1. Time to schedule your coronavirus vaccine
As we see in the chart below individuals served by the Board of DD are eligible for the coronavirus vaccine. Click here to view a video message from Jason Dura about getting the shot.
To place yourself on the notification list, please contact your Service and Support Specialist if you haven’t already. If you do not know who your SSA is or do not have one, please contact Margaret Zotkiewicz-Dramczyk by email at mzotkiewicz-dramczyk@lucasdd.org or by phone at 419-380-5117.
2. Rick Henzler re-elected Board of DD President
At the January Board meeting, Probate Judge Jack Puffenberger led the Board in the Oath of Office. This is the 30th time Judge Puffenberger has officiated at the swearing-in ceremony. After the Board was sworn in it re-elected as officers Mr. Rick Henzler as President, Mr. Ron Volk as Vice-President, and Ms. Linnie Willis as Recording Secretary.
3. Special Olympics/Recreation Virtual Calendar
Click here for the Calendar for the week of February 1.
Quality Time in Quarantine, Thursday, February 4 Connect with Cuyahoga DD’s Good Life Ambassadors (GLAs) with their web series "Quality Time with the GLAs!" The GLAs will hold discussions the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month from 11:00am-11:40am. All are welcome! Here is the Zoom information: Meeting ID: 811 6363 9145 Password: 3gDQiE
People First of Ohio Monthly Chat, Friday February 5, at 10 am https://www.peoplefirstohio.org/
“Virtual Wednesdays with Wade” – Wednesday, February 3 at 4:30 pm Virtual Forum with City of Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz https://www.facebook.com/cityoftoledo/
4. "Planning for the Future" webinar series continues
It's never too early or too late to begin planning for your child's future. The final webinar of the Planning for the Future: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers series is taking place on February 11 at 10 a.m., hosted by The Ability Center and Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities. The webinar will cover SSI and STABLE Accounts and a panel of experts will speak on the topic and be available for questions. To RSVP, please visit http://bit.ly/39sm412. To view the recordings of the other two webinars, please visit http://bit.ly/3civNcd
5. Registration open for all-virtual DD Awareness & Advocacy Day on Tuesday, March 2
Registration is now open for the 2021 Developmental Disability Awareness and Advocacy Day, which will take place virtually over Zoom on Tuesday, March 2. Pre-registration is free but required to attend.
The day will include remarks from several statewide DD advocates leading up to constituent meetings with lawmakers in which people and families are invited to discuss policy issues affecting their lives. This year's general session and all legislative meetings will take place online via Zoom. There will be no in-person attendance due to COVID-19.
A detailed agenda is forthcoming. Visit ddohio.wordpress.com to learn more and follow the event on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OhioDDAwareness.
6. "Coffee & Conversation" support group continues on Zoom
Courageous Community Services continues to offer support for parents and guardians of individuals with disabilities. Online meetings occur the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. Click here for more information. Contact: Korinne Ritenour at korinner@ccsohio.org
7. Grant will help homeless find housing
The Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board announces the recently established Risk Mitigation Fund, made possible by the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COOHIO). This fund is the first of its kind awarded to TLCHB and will strengthen the community’s efforts to help homeless individuals and families move out of homelessness and into housing.
The purpose of the Risk Mitigation Fund is to aid in the recruitment and retention of private landlords to work with homeless assistance providers and house clients that are often difficult to house due to complicated rental histories or other concerns. TLCHB hopes these funds will help initiate and/or preserve strong relationships between housing assistance providers and the landlords in our community.
Landlords interested in learning more about this fund, and community agencies serving homeless individuals are strongly encouraged to email Candace Bishop, Grants Administrator at grantsadministrator@tlchb.org or call (419)244-9440 for more information.
8. Survey will identify barriers to financial planning
The National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities is conducting a national survey focused on future planning for people with disabilities and their families. “Financial planning” refers to making sure you have the money and services you need in the future.
They want to hear from:
- People with disabilities
- Family members
- Professionals in disability services
- Financial planning professionals
- Financial, legal and disability experts in financial planning and saving for people with disabilities and their families
You will help identify barriers to financial planning for people with disabilities and their families, and ways to improve the financial planning process, and the information will be used to help develop ways to improve financial planning services for people with disabilities and their families.
Click here to take the survey.
Your responses will be confidential. Information about you will not be shared with others. If you have questions or need help with the survey, contact Cory Gilden, at cgilden@udel.edu.
9. Training offered for those who work with the DD Community
We are fortunate to offer a FREE training entitled “Basics of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Dementia” on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. via Zoom. A worldwide expert in Developmental Disabilities and Dementia, Dr. Phil McCallion, will be presenting this training as part of a grant in which the Lucas County Board of DD is a partner.
Dr. McCallion is professor and director of the School of Social Work at Temple University. His research interests fill an important niche in the field of social work, bridging scholarship on aging populations and those with intellectual disabilities such as Down syndrome.
This is a great training for Direct Support Professionals and other DD staff who work with folks with dementia (or folks who could be at risk of developing dementia.) The training will share signs and symptoms of dementia, as well as helpful proven techniques for helping folks with dementia be successful in their homes and day programs.
Please feel free to forward this training information on to family members, providers, and other DD professionals that you think would be interested. For more information click here.
This training has been approved for 3 hours of Social Work, Counselor, and DODD (SSA and AO) continuing education credits.
10. UToledo student asks how to make Cedar Point for sensory friendly
An Occupational Therapy student at the University of Toledo is completing on her capstone project which is focused on how to make Cedar Point more sensory friendly. As part of the project, she created an online survey for parents/caregivers of individuals with disabilities. Click here for the survey.
11. The Ability Center Scholarship Program is now accepting applications
The Ability Center is accepting applications for the 2021 Scholarship Program in partnership with The Ability Center Auxiliary.
Ensuring that people with disabilities have opportunities to achieve higher education is critical. For consideration, applicants must reach all eligibility requirements:
- Be an individual with a disability
- Have a permanent address in Lucas, Wood, Fulton, Henry, Ottawa, Defiance, Williams county in Ohio or in Monroe or Lenawee county in Michigan
- Carry at least a 3.0 GPA
- Be enrolled in a post-secondary degree program
Application packets are due by March 31, 2021. Download an application packet here or visit The Ability Center website for more information.
12. Worth Repeating
"I never doubted my ability, but when you hear all your life you're inferior, it makes you wonder if the other guys have something you've never seen before. If they do, I'm still looking for it." -Hank Aaron