Advisory Board OKs Minutes, Reviews SNAP Changes

Disability Commission Advisory Board · Meeting of October 21, 2026

Boston's Disability Commission Advisory Board reviewed federal SNAP cuts and a stalled Seaport elevator project. Melissa Honeywood, deputy director of the Mayor's Office of Food Justice, said new federal rules expanded "able-bodied adult" work requirements to residents 55-64 and parents of teens, while cutting the federal share of SNAP administrative costs from 50 percent to 25 percent. The city's Farmers Market Coupon Program drew more than 7,200 applicants, with 51 percent reporting incomes under $20,000.

Patricia Mendez, the commission's director of architectural access, detailed a 24-foot grade change between Summer and Congress streets where a developer's promised public elevator was never built; Disability Commissioner Christine McCosh called the existing signage "not noticeable, it's not intuitive." The board unanimously approved its September minutes, its only formal vote.

In the full story:

• Approval of September Minutes
• Office of Food Justice: SNAP ABAWD Rule Changes
• Office of Food Justice: Farmers Market Coupon Program
• Commissioner's Report: Elections and Accessible Voting
• Commissioner's Report: NDEAM, Civic Engagement and Board Business
• Architectural Access Report: Summer Street and Congress Street Vertical Connection
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,926 words

Source: the Disability Commission Advisory Board meeting of October 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.