Our mission

Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD) strives to create a world where young people with disabilities will be able to live with dignity and pride in who they are, and to lead self-determined lives filled with purpose. To make this happen, we build the skills and abilities of young people with disabilities, and increase the inclusivity of workplaces, organizations, and communities.

Despite progress made in disability rights over the past 30 years, individual and institutional ableism still exist in the world today. Disability remains highly stigmatized, and people with disabilities continue to be denied equal opportunity, access, and independence. We work to change this status quo.

What we do

PYD programs all provide youth and young adults with disabilities with three key things: self-confidence, community, and purpose. We build disability pride, leadership skills, healthy relationship skills, community involvement, and ensure that youth are successful in school and in seeking employment.

We currently run programs focusing on one-to-one mentoring, online mentoring, theater arts and career readiness training. These programs largely serve youth in the Greater Boston area, but we are starting to expand our reach across Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine through online mentoring.

In addition to our youth programming, PYD offers training and consultation to organizations around the country that are interested in becoming more inclusive to people with disabilities. We offer live trainings, online courses, webinars, and custom consulting.