Newsletter and Publications

This year the Board’s Annual Meeting will be streamed live on Facebook on April 26 at 6:00 p.m.  The keynote speaker this year will be Ms. Barbara Sapharas, an Independent Consultant working with the Nisonger Center to share information about Charting the LifeCourse...

Congratulations to Board of DD member and president of the self-advocate group SALUTE,  Nathan Turner. Nate was recently chosen by the ABLE National Resource Center to be a 2021 Ambassador...

Lucas County Commissioners have appointed William Axe to fill a vacancy on the Lucas County Board of DD. Mr. Axe is the father of an adult son who receives services from the Board...

The Autism Society of America is celebrating differences as it works to build an inclusive society where individuals with autism live fully through connections and acceptance. This is a shift from awareness to acceptance. The society is leading legislative efforts to designate April as Autism Acceptance Month, a shift from the commonly used phrase “Autism Awareness Month.”

In each odd-numbered year, the state of Ohio passes two budgets. The general revenue budget gets passed by July, but a separate transportation budget has to be passed first, by the end of March. The 2022-23 transportation budget has just been passed.

Hats off to Conor Smenner who was interviewed by WTOL-TV as part of the television station's series of features highlighting DD Awareness Month. Conor discussed People First Language and attitudes that adversely impact people with disabilities...

Board of DD member Nate Turner represented self-advocates in interview on WTOL-TV to mark DD Awareness Month...

The governor says he will lift the coronavirus health orders, including wearing a mask, when the state reports 50 or fewer cases per 100,000 residents for two weeks in a row. What does that mean for the Board of DD? Will we immediately return to “normal” operations? No. We are going to evaluate each move before we make it...

As part of our kick-off to March as DD Awareness Month, Michele Myerholtz, Assistant Superintendent, was interviewed on WTOL-TV discussing the Board's Mission...

The Toledo Museum of Art and the Ability Center of Greater Toledo have formed a partnership designed to bring the Ability Center's knowledge and resources to the Museum, in order to give the Museum "the expertise to identify and systematically eliminate barriers to encounters with art, improving the Museum experience for people with disabilities at any stage of life."

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz will create a Mayor’s Office on Disability, a first-of-its kind initiative in Ohio...

As Ohio continues to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine, sharing accurate, reliable information with at-risk communities to help reduce vaccine hesitancy remains a high priority.  As a result, the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services have put together a series of COVID-19 vaccine virtual town halls with medical experts, community leaders, and public health professionals to address common concerns and questions from specific communities...

Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities Director Jeff Davis provided oral testimony in support of Governor Mike DeWine's proposed two-year state budget...

Governor Mike DeWine has unveiled the broad structure of his proposed two-year state budget, outlining several key priorities that included more funds for education, children's services, and the fight against the state's ongoing opioid epidemic...

A worldwide expert in Developmental Disabilities and Dementia will present the training "Basics of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Dementia" as part of the "dementia capable communities" grant in which LCBDD is a partner.

As we see in the chart below individuals served by the Board of DD are eligible for the coronavirus vaccine...

Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities is asking for all individuals they serve who meet the 1B criteria to be placed on the scheduling notification list. You may do this by contacting your Service and Support Specialist (SSA)...

We have an opportunity that may speed up you receiving the potentially life-saving COVID-19 vaccine. We encourage you to get on the stand-by list for vaccinations being given at the Northwest Ohio Developmental Center, NODC...

Now is the time to preregister to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine. You will want to check if your provider has already done this. Individuals with developmental disabilities are eligible for a vaccination in Phase 1...

This year the Aging Gracefully newsletter will spotlight different resources, education, and information each month to assist you in supporting those with developmental disabilities. We will continue our focus on aging and persons who are diagnosed with or at risk of developing dementia.