ARC hub a base for community exploring

Richard Furney shows off some of his ceramics pieces during a lunch break at the ARC community hub in Grove City.

The suggestion board in the new ARC community hub usually fills up fast. Participants in the STEP (Start Toward Emerging Possibilities) program have no trouble coming up with places to go, things to do and people to see.“Ride a pontoon boat. Watch drag racing. Visit a bookstore. It’s fun to see what everyone chooses,” said …

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Students grow, explore with summer jobs

The summer Transition to Work program gives students job experience at many sites, including pet-care businesses.

Kaled Soufi cannot communicate verbally, so his family relies on his expressions and reactions. And there was never any mistaking how the 19-year-old felt about his experience in this summer’s Transition to Work program.“So happy,” said his older sister, Sana. “He was super excited when we dropped him off in the morning, and at night, …

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FCBDD welcomes new board member

Samuel Davis

Samuel Davis, a Hilliard area resident and parent of two children with disabilities, has been appointed to the board of the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities.Davis, 40, is a Corporate Technology Director within Nationwide’s Executive Leadership Cabinet. He succeeds former board member Renee Stein, who took a seat on the board in 2009 and …

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FCBDD, Nisonger boost behavioral support

With help from FCBDD and the OSU Nisonger Center, Nina sees herself as a happy, successful person.

Nina Williams still cries sometimes when she thinks about all she’s been through. But now, after years of trauma and struggle, Williams sheds mostly happy tears. “I am a very successful person,” she said, smiling. “And I am glad that I got help. I actually fear that if I didn’t, I might be dead.” Williams …

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FCBDD transitioning to OhioISP

The logo for the new Ohio Individual Service Plan symbolizes a person at the center of his or her support team.

The Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities has begun rolling out the new OhioISP This link opens a different website in a new tab. for people whose current individual service plans have start dates in the autumn or later. “The vision of this is that it will be an ongoing process,” said Lee Childs, FCBDD …

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‘Connector’ links families and providers

Joe Lavalle attended a Statehouse rally with his direct-support professional in 2017 to help draw attention to the workforce crisis.

Over the past 28 years, Kim Kelly has worked with more than 150 different disability-services providers – some for months or years, many only briefly — to cover the 24-hour care her son needs. And Kelly is again looking to hire. “The fact that you can’t get providers right now is burning out a lot …

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Teacher’s books help kids embrace differences

Preschool teacher Jessica Bennett with her son, who has autism
FCBDD teacher Jessica Bennett writes books on behalf of her son and others with learning differences.

As a teacher and parent of four biracial children, including a son with autism, Jessica Bennett strives to make sure students see themselves and their classmates in the books she presents. But finding early-learning material that reflects diversity in race, culture and abilities isn’t always easy. So Bennett, a teacher in the Early Childhood Family …

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Black Men’s Health Week

Black Men’s Health Week This link opens a different website in a new tab. kicks off Saturday, Aug. 7, with a series of health- and wellness-focused events, including free screenings for both men and women. Sponsored by the Columbus-based African American Male Wellness Agency, the week of activities Aug. 7-14 offers important health screenings such …

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