The “Tip of the Spear” has been aptly described as the first to rise to the challenge, take meaningful action and persist in accomplishing the objective. MOHR’s 2020 award bearing this name goes to a person who kindly and firmly enters the arena to advocate for people with disabilities, Julie Johnson.
Serving as MOHR’s president for the last two years, little could she have known what COVID-19 would bring to an industry that was already facing substantial challenges. Service suspensions and ongoing constraints have placed immense financial challenges on MOHR members.
“Julie’s advocacy efforts on behalf of all disability service providers throughout the state have been nothing short of heroic,” said a group of disability professionals making one of two nominations. Interviewing with local media, writing countless letters to legislators, the governor and the Department of Human Services as well as the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Johnson fought for emergency grant funding to maintain the disability service infrastructure during the pandemic.
