State Sen. Mike Barrett met last week with members of the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers (ADDP) at the State House. A developmental disability is a severe, chronic problem, cognitive or physical or both, that begins any time from birth through age 21 and is expected to last a lifetime.

One provider at the meeting was Lexington’s Edinburg Center. Barrett discussed mental health services with Ellen Attaliades, CEO of the Edinburg Center, and Lynn Bishop, director of Developmental Disabilities Residential Services at Edinburg.  Many people with developmental disabilities face associated emotional challenges.

“When I was in the senate before, I worked a lot with families and individuals with various disabilities,” Barrett says. “Each disabled person’s life experiences and struggles are quite different, and each family’s experience is different, too. I try to help whenever I can.”