Love seems to always be in the air during spring. My husband and I will soon celebrate 42 years of marriage, and we feel so very blessed. Though I was born with cerebral palsy, I have never received Social Security benefits related to my disability. So when we got married, I didn’t have to worry …
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After being struck by a car at the age of 11, Stewart Jones suffered devastating injuries. “I was given a five percent chance of ever coming out of a coma,” he said. “I wish the doctors had been betting men, because I would have cleaned up.” Jones spent eight weeks in a coma and three …
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After more than a decade as a member of the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Marie Crawford remains crystal-clear about her mission. “First and foremost,” said Crawford, who is serving as Board President this year, “I am there for the families.” Crawford and her husband are parents to three adult sons, two of whom …
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Though she longed for fun and friends, Heather Hammel often spent her school days filled with dread. “There are a lot of sounds and noises – and movements – that sometimes you just can’t control,” said Hammel, who has Tourette syndrome. “I got bullied all through school.” Now 36 and determined to help others, Hammel …
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Max Damron didn’t need much time to decide that he’d love to splash down in a pool of icy water on a chilly February day. Never mind that he uses a wheelchair and is prone to sinking. More important, Damron said, is his reasoning: “I am a daredevil, I have a positive attitude, and I’m …
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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 …
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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 …
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The Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Ohio Self Determination Association (OSDA) are hosting a regional meeting in August for self-advocates in the central Ohio area. The gathering aims to re-activate the work of the Central Ohio Self Determination Association, a regional group of the OSDA that had paused events during the pandemic. The …
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Even as a young child, Marcie wrestled with what felt like a terrible mismatch. Her clothes were wrong, her name was wrong, and she was certain she was supposed to be a sister, not a brother. “I just always knew,” she said. “I am not a male. I am female.” But as a person with …
Read More People with developmental disabilities will have the opportunity to speak directly to central Ohio lawmakers during an advocacy forum March 31. The event, which first began in 2013 but was postponed in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, allows people to share views, raise concerns and make suggestions about issues important to the local …
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