Medford council asks administration to prioritize after‑school and adaptive programming for youth with disabilities

The Medford City Council unanimously voted on Jan. 7 to refer a resolution urging the administration to prioritize after‑school and recreational programs for youth with disabilities and to hear directly from families about gaps in services.

The resolution, offered by Councilor Lemming and Councilor Callahan, asks the administration to “prioritize members of our community by finding a way to quickly set up programs that meet their specific needs” and to listen to parents’ experiences in locating supports. Councilors amended the paper to request that the mayor include a budget‑season request for additional staff to coordinate and support such programs in Medford Recreation.

Why it matters: Parents and caregivers told the council that Medford lacks consistent, local options for teens and young adults with disabilities and that many families travel to nearby towns for specialized programs. Several speakers asked the city to hire at least a part‑time specialist to develop and run adaptive programming and to coordinate inclusion supports in mainstream recreation offerings.

Councilors framed the issue as one of equity and community inclusion. Vice President Kit Collins called it “a cut and dry equity issue” and said the city should “put dollars where they need to be” to prevent families from having to travel for services. Councilor Lemming, a data scientist and co‑sponsor, said an initial concrete staffing ask would be a therapeutic recreation specialist and an office manager under the Recreation Department to support program development and regional collaboration.

Parents and community members described long searches for programs, inconsistent promotion of existing offerings, and gaps especially for 13‑ to 18‑year‑olds. Patricia Cherry asked the council to “make our children a priority” and requested a part‑time staff person to develop and lead programs afternoons and weekends. Michael Pollack, whose daughter has Down syndrome, urged a centralized directory of programs so families can find opportunities without traveling out of town.

Councilors said they would work with Recreation Director Kevin Bailey and other neighboring cities to scale programs and explore funding routes, including Community Development Block Grants and possible nonprofit partnerships. Councilor Scarpelli suggested collaboration with nearby municipalities and nonprofit partners to create sustainable offerings.

Outcome: The motion, as amended to include a budget request for fiscal 2026 for additional staffing in the Recreation Department, passed unanimously. Councilors said the amended paper will be referred to the appropriate committees and that administration will be asked to consider the proposal as a budget priority.