BOSTON (WWLP) - The Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities met on Wednesday to ensure that disabled Massachusetts residents are set up for success in their communities, the workplace, and beyond. Currently, the primary function of this commission is to create partnerships with businesses and school systems to help people with disabilities have productive employment. Over the last few months, the commission transitioned the state to a new type of assessment tool to identify the support needs of disabled people. This new tool focuses on the strengths of the disabled person to set them up for success in the workplace. "This new tool will come at the planning process not from the question of 'do you want to work' but it will come at it from the perspective of 'what services and supports would you need in order to meet your employment goals,'" said Acting Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services, Sarah Peterson. The commission also discussed what their work will look like moving forward, with the chair of the commission bringing forward several issues to consider as their next priority. "We had also talked about the issue of, the important issue of housing, the important issue of transportation and the important issue of health equity," said the commission chair, Needham Representative Denise Garlick. They selected health as their 2025 priority, with a focus on ensuring healthcare equity across levels of need in the disability community. The next meeting of the Commission is scheduled for January and is open to the public. Local News Headlines Urgent need for blood donations this holiday season HCC opens Marieb Center for Student Parents Palmer rail stop site evaluation continues by MassDOT Springfield council rejects pay raise proposal WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.