Honored for her effective advocacy
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| From left, Sen. Alan M. DiMario and RIPIN Executive Director Samuel Salganik. |
Sen. Alana M. DiMario was honored today for her work on behalf of families and children with special needs with a Legislative Partner award at the RIPIN Annual Breakfast.
“I am honored to receive this award and celebrate the 35th anniversary of RIPIN, a group founded by parents of children with special needs who recognized that through community and mutual support they could build a more inclusive and supportive Rhode Island,” said Senator DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown, New Shoreham).
“I’ve been proud to do my part in
the General Assembly to move our laws in the same direction. Every child
deserves to thrive, and every family deserves the support they need to provide
the best learning environment possible for their children.”
Senator DiMario has sponsored a number of laws supporting
special education and children with special needs, including to improve
individualized education plans (IEP) for children and their parents, to
ensure that parents of children with special educational needs have
access to local advisory committees for support and advice, to allow
students to help with IEP physical education classes, and to codify federal
504 education plans into state law.
She also successfully advocated for the state budget to fund
behavioral
health training for staff in out-of-school programs and personally
supported workforce training for child mental health professionals by covering
membership fees for infant and child care professionals.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Senator DiMario was one of several Democratic women legislators in South County who were targeted for defeat by the far-right League of Rhode Island Businesses. She beat her LORIB challenger Mark Mesrobian by 72% to 28%. She also has no opponent in the General Election tomorrow so she automatically will retain her seat. - Will Collette
“Senator DiMario is such a dedicated champion for children
with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. She understands the
challenges that families face, and she knows how to build solutions,” said
Samuel Salganik, executive director at RIPIN. “We’re thrilled to honor her
work, and it’s been such a privilege to work with her to enact policies that
help Rhode Islanders of all abilities thrive.”
Established in 1991 by a passionate group of parents of
children with special needs, RIPIN is a statewide network dedicated
to helping Rhode Islanders of all abilities, ages and backgrounds get the
support they need to thrive. Today it has over 100 employees, most of whom have
personal experience caring for a loved one with special health care or
educational needs.
