Access Brookline

Did you know?
• Several Massachusetts venues offer sensory-friendly experiences to give families a sense of belonging. Logan Airport, TD Garden, the BSO, and the New England Aquarium are among those opening sensory rooms and offering sensitized performances. A recent Boston Globe article highlighted several of these spaces. Here’s a peek at the TD Garden’s rooms.
Venues that offer sensory-friendly experiences outside Boston include the Discovery Museum in Acton, the LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Somerville, and Stone Zoo in Stoneham.

• November is National Family Caregivers Month! The National Alliance for Caregiving, in collaboration with AARP, estimates that more than 65 million people, 29% of the U.S. population, provide care for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family member or friend during any given year and spend an average of 20 hours per week providing that care. Celebrating Family Caregivers during National Family Caregivers Month enables all of us to: raise awareness of family caregiver issues; celebrate the efforts of family caregivers; educate family caregivers about self-identification; increase support for family caregivers; and reduce feelings of isolation that caregivers often have. Read President Biden’s proclamationhere.
Spotlight Organization

• Caregiver Action Network (CAN) is a non-profit organization providing education, peer support, and resources to family caregivers across the country free of charge. CAN provides a toolbox full of resources – from legal and financial tools to tips for long-distance caregiving. CAN is also the organization that determines how to celebrate National Family Caregivers Month every year, creating materials for general use.

News & Events
• Brookline Town Meeting starts on November 14th and runs for 3 nights. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM each night and is held in the Brookline High School Auditorium. Don’t feel like attending in person? No problem! Members of the public can watch live at this link.

• Temporary Job Opportunity! The MBTA’s Department of System-Wide Accessibility (SWA) is seeking monitors for its Internal Access Monitoring Program—a “secret shopper” program designed to assess the accessibility of the MBTA’s bus, subway, commuter rail, and ferry services. Candidates should have existing familiarity with MBTA bus and train service and should be comfortable using the system during various times of the day. People with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information, please contact Glennda Campbell at
GCampbell4@mbta.com. Or apply directly here.

Join Us!
BCOD meets monthly, typically on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 5:30 pm. The public is always welcome! Check the town calendar 48 hours in advance to see the agenda and info on how to participate: www.brooklinema.gov/calendar.aspx.