celebrating 30 years of the ADA
LORENA GONZALEZ
D’Arcangelo went to college, which took him longer to complete in part because of losing his eyesight, and then decided to focus on a career in public service, a vocational path that is in his blood.
Assemblywoman • California
California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez is an outspoken advocate for those with learning disabilities. As someone with dyslexia, Gonzalez believes in educating others on how her brain reads and understands. In December, she tweeted, “*A word about dyslexia* My brain works differently. When I write things — if the phone or just my thumb causes typos — my mind doesn’t necessarily register them. I see exactly what I thought I was writing. My brain shortcuts words & phrases. So, please excuse the posts w/typos.” Gonzalez is the first Latina in California history to chair the Assembly Appropriations Committee. She is also chairwoman of the Select Committee on Women in the Workplace and chair of the Latino Caucus.
DAVID D’ARCANGELO Commisioner of the Mass. Commission for the Blind • Massachusetts
ISSUE 3 2020 | CAPITOL IDEAS
The commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) might be legally blind, but he has a dynamic vision for people with disabilities.
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“The path to prosperity is paved with perseverance,” said Commissioner David D’Arcangelo, who was born with X-linked juvenile retinoschisis and is legally blind. Having a detached retina, experiencing periods of time with no sight and continually dealing with vitreous hemorrhages, D’Arcangelo’s perspective affords him an appreciation of what persistence brings. “My family and friends did their best to ensure that my experiences were as diverse as possible, which helped fuel my independence and self-determination,” he said.
“My father was a public servant and his commitment to helping people is something we always shared.”
D’Arcangelo’s public service career includes working for six governors, serving several years as an aide in the state Senate and being involved in many other mission-driven organizations. He also served as a councilor-at-large in the City of Malden for three terms. Then in 2014, D’Arcangelo ran for secretary of state in Massachusetts, which may make him one of the only candidates to openly identify as a person with a disability and reach a statewide ballot in Massachusetts.
While he was not elected as secretary, D’Arcangelo was offered the opportunity to be the director of the Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD). Now serving as the commissioner for MCB, he relishes his role of furthering access and opportunities for people with disabilities and values the importance of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). “The ADA is the most important civil rights law passed for people with disabilities,” he said. “My focus and passion is to bring access and opportunities for people with disabilities.” D’Arcangelo believes that employment opportunities for people with disabilities is vital, and while he credits the ADA for progress, he knows that there is still much work to be done. “With nearly two-thirds of all working age people with disabilities not in the labor force, we still have much work to do,” he said. Being blind has taught D’Arcangelo to think creatively to accomplish the tasks before him. “Let’s choose to focus upon what people can do. I genuinely believe that we can improve the human condition and make positive gains for all of our people.”
