugs and home- and community-based healthcare services, to septupling the Commonwealth's annual investment in housing for low-income people with disabilities over the past decade, to leading the charge against life-threatening medical discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic, to unanimously passing our wheelchair warranty law in the senate, we tirelessly fight to advance the rights, independence, and safety of people with disabilities across and beyond Massachusetts. Each year, we come together to honor those who have gone above and beyond in their service to the disability community: 800,000 strong in Massachusetts alone!

This year, DPC is thrilled to recognize the following individuals for their impactful work to build a more accessible, inclusive, and empowering Commonwealth for all:

The Thomas M. Menino Award for Public Service:
Representative Kay Khan (Eleventh Middlesex)
Former House Chair, Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities
Founder and Co-Chair, Justice-Involved Women's Taskforce, Caucus of Women Legislators
Founder and Former Co-Chair, Mental Health Caucus

The Mary Lou Maloney Award for Systemic Change:
Michael A. Curry, Esq.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers

The Bill Allan Award for Grassroots Advocacy:
Ellice Patterson
Founder and Executive and Artistic Director, Abilities Dance Boston

Through this event, DPC will be commemorating the enduring legacy of DPC's late former Executive Director and Board Chair, John Winske, and the transformative decade of leadership of DPC's current and outgoing Executive Director, Colin Killick. John coined the credo that animates DPC’s work to this day: "About Us, By Us," the belief that when decisions are made about people with disabilities, people with disabilities must play a leading role in formulating, implementing, and evaluating them. Under John's and Colin's leadership, DPC more than tripled in size, forged strategic and impactful partnerships with a diverse array of individuals and community-based organizations, and became the only disability-led organization in the United States to be awarded a Medicaid Ombudsman contract.

As we celebrate John’s and Colin's special legacies and honor those who demonstrate the values of independence, compassion, and tenacity that he exemplified, we need your voices and support. With your help, DPC can sustain and expand our vital work in the months and years ahead!

American Sign Language Interpretation and Communication Access Realtime Translation services will be available. If you have any questions, accommodations requests, or dietary restrictions, please contact DPC's Executive Assistant Grant Yosenick at +1 (617) 932-5461 or gyosenick@dpcma.org.

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