Disability Rights Ohio
sues the state
We have been sharing information for many months about anticipated legal action against alleged violations in federal laws within the system of services for people with disabilities in Ohio. These violations relate to settings and funding for people with disabilities designed and operated to separate them from their communities.
A lawsuit was announced at the end of March against the state of Ohio, Ohio Dept. of DD, Ohio Dept. of Medicaid, and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities. Read more in this article from The Columbus Dispatch.
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Congratulations!
Rosie Lawrence-Slater recently completed the Project STIR self-advocate training program offered by the Ohio Self-Determination Association.
She auditioned to become a statewide
Project STIR trainer before the Council of Ohio Leaders and was selected. Rosie's audition consisted of an interview and a presentation she developed and taught.
"I loved the Project STIR training," she said. "I learned a lot and made a lot of new friends."
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The SSA teams celebrated spring with an ice cream social at the Queensgate office earlier this month.
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Building confidence and transitioning to work
When teachers at Rost School first suggested Hannah start working,
 her mom was skeptical and not sure if it'd be a good fit. Now, two years in, having a job at Mercy Fairfield Hospital has been great for Hannah. Read her story on our
Employment Spotlight blog.
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Logan Brinson touched the lives of many people around the country, whether through sharing his story or his spot-on Elvis impersonations. In spite of multiple medical challenges, Logan enjoyed life to the fullest. He was an Elvis Tribute Artist and loved America, politics and history. His life of giving and loving was an inspiration that will be long remembered. Logan passed away on April 21 at age 19.
Many of you will know Logan as the face of the most recent levy campaign. Last year, he was honored as a Difference Maker for his work in the community and he received the Self-Advocate of the Year Award from Ohio Public Images. He is pictured above at the Difference Maker award ceremony with his dad, James, and his mom, Rene, an HCDDS Board Member.
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Coming Soon: A redesigned Reflections newsletter
Thank you to everyone who took time to fill out the Reflections survey. We are reviewing the feedback and hope to unveil a new design next month.
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Sighted Guide Ohio's mission is to provide a magazine dedicated to the visually impaired and blind.
The quarterly publication offers resources, services, latest technology information, news and stories
.
Click here to read
the Spring 2016 issue.
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Annual Report Published
Hamilton County DD Services' 2015 Report to the Community is now available online. This report includes information about our agency, including the budget, number of people served, and highlights from the year.
Click here to read it
. If you would like a hard copy, please email Lisa Danford.
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Bringing Businesses Together
On April 19, Kidd Adult Center hosted the first of three lunches for local businesses. Several companies, as well
as Evendale Mayor Richard Finan, stopped by to
learn more about Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services, the people we serve, and the benefits of hiring someone with a disability.
Following lunch, Jim Dwyer led a tour of Kidd for the mayor, his staff and Kim Hoyle of KDM.
The next two events are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 19 at Franks, and 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 14 at Beckman. Businesses interested in attending can email Nathan Beck to RSVP.
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On April 7 and April 8, students at Bobbie B. Fairfax School put on two great performances of "Peter Pan" for family, school staff and their fellow students. Everyone did a great job!
Pictured above is Peter Pan (Tori) and the Darling children (Perion, Josh and Elisabeth). See more photos
on our Facebook page.
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Integration in Action
HCDDS recently launched a second wave of active integration efforts with Core Inc, Eminent Care, Graceworks Enhanced Living, Halo, LADD, Melodic Connections, RMS of Ohio SL, St. Joseph, and Walk of Joy.
 These providers are demonstrating incredible cooperation with each other and the county board to pave the way to "real community life" for citizens with DD whom they serve.
This means focusing their efforts to help citizens with DD gain genuine and frequent opportunities to have a home, family, friends, a job, and regular life in the community while also providing the medical or other essential personal supports someone might need.
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Upcoming Events
- Bowie in the Basement: A collaboration of Artists Celebrating an Icon. Open 1-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through June at Thunder-Sky, Inc. in Northside. Click here for directions and details.
- Rost School Spaghetti Dinner. 5-8 p.m. Friday, May 6. Dinner is $7 for adults and $4 for children ages 4-12. There will be a bid and buy, a cooler of cheer raffle, lots of games, a flower raffle, and entertainment. Click here for online reservations.
- Autism Expo. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 7 at the Sharonville Convention Center. Free to attend. Click here for details.
- Self-Defense class. 3 p.m. Saturday, May 7 at Queensgate. For HCDDS employees, families and individuals served by the agency. Click here for tickets/details.
- Visionaries & Voices Double Vision. 6:30-10 p.m. Saturday, May 7, at The Walter C. Deye SJ Performance Center at St. Xavier High School. Food and drink, auction, and more. Tickets are $65 each. Click here to register.
- HCDDS Board Meeting. 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, at the Support Center, 1520 Madison Road.
- Autism Conversation: Assisted and Augmentative Communication. 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 12, at Applied Behavioral Services, 4850 Madison Road. Speech-Language Pathologist Jennifer Budde will focus on developing functional communication systems for children with ASD/DD who are non-verbal or have limited verbal language skills. Email Carole Willenborg to RSVP.
- Brown Bag Lunch. Noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 17 to connect with other agencies and advocates, share your agency's work and mission, and discover ways to work together to benefit the people we serve. Center for Independent Living Options, 2031 Auburn Ave. Email Debbie Moorehous to RSVP.
- Annual Tri for Joe. 8-11 a.m. Saturday, May 21 at the Clermont County YMCA. Benefits the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati. Click here to register.
- Healthy Lifestyles for People with Disabilities "Train the Trainer" Workshop. June 14-15 in Dayton.
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