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About Us
children and instructor

Volunteering

As a volunteer, your time, your energy and your participation will contribute to the provision of an after school program for children who are legally blind which is respectful, inclusive, challenging and fun.



Double the Dream

OSOP relies on the contribution of individuals and other members to provide quality programs and resources to our students.


Our Space Our Place Mission


The mission of Our Space Our Place, Inc. is to Prepare blind youth for their future as productive and successful adults by promoting their self confidence, determination and social and independent living skills through activities which support self exploration, social integration and the investigation of college and career opportunities. In achieving our mission, we are guided by the principles

  • Respect for each other
  • Inclusion of all
  • Safety to explore
  • Challenge of perceived limits


OUR SPACE OUR PLACE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BIOS

Cheryl Cumings-Founder/Board President/Acting Director

Cheryl is the acting Executive Director for Our Space Our Place. This is a non-paid position. Cheryl is the principal staff person at Our Space Our Place. She is also President of the Board of Directors. She lives in Brighton.

Cheryl graduated in 1988 from the Woodrow Wilson School of International Studies at Princeton University with a BA in International Relations. Because of a two-year commitment with the Peace Corps, she received her Masters of Law and Diplomacy from the Tufts University Fletcher School in 1994. Since 2008, Ms. Cumings has been employed by the University of Massachusetts Medical School as a Project Associate in the Office of Long-term Support Services. Her position is funded by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Her duties are to conduct research, and to gather and report data on the use of long-term support services by elders and the disabled of all ages.

Cheryl also is

  • past Board President of Rosies Place and Community Advisory Board of Directors WGBH public radio and TV stations
  • former Board member of Trustees of the Society of Arts and Crafts and the Allston-Brighton Healthy Boston coalition
  • National Conference for Community and Justice, Lead Boston Class 2000

She has been a guest speaker for Disability Awareness Celebration, Federal Special Emphasis Program Coalition and also spoke at the conference organized by the Deaf and Hearing impaired Community-Promoting Diversity. She was a Presenter at the New England Conference of the Association of Educators for the Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired-"Crossing Cultural Barriers"; and a contributing author: E-sight On-line Career Site for Blind and Visually impaired persons and The Advocate Newsletter of the Association of Blind Citizens.

Cheryl is a member of the

  • board of directors, multicultural independent living center
  • Association of Mass. Educators of Visually Impaired Students
  • Princeton Association of New England
  • Fletcher Womens Group
  • Bay State Council of the Blind.

Sengil Inkiala,
Secretary

Inky lives in Watertown. He is a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor at the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Amherst College in 1982; Special Ed Rehab Teacher certification in 1983 from Boston College, Certificate in Leadership from Assumption College in 2002 and Certificate of Psychiatric Vocational Rehabilitation from Boston University in 2007. Inky is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He served as Advisor to the President from 1987 to 1997 and was President of the National Blind Union of Congo during the same period. He is currently a member of the Massachusetts National Federation of the Blind. Inky is also blind. Inkys lifelong experience helping to empower the blind is an incalculable contribution to the organization. Inky has been with the Board since 2006.

Kimberly Henry Quagliaroli,
Board Member

Kim lives in Bostons South End. She works in the Health Care Division as the Victim witness policy manager for the Attorney Generals Office. Kim earned a Masters in Social Work and a Masters in Public Health from Boston University. Kim is a tremendous asset to the OSOP Board bringing years of experience in Human Services and immense creativity, vision and commitment. Kim has served on the Board since 2006.

Jessica Roche,
Board Member

Jessica Roche is the Associate Dean of Students, ExcelAcademy Charter School. Jessica lives in Boston.

Brian Souza,
Board Member

pBrian lives in Melrose. With over a decade of experience in the management of nonprofit, human service programs, his strong analytical and problem-solving skills make him an excellent addition to the OSOP Board of Directors. He is an effective team builder and mentor. He is currently the Managing Director of the DentaQuest Insitute, a national, non-profit organization working to improve oral health care. Brian has a Masters of Social Work in Planning and Program Development, a Certificate in Human Service Management, and a B.A. in Psychology from Boston University. He serves on several Boards and committees including: The Geriatric Institute Jewish Family & Childrens Services, Only a Child, Guatemala City-Pro-Bono Strategic Planning Advisor to the Board of Directors, The Charles H. Farnsworth Trust Aging Policy Research Fellowship and DentaQuest Institute Publications, Principal Author: The Oral Health of MassachusettsChildren and Toward a Stronger Oral Health Safety Net. Brian has been with the OSOP Board since 2006.

Andrew Hoffman,
Board Member

Andrew lives in Dorchester and works in Boston. He is the Managing Attorney for the Boston Trial Unit of the Children and Family Law Program, a division of the state public defender agency that is responsible for the representation of parents and children in child abuse and neglect cases. He holds a B.A. from Princeton University and a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a past president of the Princeton Association of New England and current member of the Princeton Alumni Associations Executive Committee on Community Service. His professional experience adds significantly to the OSOP Board. He is also a founding Board member.

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