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 …

Read More

‘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 …

Read More

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 …

Read More

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 …

Read More

The ADA turns 31

Happy Birthday to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Then-President George H.W. Bush signed the act into law 31 years ago this summer, on July 26, 1990. The ADA is one of America’s most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation, prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities. It guarantees them the same opportunities as everyone else …

Read More