1. William Axe appointed to the Board

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.

He has been an athletic administrator and assistant principal at Central Catholic High School. He also served on the Board of the Arc of Lucas County.

2. Inclusion Fair scheduled for April 14

Batter in wheelchair The annual inclusion fair will be April 14. The fair provides information regarding: after school programs, community programs and activities, summer camp services, and more. More information, including the library locations where you will be able to pick up an information packet, is available at https://InclusionFair.org

3. Circle the date for the Board Annual Meeting - April 26

Barbara 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. She has worked in the field of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) for over 45 years with a focus on empowering and supporting people with disabilities and families, driven by her experience as a sibling. Barb was a founding member of both Ohio SIBS and the Sibling Leadership Network. She is currently a Board Member of the Ohio Self Determination Association.

Also at the Annual Meeting the Board will present several honors to Community Partners, name its staff member of the year, and present the award for Self-Advocate of the Year.

Please join us!

4. Aging Gracefully newsletter for April

Follow this link.

5. Waiver Workgroup Study conducting a survey

This survey is designed for Ohioans with developmental disabilities and their families to provide feedback about Ohio's Level 1 and SELF waivers. The feedback will be used to inform the Waiver Workgroup as decisions are made about improving and simplifying Ohio's waivers. Take the survey.

The Department of Developmental Disabilities will hold a town hall on this topic on April 5th. There will be a brief presentation Director Jeff Davis and then an open dialogue with individuals, families, county boards and providers. Click here to register.

6. 'Hearts of Glass' documentary begins streaming on April 9

The Ohio State University Nisonger Center and the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council are excited to bring you the award-winning “Hearts of Glass” documentary! Also, sponsored by the Ohio Self Determination Association.

This film showcases the employment of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and highlights the importance of competitive wages and inclusive employment in a high-tech vertical greenhouse--Vertical Harvest.

You can stream the film at your convenience between Friday, April 9th and Saturday, April 17th at this link.

7. Register for spring sports by April 5

Special Olympics athletes can sign up now for spring activities. Use the online registration form for the quickest way to register. To learn more about the spring activities read the latest newsletter.