1. COVID-19 Vaccinations open January 25
Appointments available for individuals with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities, AND one of the bulleted conditions (below).
Week of January 25
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).
If you don’t know who your SSA is or do not have one, please contact Margaret Zotkiewicz-Dramczyk at 419-380-5117 or mzotkiewicz-dramczyk@lucasdd.org.
Week of February 15
Appointments available for individuals with one of the bulleted conditions below, who DO NOT HAVE developmental and/or intellectual disabilities.
Scheduling information coming soon.
2. Special Olympics Virtual Calendar for the week of January 25
Click here to read or download the calendar.
3. Planning for the Future: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers Series
The Ability Center is partnering with Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities to co-host a webinar series called “Planning for the Future: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers Series”.
These webinars will cover a variety of topics about waivers and funding sources, the different types and levels of guardianship, and SSI and STABLE accounts. Representatives from Area Office on Aging, the Lucas County Board of Development Disabilities, ABLE, Disability Rights Ohio, SSA, and STABLE will serve as guest speakers. Those interested in attending can visit here to RSVP or at the Zoom links below.
- The webinar on January 28 will discuss Guardianship
- The webinar on February 11 will discuss SSI and STABLE Accounts
4. Get ready to participate in the Virtual Polar Plunge
Lucas County Special Olympics staff and athletes have created a team and will be participating in the Virtual Polar Plunge through Special Olympics Ohio. A virtual Polar Plunge consists of our team members finding a creative way to plunge virtually in the safety of their own environment (such as throwing a bucket of ice water over their head or jumping in the snow) . We will all be doing our own virtual plunges in February and making a video. Right now our team is working on finding sponsors to support our team. If you would like to check out our team page here is the link https://www.classy.org/team/336806. Our athletes are really excited about this opportunity and coming up with some creative ideas to really make it fun.
5. Board of DD will meet January 25
The Lucas County Board of DD virtual Board Meeting is scheduled on Monday, January 25th @ 5: 30 p.m. Join using this link.
6. The Ability Center of Greater Toledo seeks new Executive Director
Tim Harrington will be retiring soon and the Ability Center has launched a national search to identify candidates with experience in leadership positions, who embrace the independent living philosophy, and have a passion for serving the disability community.
The ideal candidate will have experience in Board Governance and work well within a mission-driven committee structure. The Ability Center embraces its role as the voice of the disability community, creating a platform for respect and change. Candidates should have a history of empowering individuals and challenging systematic barriers.
The executive will lead a staff of fifty dedicated employees who are passionate about their work. The organization provides five core independent living services plus additional services tied to home modifications, assistive technology, and assistance dogs. The Ability Center celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2020 and is excited about the possibilities that exist over the next hundred years. The vision is to create the most disability-friendly community in the country by building partnerships which expand our community’s capacity for inclusion.
Candidates must have at least seven years of progressive management and leadership experience along with demonstrated innovative and strategic thinking. Candidates must have exceptional verbal and written communication skills. Previous public speaking and presentation experience is essential. Experience in and understanding of the following areas is required: financial management, budgeting, resource development, strategic planning, program development, administration, and personnel management. A bachelor’s degree is required, a master’s degree in business or disability related field is preferred.
All interested candidates must submit a resume, along with a cover letter describing how your experience aligns with The Ability Center’s mission. Please submit materials to EDsearch@abilitycenter.org.
7. The Ability Center asks for input for planning
The Ability Center strives to develop its programs and services to best serve the community and works to create the most disability-friendly community in the nation.
- Parents, guardians, and caregivers of children with disabilities are asked to take this survey: https://bit.ly/38zDb0w
- Community members and those who provide services to youth are asked to take this survey: https://bit.ly/2XENz0F
8. CommUNITY Film Fest plans virtual event
The CommUNITY Film Fest is getting together to showcase some entries from previous years, have live movie trivia, a Q&A and more! The special event will be Saturday, January 30.
- 3:00 - 3:30PM - Movie Trivia - WIN PRIZES!
- 3:30 - 4:30PM - Sharing highlights of past CommUNITY Film Fest films and chatting with some of the participants!
- 4:30 - 5:00PM - Q&A about this year's CommUNITY Film Fest in April! Sharing the benefits of submitting a film and all the fun that comes with it!
The event will be carried on Facebook at this link.
9. The Board's online calendar makes planning easier
You7'll want to check the Board of DD online calendar often to stay up-to-date with activities and events pertaining to the Lucas County DD community. Each calendar can also be printed to help with planning. Find the calendar at this link. Each item listed on the calendar is a link to more information about the event.Worth Repeating
10. Worth Repeating
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
If only we're brave enough to see it.
If only we're brave enough to be it.
-Amanda Gorman