A network of Ohio self-advocates, families and professionals has launched a website and is holding monthly meetings to help raise awareness of supported decision-making. The Supported Decision-Making Network of Ohio says the aim is to empower people with developmental disabilities to direct their own lives to the greatest extent possible by selecting people who, when …

Dot Yeager, current Chief Business Officer, will be the next Superintendent/CEO for the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities starting Jan. 1, 2024. Yeager succeeds Jed Morison, who is retiring at the end of December after a 54-year career in public service. Yeager has worked alongside Morison for the past 21 years. Board members unanimously …

Even after so long, Becky Love says, the days still don’t feel like work. There has always been so much to do and share and learn – and so many staff members on board with the mission – that it all seems more joy than job. “It’s been good,” said Love, who is retiring at …

Hunter Primmer was just 2 years old when he discovered that he could captivate his family – and himself – by changing his voice. The characters, dialects and scripts have been flowing ever since. “It’s a lot of fun,” said Primmer, 25. “I love it.” Primmer, who markets himself as ‘Hunter P Voice,’ has autism. …

The Central Ohio Self Determination Association recently hosted a kickoff gathering and is working to re-activate its regional self-advocacy work. The group, a part of the Ohio Self Determination Association, had paused events during the pandemic. Meetings are now planned for every other month and are open to central Ohio residents with developmental disabilities who …

Would you like get involved in the community and help make central Ohio more inclusive? Best Buddies is accepting applications for Best Buddies Citizens in Franklin County, a program that pairs an adult with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) in a one-to-one friendship with an adult without IDD from their local community. The Franklin …

Palette Pals, a new student organization at the Ohio State University, is inviting teens and adults with developmental disabilities to take part in a free, recreational art program. Organizer Kaitlin Herman said the aim is to create interaction among OSU students, people with developmental disabilities and their families, while empowering the creativity of the disabilities …

Drawing and painting make Wallace Peck happy. His art makes other people happy, too. Sometimes so much so that they laugh and cry. Peck notices this, of course. But he’s more likely to take the emotional reactions in stride than to puzzle over them. Peck just enjoys basking in the connections between him, his viewers …

A new social group has been formed to support people who identify as LGBTQIA+ and receive services through the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities. The LGBTQIA+ group kicked off in June during Pride month and meets on the first Thursday of each month at the FCBDD Service Coordination offices, 1600 Watermark Dr. “This offers …

Deshaun Washington couldn’t help but notice how often his neighbor seemed to be out helping people, lending a hand or offering guidance. And if he wasn’t helping someone, James Leonard likely was working. “He’s a good man,” Washington said of Leonard, the Transportation Director at the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities. “A good, hardworking …