From wages for direct-support professionals to Medicaid to supported decision-making, advocates spoke out on issues important to the disability community during Legislative Advocacy Day. “I’ve been writing lots of notes here about the issues raised,” Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo told the crowd. She and several other central Ohio legislators – Sen. Hearcel Craig, …
Read More
As advocates celebrated Autism Acceptance Month this April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its prevalence findings to show that among 8-year-olds in the United States, an estimated 1 in 31 has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Franklin County DD encourages the public to keep up the action on two fronts: …
Read More
As a medal-winning athlete, manufacturing worker and dedicated family man, Chad Contreras keeps busy. But he’s still finding time to learn more about the power of self-advocacy. Contreras recently took part in a three-day Project STIR Leadership Training held in Dublin. Then he attended the December gathering of the Franklin County DD Self-Advocate Advisory Council, …
Read More
Best Buddies is recruiting participants to take part in a one-to-one friendship program for Franklin County adults with and without developmental disabilities. Franklin County DD board members recently approved grant funding for the Best Buddies Citizens project, which aims to support at least 20 “buddy pairs” in the community. Because people with disabilities sometimes face …
Read More
With music, dance, poetry, powerful storytelling and more, the Goodwill Columbus-Harmony Project collaborative performance ‘We Can Be Superheroes’ earned rave reviews from participants and audience members alike. “That’s the outcome,” Tiffany Martin, Director of the Goodwill Columbus Work and Community Services Program, said of the April 10th big event. “But it’s the months and months …
Read More
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 …
Read More
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 …
Read More
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 …
Read More
As she stood before an audience that had swelled to more than 400 people, Lattie Harrington realized she wasn’t feeling like her usual happy self. “I thought, ‘Uh-oh, what just happened? It got me,” she said. “I got stage fright. I cried a little bit.” But the tears didn’t linger, and Harrington soon felt happy …
Read More
Quinn Davis Vogel had always wanted a big family. And the more she eyed the recruiting sign – Do you have it in you to foster? – the more she felt it was speaking directly to her. Never mind that she already had three grown daughters and was about to retire from her nursing career. …
Read More
