Community Provider Network of Rhode Island

Call Directions Website

Community Provider Network of Rhode Island People with disabilities belong in our communities 💚🌎 | Text INCLUSION to 401-200-3025

5 people. 1 big disability mission. 💚Meet the people behind CPNRI! 👋🟢 Tina, Executive Director For seven years, Tina has...
10/15/2026

5 people. 1 big disability mission. 💚

Meet the people behind CPNRI! 👋

🟢 Tina, Executive Director
For seven years, Tina has led CPNRI with heart. Under her leadership, our impact has grown tremendously.

🟢 Nick, Communications Director
Nick tells our story. He leads all of CPNRI’s communications and a talented communications team.

🟢 Grace, Policy & Outreach
Since 2023, Grace has been a pivotal voice at the State House, and she’s made a real difference. She also leads community outreach.

🟢 Kelsey, Program & Services
Kelsey joined us this year and hit the ground running! She leads statewide events and trainings and helps us serve members better.

🟢 Madison, Administrative Assistant
Our newest teammate! Madison keeps things running smoothly and plays a big role with the Rhode Island Pooled Trust.

We’re a small team with a big vision: a world where everyone belongs. 🌎

She stood by her at her wedding and through cancer. This is Pattie and Lisa. They have known each other for 20 years.Lis...
10/07/2026

She stood by her at her wedding and through cancer.

This is Pattie and Lisa. They have known each other for 20 years.

Lisa has a disability and Pattie supports her.

When Lisa was diagnosed with cancer, Pattie was there every step of the way. And when Lisa got married, she was a bridesmaid.

Today Lisa says Pattie is, “a sister to me that I never had.”

Direct Support Professionals show up when it matters most. 💚

10/02/2026

26 days, one federal building and a demand that couldn’t be ignored.

In April 1977, disabled activists occupied the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare building in San Francisco to demand enforcement of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Section 504 had been signed into law four years earlier, banning discrimination against people with disabilities in programs receiving federal funding. But the regulations needed to enforce those protections still hadn’t been signed.

So activists took action.

They entered the federal building and refused to leave. They slept on floors, organized food and medical supplies and relied heavily on one another for support to keep the occupation going.

Communities outside the protest rallied behind them, too. Labor groups and churches provided food, supplies and other support.

After almost a full month, the federal government signed the Section 504 regulations into action.

The sit-in became a defining moment in the disability rights movement.

It’s up to us to remember those who came before us and carry their work forward. 💪💚

09/24/2026

Thank you to the people who support those with disabilities.

Every day, Direct Support Professionals show up selflessly with compassion and heart.

So how do you say thank you to people changing the lives of so many?

This year, 5 DSPs and 5 people supported wrote letters to each other.

This is what happened:

THANK YOU to the people who support those with disabilities. 👏What a turnout! More than 400 people showed up to celebrat...
09/23/2026

THANK YOU to the people who support those with disabilities. 👏

What a turnout! More than 400 people showed up to celebrate Direct Support Professionals.

Together, we honored Rhode Island’s 41 DSPs of the Year for their incredible dedication.

It was a morning filled with smiles, a few happy tears and LOTS of thank yous to the people who are the change they want to see in the world. 💚

Thank you to the amazing presenting sponsor, the John E. Fogarty Foundation.

Meet Rhode Island’s Direct Support Professionals of the Year! 🎉This group is the very best of support to people with dis...
09/22/2026

Meet Rhode Island’s Direct Support Professionals of the Year! 🎉

This group is the very best of support to people with disabilities. These 41 DSPs were chosen from thousands across the state for their kindness, heart and empathy.

Thank you for making the world a better place for everyone!

Join us in sending a big, and well deserved, congratulations to these DSPs! 💚

Please join us in saying thank you to Direct Support Professionals. DSPs support people with disabilities to live the li...
09/15/2026

Please join us in saying thank you to Direct Support Professionals.

DSPs support people with disabilities to live the life they choose.

Across Rhode Island, there are 3,179 DSPs supporting more than 12,000 people with disabilities.

Thank you DSPs for making the world a more welcoming place. We are thankful for you. 💚

📸 Pictured: Maria’s (right) son receives support from DSP Jerrialyne (left).

09/11/2026

Sometimes change starts with refusing to accept what you’ve been told is impossible.

Gallaudet University is America’s first and only university created specifically for Deaf students. But in 1988, the university had never had a Deaf president. So when the Board of Trustees passed over two Deaf finalists and chose a hearing candidate, students pushed back.

What followed became one of the most important protests in Deaf history.
Known as Deaf President Now, the movement brought students, faculty, staff and alumni together to demand a Deaf president and greater representation in university leadership.

And they won.

The protest showed what can happen when people come together and refuse to accept the idea that everyone can’t lead.

She was 18. She needed a job. She got one supporting people with disabilities.20+ years later, she is now the CEO of The...
09/09/2026

She was 18. She needed a job. She got one supporting people with disabilities.

20+ years later, she is now the CEO of The Fogarty Center serving thousands of people with disabilities.

This is Heather Alge. She started providing direct care. After getting her bachelor's degree, she worked in the finance department and then COO.

In 2025, she took over the organization and is now leading it into its next chapter.

Thank you for being a part of this community, Heather. 💚

There is a university designed entirely for the Deaf community. In fact, it’s the only one in the world.For most of hist...
09/04/2026

There is a university designed entirely for the Deaf community.

In fact, it’s the only one in the world.

For most of history, higher education wasn’t built with Deaf students in mind. Gallaudet University helped change that when it opened its doors in 1864 as a university created specifically for Deaf and hard of hearing students. 🫶

More than 160 years later, Gallaudet continues to be a leader in Deaf education. It currently has more than 1,400 students from all 50 states and dozens of countries.

Its bilingual environment, where ASL and English are used every day, shows what’s possible when accessibility comes first. 💚

Did you know about Gallaudet? Let us know in the comments.

Address

1130 Ten Rod Road, Suite F101
North Kingstown, RI
02852

Telephone

+14017737771

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Community Provider Network of Rhode Island posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share