Disability panel presses fund for ASL interpreters
Other Committee · Meeting of September 24, 2026
Beverly's Commission on Disabilities presses North Shore Music Theatre on ASL interpreter access while building a city fund. Chair Paul Wallenbrock told members the Recreation Department is setting up a dedicated account to cover interpreter costs, which he said run "four to eight hundred dollars for one show," after the venue shifted from nonprofit to for-profit ownership and lost its grant funding. Resident Jennifer told the panel she was denied an interpreter for "A Christmas Carol" and said theater staff told her "they couldn't afford it," which she called untrue.
Members also discussed MBTA RIDE paratransit costs, estimated at $3 to $4.50 a ride, and a disabled couple unable to share rides to medical appointments after a senior van service was discontinued. No formal votes were taken; the panel plans to revisit the theater fund in November and will shift its November and December meetings to the second Thursday.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,209 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of September 24, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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