Volunteers who are 15 or older, able to work autonomously, and are willing to make a 5 hour/week commitment for 3-6 months are needed in either the Commission's Office or in the Cambridge Access Program.

The Commission's office is always looking for individuals to provide assistance with clerical and word processing duties and/or in the handling of applications for disabled parking and taxi discount programs. There is also the opportunity for those interested, to assist with accessibility surveys of private businesses.

Access Cambridge may be another area of interest. This group's primary initiative is to improve access for people with disabilities to public places: stores, restaurants, and other public accommodations throughout Cambridge. Using a direct approach, members of Access Cambridge will visit public establishments and meet with their managers and owners to suggest ways in which access could be improved. Business owners will be educated about the untapped market potential of consumers with disabilities, with the message: "access is good for your business." Owners and managers will be taught the basics of ADA compliance, such as "readily achievable" barrier removal. Volunteers are needed to identify businesses in need of ADA compliance education, to participate in site visits and to draft follow-up correspondence with business owners.

All volunteers receive training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and comparable state and local laws providing civil rights to people with disabilities. Office volunteers will be trained on Microsoft Word, if needed. Volunteers interested in doing accessibility surveys will receive additional training on how to survey public and private facilities to assess needed modifications for accessibility. Volunteer surveyors must have good analytic and communications skills.