AMHERST — Money for projects to improve access to buildings and ensure more public amenities for residents with disabilities could be directed by a new Commission for Persons with Disabilities, which will begin meeting monthly in April.

The new commission, a successor to the town’s Disability Access Advisory Committee, comes following action taken by the Town Council last spring, when it voted for the change under state law Chapter 40, Section 22G.

While the commission will continue to advocate for people with disabilities and provide input on municipal projects and other initiatives that can affect them, its role will expand to include recommending uses for the $3,000 to $5,000 the town annually collects in handicapped parking fines and any other money provided as gifts.

At the Town Council this week, commission Chairwoman Myra Ross thanked councilors for creating the commission, as well as Council Clerk Athena O’Keeffe, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director Pamela Nolan Young, and former committee Vice Chairwoman Martha Smith for helping to write the charge.

“In some ways, there will not be a very large change in what the commission does over what the DAAC does, but it is an elevation of status for the group of people in town who have disabilities,” Ross said. “It makes higher visibility; we report directly to the town manager, and we are enabled to raise funds from private sources and public sources.”

A request for the change to a commission, similar to what other communities have in Massachusetts, was made in memory of Joe Tringali, a 45-year member of the Stavros Center for Independent Living. Tringali died in late 2023.

“He never stopped talking about the needs of people with disabilities,” Ross said.

Available funds for the commission will be identified by the town treasurer annually, with the recommendations for use, such as for structural changes to municipal buildings for better access or purchase of special education equipment at the public schools, then go to Town Manager Paul Bockelman.

Ross said she has seen many changes over the years that have improved the lives of people with disabilities, from elevators helping those with mobility impairments to devices allowing people to understand what is being said on a telephone or a cellphone. Many people are now unaware of the barriers that have existed, but there’s more work to do, she said.

“Technology has provided access to many things as never before,” Ross said. “Statutes have required that people with disabilities have equal access to education and all public and private accommodations, even including those for entertainment and recreation.”

One critical thing is to preserve remote access to meetings. Ross said. This has equalized access for those who may not be able to get to a physical location.

The Commission for Persons with Disabilities, advising municipal offices on compliance with state and federal laws and advocating for initiatives to address access barriers, is made up of seven members appointed by the town manager for three-year terms. Based on the requirements by the Massachusetts Office on Disability, a majority of the members are people with disabilities, one member is the immediate family member of a person with a disability, and one member is either an elected or appointed town official. Members were officially appointed at the Town Council meeting on Monday.

The first meeting of the new commission is set for April 8 at 11 a.m. via Zoom.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.