Charlie Carr is a disability rights pioneer who has been active in the independent living and disability rights community for over 40 years. He is a co-founder of Dignity Alliance Massachusetts.
Charlie was institutionalized for seven years in his youth and fought his way out by cofounding the Boston Center for Independent Living in 1974. He went on to start his own Independent Living Center, the Northeast Independent Living Program in Lawrence, MA in 1980 and grew it to become a premier Independent Living Center nationally.
In 2007, Charlie entered public service and became the commissioner of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission until 2015. Today, he is working as a consultant and educator, promoting the full integration of people with disabilities into society with particular emphasis on youth engagement and empowerment with the ADA generation.
Charlie serves on several boards, including Commonwealth Care Alliance and the Starkloff Disability Institute, is on the National Advisory Group for the Centene Corporation, and serves on the Disability Rights Advisory Committee for the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. Charlie earned a B.S. in journalism from Boston University, an associate degree from Massachusetts Bay Community College, and a certificate in human services management from Lesley University.
For more information, visit CharlieCarr.com/charlie-carr.
Contact: CharlesCarr@dpcma.org