Boston Disability Board Votes to Back State Wheelchair Repair Bill, Grills BTD on Signal Safety

BOSTON — May 13, 2026 — Boston Disability Advisory Board votes to support state wheelchair repair bill and pushes BTD on signal gaps. The board unanimously approved a support letter for a Massachusetts wheelchair repair bill that members described as having advanced further in the legislature than in any prior session. Isaac Prezant, a senior traffic engineer with the Boston Transportation Department, told the board that $750,000 has been spent over the first two years of a three-year accessible pedestrian signal contract, bringing 471 of the city's nearly 900 signalized intersections to full APS compliance. Board member Carl Richardson, who is deaf-blind, challenged the city's use of concurrent pedestrian phasing: "If I feel it vibrating, I'm crossing — I can't hear or see traffic from the other side." The board also began drafting an autonomous vehicle accessibility working document, with Richardson and Jerry Boyd volunteering to lead the effort, after Disability Commissioner Kristen McCosh confirmed a city working group on AV regulation is forming with four disability community seats.