ORDER-2021-3 : Appointment of Erik Hutchinson, 9 Winthrop St, Apt #2, to the Commission on Disability for a two-year term; said term to expire on the last day of February 2022

Transcript (~3 min @ 11:17)

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▶ 11:14 Jack Eccles: And then we have one last appointment tonight. Order 2020- Order 2021-3, appointment of Eric Hutchinson, 9 Winthrop Street, Apartment 2, to the Commission on Disability for a two-year term, said to expire on the last day of February 2022.

▶ 11:36 Speaker 5: Correct with us. Yes, I am.

▶ 11:42 Paul Brodeur: So, Mr chairman, by way of by way of introduction. Um, so Mr. is a long time member of the community also has a history of activism with disability issues. Including within the autism community, but also given his, he has a mobility impairment that it causes him to sometimes use a wheelchair. He not only is an advocate, he certainly is willing to share his experience with us in navigating some of these issues. I think he will be an important addition and will bring an important perspective to the commission. I'm grateful for his service.

▶ 12:27 Jack Eccles: Thank you very much. Mr. Hutchinson, would you like to say a few words?

▶ 12:32 Speaker 4: Thank you. I'm honestly thrilled to be here, and I'm so glad that Melrose is stepping forward and joining the other communities in Massachusetts that are prioritizing the needs of persons with disabilities. One of the things that I'm most interested to bring to the fore here is the idea of disability culture and disability pride. I feel that shame, because we live in a country that really unfortunately does not prioritize providing healthcare to the citizens, People have to kind of fend for themselves and disability is a part of life. Everyone has a body and your body can have things that go wrong. So I think people carry a sense of personal shame and personal failing because of this unfortunate situation where it's hard to provide health care for yourself. So, I think it's important to kind of push back and to help people to feel proud of who they are and part of their personal experiences. And to that end, I look to the Cambridge Commission on Disability. They've done some wonderful work with, like, a film series. And I think that maybe we could take a page from their book to to bring folks together and feel good about ourselves.

▶ 13:56 Shawn M. MacMaster: Thank you very much motion to recommend passage.

▶ 13:59 Jack Eccles: Awesome. We have a motion to recommend for passage by Councillor McMaster, seconded by Councillor Migliorelli. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll?

▶ 14:07 Speaker 1: Chair Eccles? Yes. Vice Chair Jamaleddine? Yes. Councillor McMaster? Yes. Councillor McNaught? Yes. Councillor Migliorelli? Yes. President Grigoraitis? Yes. Six yes.