In response to the recent murder of George Floyd and countless other Black men and women – Rhode Island’s Developmental Disabilities Network (RI DD Network), including Disability Rights Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council, and the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities, stands in peaceful solidarity and empathy with those devastated by the tragic loss of lives.
We grieve with the affected families. As a nation, we can and must do better to foster these values within the communities where we live and work.
People with disabilities are also people of color, immigrants, refugees, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and members of every religious group. They face the same hatred and bigotry and are often subject to the same brutal treatment by police who are not trained to recognize their needs.
The RI DD Network stands on the side of those who are protesting another needless death, who reject hate, and who demand justice. We are committed to effectuating full inclusion in society and working for the civil and human rights of Rhode Islanders with disabilities of all races, cultural backgrounds and ethnicities.
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do ,you have to keep moving forward.~ Martin Luther King Jr.
Amy Grattan, Ph.D,.Executive Director, Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities at Rhode Island College
Morna A. Murray, J.D.,Executive Director, Disability Rights Rhode Island
Kevin Nerney, Executive Director, Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council
