| Ceremony marks important changes for Ohio's DD System |
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Diana Mairose helps Gov. Kasich sign one of the two bills into law. (Photo by Erich Hiner of OACB)
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On July 13, Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed two important DD-related bills into law at St. Joseph Home in Sharonville.
One, House Bill 158, changes all references to the "R" word in state documents to, "person with an intellectual disability."
Diana Mairose, who has worked hard for many years to get this bill passed, had this to say about the momentous achievement: "Language is universal. We have to be consistent and have respect. It's a word we need to stop using all together."
The other, House Bill 483, relates to the mid-biennium review DD budget bill. It contains many key provisions including expansion of early intervention program for children under the age of 3 and an expansion of direct nursing services.
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Connecting with local businesses
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Jack Estael, membership director at the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, talks to Tony Doan, a sales rep for General Assembly, about the work people at Beckman complete for local companies.
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Last month the business brunch series wrapped up at Beckman Adult Center. Eleven local businesses attended the three sessions to learn about customized employment and the varied work abilities of people at each adult center.
"The brunches provided an opportunity to connect with local businesses and organizations and share the benefits of employing people with developmental disabilities," said Nathan Beck, HCDDS Employment Coordinator.
"These events provided a forum to build long-standing relationships and interest in meeting unmet business needs with an untapped population of job seekers."
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Congratulations!
B
oard Member Paul Haffner was recently picked as the new CEO of
Lighthouse Youth Services
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"I am thrilled to join the team at Lighthouse as we work together to end youth homelessness in Cincinnati by 2020,'' he told the Cincinnati Business Courier. "I look forward to building on the incredible legacy of Mr. [Bob] Mecum established through 40 years of dedicated service."
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Big thank you to Walk of Joy and Halom House for their help coordinating and providing locations to film a new DODD training video for direct support professionals. The video features providers, families, people served and self-advocates. We'll share the finished project when it's posted. Pictured above are Jane and Valita at Halom House, being interviewed by Maryjo Mace Woodburn.
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Embracing Integration
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Ohio Valley Residential Services (OVRS) has made a big commitment toward community integration: to engage everyone they serve by the end of August.
 OVRS Program Director Jeff Krieger said this shift has the potential to drastically improve individuals' quality of life and is looking at each unique individual to determine the best changes for them specifically. Integration doesn't necessarily mean immediate, drastic changes day-to-day.
"It's just a different way of looking at things," he said. "We already had some person-centered approaches to planning in place. Our staff is used to now, instead of placing group rules and house rules, really trying to cater individually to folks. This is just a natural next step from that."
By partnering with Hamilton County DD Services to establish a plan for integration, OVRS has made their place at the forefront of policy and procedure making on a state level. "It's the first time I know of in the state of Ohio, where you have a start to finish process for doing this," said Eric Metzger, Director of Innovation and Quality for HCDDS.
"Lots of other providers and other folks are waiting for a model that's probably not going to come until somebody does exactly what OVRS and some other providers are doing."
For OVRS, it meant placing an emphasis on integration at their staff retreat, as well as reallocating existing staff members and shifting responsibilities. "Now is every single person going out and meeting new people? No. There are different levels of engagement, but we've already started that process and we've had some successes already," Krieger said.
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Employment Spotlight
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For years, Ron Martin has been a familiar face in the mail room at Hamilton County DD Services' main office on Madison Road. On any given day, Martin is chatting with employees about a variety of topics (often the Cincinnati Reds, his favorite baseball team) while they stop in to pick up and drop off mail.
He's been working as a support service assistant for the past 15 years.
Before moving to the Support Center, Martin worked at Jackson Adult Center. "I wanted a community job," he said. "I like what I do, and I like all the people here. It feels good to have a job because it feels like I'm needed."
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It's hard to believe summer is almost over! Here's a throwback picture from earlier in the season at the MultiSystem Team picnic where Robert (front), Ryan and Maurice enjoying the outdoors & having fun playing cornhole.
Also, the Early Intervention teams recently held playgroups at Beech Acres Park in Anderson Township and Winton Woods in Springfield Township. Check out more photos
on our Facebook page.
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Helping the community
Several employees from Hamilton County DD Services and their families recently joined long-time integration supporter My Neighbor's Place for their monthly community dinner.
Lisa Grady, Jennifer Waters, Danielle Haynes and Mark Buttelwerth all shared their time and hospitality with residents of Westwood for an evening of good food and fellowship.
My Neighbor's Place is a neighborhood hub that not only provides local residents with a food and clothing pantry and meeting space, but prides itself on establishing a welcoming atmosphere and social network for all who visit. Several individuals served by our agency have become trusted volunteers and vital members of this group over the years.
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Did you miss the June 30 Home Think Tank meeting? Videos of each presentation are now available on our agency's
YouTube channel.
Presenters included:
- Ernie Fischer, capital housing administrator for the Ohio Department of DD, who discussed the programs and services DODD offers to support affordable and accessible housing.
- Ted Jones, Housing Development Manager for the DODD, who talked about financing for inclusive housing developments.
- Kathleen Cail and Cassandra Clement, who discussed a parent-led effort to develop a housing community that is affordable, accessible and helps create an inclusive community.
- Cindy Molloy, who shared details about creating a housing cooperative in Uptown Cincinnati dedicated to inclusiveness, visitability and community building.
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- The Crash Reel Encore Screening. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 28 at Kenwood Theatre. Tickets are $10 and can be bought online or at the door. The film documents snowboarder Kevin Pearce's road to recovery after a crash caused a traumatic brain injury while he was training for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
- Moving For Inclusion 5K Walk. 9 a.m. Saturday, July 30 at Devou Park in Covington. Raises money for the Marjorie Book Continuing Education Society. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Click here to download the flier.
- Streetcar Disability Awareness Day. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at Washington Park. Attendees will have the opportunity to board the streetcar, learn how to pay their fare and get tips to ensure a safe experience when using the streetcar. Click here for more information.
- Opening reception for Nikki Martin: FITTED. 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, at Visionaries & Voices, 3841 Spring Grove Ave. in Northside. Nikki creates original fashion illustrations influenced by contemporary and vintage designers. FITTED stitches together remnants of her designs from 2008-2016. Click here for details about the show.
- Adults with ASD Support Group. 6:30-8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7 at Mercy West Hospital. New West Side Group for adults identified as having Asperger Syndrome/ High Functioning Autism to network with others, share successes & challenges and discuss issues as needed. More details online.
- Getting Down to Business: An Introduction to Employing People with Disabilities. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, at Cincinnati Regional Chamber, 3 E. 4th Street. Click here for registration and agenda details.
- STABLE Account presentation by the Ohio Treasurer's Office. 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 12 at Madison Lake Learning Center, 581 Olive Road in Dayton. Free and no registration required.
- Health and Wellness for People with Disabilities Conference. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17 in Cleveland. Conference focus is about effective programs for adults and youth. Agenda and registration details online.
- American Sign Language (ASL) tour of the Cincinnati Art Museum. 11 a.m. to noon. Saturday, Aug. 20. Free but reservations recommended. More information on the museum website.
- Community Housing Summit. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28 in Columbus. This new event aims to address some of the many housing issues affecting people with developmental disabilities in Ohio, with insight from several system stakeholder organizations. Click here for more details.
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