Charles Carr
Appointed by Secretary Bigby in August 2007, Charles Carr is the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC). Over the past 30 years he has dedicated his career as an advocate of advancing independence for people with disabilities through his many roles – social, economic policies and programs, and now government.
Commissioner Carr, who was paralyzed in a diving accident at 14, started his advocacy for disability policies and programs early making him one of the Nation’s leaders in the independent living movement.
In 1974, Mr. Carr co-founded the Boston Center for Independent Living, only the second of its kind in the nation. He was also a Program Coordinator at the National Spinal Cord Injury Foundation and a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor at the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission. In 1980, he founded the non-profit, Northeast Independent Living Program in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
As Vice President of the National Council on Independent Living in the 1980s, Mr. Carr was an influential advocate for stronger federal disability policies, including the Fair Housing Act, Rehabilitation Act, Civil Rights Restoration Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. He partnered with members of Congress and other advocates to pass legislation mandating and funding independent living centers. More recently, he has led advocacy efforts in Massachusetts around affordable, accessible housing; personal assistance services; and assistive technology.
Two years prior coming to the MRC, he worked with the state to develop a grassroots Employment Now Coalition that pushes for changes in funding and employment programs for people with disabilities.
Mr. Carr has come full circle as a client, a counselor, and now as the Commissioner of the MRC. He plans to take the agency to a new level that will significantly elevate the social and economic independence for people of all disabilities.
