New Accessible Walkway for Munson Library to Be Completed by June 30

Report on the Meeting of the Commission for Persons With Disabilities, April 14, 2026

By Maura Keene

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Myra Ross (chair), James Kruidenier, Ian Rhodewalt, Cody Rooney, Reginald Andrade, Seren Derin and Pamela Nolan Young (staff appointee). Guest: Amber Cano-Martin (Town Council liaison)

Building Commissioner Rob Morra reported that the accessible walkway to the south entrance of Munson Memorial Library was under contract to be completed by June 30. The project includes a new walkway from South East Street to the entrance on the south side of the building, with a ramp and a new door with an automatic opener. It is being funded with a $150,000 grant from the Massachusetts Office of Disability (MOD).

The project was planned for last year, but the bids received were higher than the $100,000 MOD grant the town received that year. This year’s bids came in under $100,000, leaving the town with an additional $50,000 from the grant plus $25,000 for access improvements from the capital fund. Work done under the MOD grant must be completed by June 30. Morra said the town was considering using the remaining funds to improve the drop-off area and sidewalk leading to the new walkway. The MOD will need to approve the expanded scope of the project.

Commissioner Seren Deren noted that there are no bathrooms on the main level of Munson Library. Accessible bathrooms are available on the lower level, reached by a chair lift. Morra said the chair lift is an older model, possibly from the 1980s, with an open platform. It is inspected and tested annually, but he said he has never personally seen anyone use it. Commissioners who use wheelchairs said they would not feel safe on the lift and noted that traveling around the building to the lower-level entrance adds considerable distance. Morra said he will return to the commission with more information about the lift, including its dimensions, so commissioners can determine whether wheelchairs and scooters can safely fit on it and whether it could be replaced with an enclosed lift.

New applications for MOD grants are due May 1. Commission Chair Myra Ross suggested the town apply for funding to improve the bathrooms at Mill River Recreation Area, which the commission has identified as one of its priority projects.

Amherst Disability Pride Event to Feature Accessible Swimming
Amherst’s events for Disability Pride Month will be held July 20. Related events are planned on other dates in Northampton and Easthampton. Ross and DEI Director Pamela Nolan Young met with Becky Demling from the Recreation Department, the town’s aquatics director, and one of the children’s librarians to plan the program. The theme for the events is storytelling, and the group proposed centering Amherst’s program on the Paralympics.

Amherst resident Tory Dixon won bronze medals in swimming at the Paralympics in 1988 and 1992. She began swimming as physical therapy and trained competitively from age 10 to 28. Dixon has agreed to share her story, and the aquatics director will demonstrate the equipment the town has available to make swimming accessible to people with a range of disabilities. The event will be held in the late afternoon at Mill River, with an open swim afterward, weather permitting.

For young children, the librarian suggested a morning story time centered on sports for people with disabilities. Dixon said she also has a shorter version of her story aimed at younger audiences.

Details for these programs will be finalized at a later date. A brochure covering the month’s events in all three towns will be available and publicized on the town website.

Amherst Resident Cody Rooney Receives National Recognition
Commissioner Cody Rooney was recognized this month for his advocacy for disability rights by the National Youth Employment Coalition. He was also named a Changemaker with A New Deal for Youth and serves as vice chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council. In addition, he is involved in Native American cultural events.

On his Facebook page, Rooney wrote: “Still trying to process my first-ever national award. I am just doing what I love, and it has taken me places. Just a kid from low-income housing trying to make a difference in society.”