The Sherlock Sentinels is an advisory committee consisting of individuals with disabilities, parents of those in the disability community and professionals in the disability field. The Sentinels meet six times a year to advise the Sherlock Center on activities, goals and its five-year plan.
The Sherlock Center invites new members to join the Sentinels. If you are interested, contact Sentinels Facilitator Conor O’Brien for an application. All applicants will participate in an interview.
The Sherlock Center will provide physical, language and material accommodations as needed. Members receive a stipend from the Sherlock Center for attending meetings and to help with transportation expenses.
We are a Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC), which means we provide feedback to the Sherlock Center and its director, Dr. Amy Grattan. We always try to be a conduit for others while taking the pulse of the disability community.
Our Sentinels are:
We meet six times per year on the second Wednesday of every other month. Our meetings are hybrid; participants are welcome to join us in person at the Sherlock Center or virtually over Zoom.
We are the voice of the disability community at the Sherlock Center. Our firsthand experience provides valuable insights about what the Center should prioritize and change to improve accessibility for our community. We bring diverse perspectives, ensuring the Center’s services and programs are inclusive and relevant to a broad range of people. We identify gaps in services, suggest new initiatives and help shape programs that address the specific needs of the disability community. We are the living embodiment of “Nothing About Us Without Us!”
Conor O’Brien is facilitator of the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disability’s Consumer Advisory Committee, the Sherlock Sentinels. He joined the Sherlock Center in this role in March 2021 and said his organization skills, communication ability and vast experience in the disability community are assets in his work.
Members of the Sherlock Sentinels advisory committee celebrated the holiday season during their final meeting of the year – the first entirely in-person meeting since before the pandemic. Red White and Brew Coffeehouse in Warwick hosted the event. Here, Sentinels facilitator Conor O’Brien leads the meeting.
Sentinels member Rachel Ferreira participates in the meeting.
Sentinels member Amber Perry shares her reflections of the past year during the meeting.
Vicki Ferrara, coordinator of Access to Integrated Employment, visits with Sentinels Tanja Blicker-Ucran and Rachel Ferreira as Work Incentives Benefits Coordinator Joshua Hughes looks on.
Stefanie Lafleur Davit, coordinator of the Rhode Island Vision Education and Services Program, smiles as members of the Sentinels share their stories.