As a direct-support professional, Alique Yardley is often approached by people who want to comment on her job, especially when she’s in a public setting with someone she supports.“People come up and say, ‘It takes a special person to do what you do,’” Yardley said, smiling. “I don’t understand that. Because if you’ve had kids, …

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Over the years, Amy Kirk and Rachel Barezinsky have happily attended a boatload of showers to celebrate engagements, weddings and new babies. But until recently, neither woman had been the star of the show.“And they deserve to be,” said Rachel’s dad, Greg Barezinsky.So friends and family members decided to host showers for both Amy and …

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When Stacie Skinner decided to launch a gluten-free waffle company, she knew the product had to taste good. But she didn’t think money should be the only other measure of success.“I knew that I wanted a purpose for my business,” Skinner said. “I just didn’t know what it was.”She discovered the answer at the same …

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Elizabeth (Liz) Beu, a six-sport athlete and longtime self-advocate, has joined Special Olympics Ohio as the organization’s first Athlete Leader in the new Unified Champion Schools program in Columbus. Beu, a Columbus native, said she’s excited about the opportunity and considers it her “dream job” in every way. She’s happy that her love and knowledge …

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People with Down syndrome and their families can help support research into the genetic condition through DownSyndrome Achieves, a Dublin-based nonprofit organization that sponsors a centralized biobank.The biobank, now based at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, stores blood, saliva and tissue samples for use in research projects, said Lito Ramirez, CEO of DownSyndrome Achieves and …

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Franklin County Commissioner Erica CrawleyThis link opens another website in a new window. paid a visit to the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities and received a cute – and colorful – welcome from children in the Early Childhood Education and Family Center.“Omigosh, that made my day,” Crawley said as children held a banner that …

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One of central Ohio’s largest disability-services organizations has expanded its programming to include more options for primary and preventative health care, including dental and behavioral-health services.Boundless Health aims to function as a hub of person-centered care for people and families with intellectual and developmental disabilities. That means addressing the snags that people with disabilities sometimes …

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