Julie Casimiro

When I was contacted by a concerned family over the turmoil at the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities at Rhode Island College, I was horrified. How could these blind and visually impaired students lose their teachers that have often been with the child since they entered the school system? How could the years of trust and familiarity built up between the students, their families and their teachers be so carelessly tossed aside? This was a serious situation involving some of our most vulnerable students and time was of the essence.

Thankfully, the General Assembly leadership, rank and file legislators and Gov. McKee recognized the issue and in rapid time, pledged to fully fund the Sherlock Center in the state’s budget so that our blind and visually impaired students and their teachers remain together.

Speaker Shekarchi, Senate President Ruggerio, Gov. McKee and legislators like Rep. Tom Noret deserve our thanks for responding to this serious problem with speed, compassion and a concrete solution that will benefit the students and families of the Sherlock Center for the years to come. Without their efforts, these children would have had to begin their educations all over again with new teachers and without the trust that has been compiled for many years.

Their response truly was an example of good government in action and I, and the students and families of the Sherlock Center, believe that they deserve our recognition and appreciation for a job well done. Government often gets a bad rap, sometimes with real justification, but too often, the good that government does for the people it represents is overlooked. The people of Rhode Island deserve to know how the students and families of the Sherlock Center were helped at their time of need and all those involved in funding the Sherlock Center deserve our thanks and gratitude.

Rep. Julie A. Casimiro, a Democrat, represents District 31 (North Kingstown, Exeter) in the Rhode Island House of Representatives.