Sherlock Center (RI UCEDD) Announces Recipients of Mini-Grant Awards

May 13, 2011

  http://www.ric.edu/whatsnews/details.php?News_ID=1356

The Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities at Rhode Island College has awarded a total of $10,000 in "Access for All Abilities" (AAA) mini-grants to five Rhode Island organizations.

Recipients of the grants are The Providence Children's Museum, Providence Inner City Arts, Rock Spot Climbing, The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre and Vartan Gregorian Elementary School PTO.

The Sherlock Center's mini-grant initiative funds projects that increase access for people with disabilities to existing social, leisure, recreational and cultural activities in the community, with the goal of increasing long-term accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities into community activities alongside those without disabilities.

• The Providence Children's Museum will use its grant to expand a training initiative on inclusion and best practices in disability awareness for staff and volunteers, and conduct a year-long evaluation of the museum's learning environments, in consultation with families of children with disabilities and professionals.

• Providence Inner City Arts will use its grant funding to build an accessible stage at its newly opened Roots Café, allowing artists and performers with disabilities to be included in arts, cultural and entertainment programming, and workshops or lectures.

• Rock Spot Climbing, an indoor climbing gym, will use its award to offer discounted day passes and provide accommodations to climbers with disabilities.

• The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre's award will be used to purchase and install aisle rails to increase safety and improve accessibility to seats above the front row.

• The Vartan Gregorian Elementary School PTO will use the grant money to help provide access to an elevated play structure, as part of its Accessible Playground Project at Cabral Park.