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Ohio ABLE Accounts
Gov. John Kasich recently signed a law for Ohioans to set up and establish ABLE accounts. These allow individuals or families to create an account to pay for "qualified disability expenses." ABLE stands for Achieving a Better Life Experience, and the federal version of the law was signed in December. To begin the process of creating the ABLE accounts, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel has asked for feedback on how ABLE accounts should work, how they would be monitored, or what the state means by the terms "qualified disability expenses." Click here to submit your thoughts and comments. You can read more about Ohio's ABLE accounts in this article from The Columbus Dispatch. |
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International visitors
Raluca Popescu and Erika Garnier, both from Romania, visited with members of our Advocacy Leadership Network. They shared details about their advocacy work in their respective countries, and how people with disabilities are treated in Romania and in the United States.
Ms. Popescu and Ms. Garnier visited our city with the Greater Cincinnati World Affairs Council, a local partner of Global Ties U.S. That program hosts emerging leaders from around the world on a monthly basis through the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), the premier exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Click here to see more photos from the visit.
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If you missed the column from Superintendent Alice Pavey sent out earlier this month, click here to read it. Topics include updates on the final state budget and the conflict-free case management aspect of the CMS rule.
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Reminder about new guardianship rules
Under rule changes from the Ohio Supreme Court that took effect June 1, any individual or entity that has been designated as a guardian to an adult in Ohio must attend a six-hour training course on the fundamentals of guardianship.
These courses are being offered free of charge by the Supreme Court of Ohio's Judicial College. While the current class listing does not include Cincinnati, several sessions will be broadcast at local probate courts.
Click here for more information and a list of courses.
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Employment Spotlight
Did you know we have a blog focused on employment for people with disabilities? Read it here.
It features success stories highlighting individuals' contributions to the workplace, as well as ideas for businesses and people with disabilities.
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Celebrating the ADA July 26 marked the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and events around the country celebrated this landmark legislation. President Barack Obama spoke about the progress made during the past 25 years but also touched on the work yet to be done. "We've got to tear down barriers externally, but we also have to tear down barriers internally," he said. That's our responsibility as Americans and that's our responsibility as fellow human beings." Click here to watch the entire speech. Locally, a Disability Pride Walk marched from City Hall to Fountain Square where festivities continued. Click on the photo above to see more from the walk and celebration. To continue honoring the legislation's silver anniversary, we're collecting stories about how the ADA has impacted the lives of people with disabilities. Advocates Robert Shuemak and James Harley have shared their stories, which you can read on our website. Do you have a story about how the ADA has impacted your life or know someone who does? Share it with us by emailing Lisa Danford. We will post the stories we receive on our website throughout the rest of 2015. |
| In the news In case you missed it, July has been full of local media outlets featuring positive stories about people with developmental disabilities.  Former Cincinnati Reds' bat boy Ted Kremer was part of the Enquirer's Cincy Storytellers session about the All-Star Game. Watch the video here.
Rico Isaacs, Advocacy Support Specialist Sonja Day and Diana Mairose were quoted in a WCPO story about a recent Cincinnati Human Relations Commission dinner that promoted diversity and inclusion. You can read the story here.  Family Liaison Lynne Calloway, along with advocates Diana Mairose and Robert Shuemak, were featured guests on the WAIF (88.3 FM) program "I Hear U." They spoke with host Senovia Byndon about disabilities and inclusion.
 The Southwestern Ohio Council of Governments, which is the boards of DD in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties, were part of the Star 64 movie marathon. Chase, Ethan, Andy and Carla all chatted with host Storm about their jobs in the community.
Advocates Marvin Moss and Robert Shuemak shared their thoughts as part of the Enquirer's recent Sunday Forum about the ADA Anniversary. You can read their columns here. Diana Mairose's photo was featured in the Enquirer as part of the paper's coverage on the Disability Pride Walk and ADA celebration. Click here to see it. |
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Upcoming Events
- Voices for Ohio's Children Regional Forum. 1-4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10. Interact for Health, 3805 Edwards Road, Suite 500. Hear updates on important state issues, share insight about the issues facing children and families in your community and receive updates on federal issues impacting children. Free to attend.
- The Arc National Convention. Oct. 3-5 in Indianapolis. The featured speaker is Timothy Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics. Click here for event details and registration information.
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