1. Board announces availability of grants to fund children’s summer opportunities
The Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities has announced the availability of funds for agencies that create meaningful summer program opportunities for children with medical, social/emotional, personal care or therapeutic needs who would like to participate in fun summer programs that meet their specialized needs. To learn more about these grants and to apply, click here.
2. Celebrate Ohio Loves Transit Week with TARTA
To celebrate Ohio Loves Transit Week, TARTA will hold a community forum on Monday, Feb. 14. This forum, “Empowering People to Make Connections,” will feature keynote speaker and nationally recognized transit expert Bethany Whitaker of Nelson/Nygaard, along with Laura Koprowski, TARTA CEO, and Sam Melden, director of external affairs and communications. To join this forum, click here.
In addition, TARTA staff members will handing out fun-filled appreciation swag bags on a first-come, first-served basis to riders at the following times and locations:
Wednesday, Feb. 16
9 a.m.-noon (while supplies last)
Fixed Routes: TARTA downtown Transit Hub
Thursday, Feb. 17: TARPS
Drivers will distribute bags on the vehicles
3. OOD schedules ‘Inclusive Employer Handbook’ webinar series
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) will host “Inclusive Employer Handbook,” a monthly webinar series designed to help employers create and sustain a disability-inclusive workplace.
The series will conclude with an Accessibility Hour to answer frequently asked questions from the previous webinars. The schedule is as follows:
Feb. 16: Recruiting, Hiring and Supporting Employees
March 23: Workplace Accommodations
April 21: Workplace Accessibility
May 19: Accessibility Hour
All webinars begin at 10 a.m. More information can be found here.
4. Autism Society of America to host virtual town hall
The Autism Society of America’s ABA Commission will host one last virtual town hall this month to hear from diverse voices across the autism community. Focusing on “Autistic Perspectives,” this town hall will take place Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. This webinar begins at 7 p.m. To learn more, click here.
5. Register for Courageous Acres
Registration is now open for summer 2022 camp sessions at Courageous Acres. Each session is themed and tailored for a specific age group. Dates are available from June to August. To learn more and to register, click here.
6. DODD seeks feedback from families
The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) works to communicate and connect with families and people with lived experience. To align its communication and resources with these preferences, the DODD invites families of people with disabilities to take this short survey about what DODD family resources they use and how they were involved with DODD during the past year. The results will inform DODD how to best support families in 2022. This survey closes March 18, 2022. To take the survey, click here.
7. Providers invited to join OhioISP
The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) is actively preparing for the release of OhioISP and wants to assure all providers that the OhioISP is available to them, even those working with a county board that uses a third-party vendor. With OhioISP, providers working with multiple counties can find all the assessments and ISPs for the people they support in OhioISP with one simple login. Also, there is no cost to use the OhioISP. There’s more information to come, including training videos and materials. If you have any questions about using the OhioISP, contact OhioISP@dodd.ohio.gov.
8. Autism Society Support Group to meet Feb. 14.
The Autism Society of Northwest Ohio Support Group meeting will take place via Zoom on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. The meeting can be joined here.
9. Parent/Professional Communication webinar set for Feb. 15
The Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West presents a free Parent/Professional Communication training webinar on Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. During this webinar, participants will review basic communication methods, techniques and styles to utilize when communicating with parents and professionals. Hands-on activities will help participants gain an understanding of the various types of communication as well as develop listening skills and an understanding of how they relate to good communication skills. The session will be led by Tammie Sebastian, statewide program coordinator for the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities. To register for this meeting, click here.
10. People First to meet Feb. 17
People First of Lucas County will hold its February meeting over Zoom on Thursday, Feb. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. This month’s meeting will be a game night and social event, giving attendees a chance to connect with one another. For more information, contact Quinn Thomas at quinnt@ccsohio.org. To join the meeting, click here.
11. We Thrive Together to present Speed Friends
We Thrive Together will present Speed Friends on Saturday, Feb. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m.
During Speed Friends, you’ll have the chance to virtually meet a new group of people in less than two hours.
Speed Friends promises no pressure, no rejection and no embarrassment. Here’s how it works. During the event, you’ll be paired with another individual in a virtual breakout room. You’ll then have five minutes to chat and get to know each other. When time is up, you’ll rotate to another room. After you’ve met with everyone, you’ll be able to request to get to know certain people better. If one of those people selects you, too, you’ll receive each other’s contact information. After that, it’s up to you!
There are multiple ways to register for Speed Friends. You can call 866-584-5640 or email Alyssa@WeThriveTogether.org. You can text your name, county and contact information to 440-478-5640. Finally, you can register online here.
12. Aetna Better Health of Ohio seeks input about OhioRISE
Aetna Better Health of Ohio has scheduled several listening sessions to gain opinions from its community partners about the OhioRISE program, “a specialized Medicaid managed care plan with tailored services to meet the needs of youth with complex needs” that launches July 1, 2022.
Participants will have opportunities to share their thoughts on topics such as access, services delivery, gaps in support systems, engagement with system staff, cultural competency, consumer knowledge of services and supports, and professional- and family-focused training needs.
OhioRISE listening sessions will be held from Feb. 15-24, 2022. They will be held virtually, and registration is required. For a complete schedule and registration information, click here.
13. Monthly workshop to discuss the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities
The Special Education Legal Clinic will present “OCECD: Who We Are and What We Do,” a virtual workshop and Q&A panel, on Feb. 14, 2022.
This workshop will cover the history of the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children (OCECD) with Disabilities as well as the services and support it offers to parents and professionals. Available OCECD trainings, materials and publications also will be addressed.
The Clinic is a public-private collaboration between three independent organizations: Disability Rights Ohio, the OCECD and Albeit Weiker LLP.
In addition to monthly workshops, the Clinic offers individual guidance sessions to review specific situations with advocates or attorneys. For more information, to register for a monthly workshop or to schedule an individual guidance session, click here.
14. The next Sibshop is Feb. 19
Brothers and sisters of individuals with developmental disabilities are invited to attend the next Sibshop meeting on Saturday, Feb. 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
These free gatherings give kids the chance to meet other kids and talk about the good and not-so-good parts of having a sibling with a developmental disability. Sibshops also feature fun games, cooking activities and hands-on activities that will keep your kids engaged in an energetic way.
Sibshops are for 8- to 16-year-old brothers and sisters who have a sib with developmental disabilities. The events are run by a team whose members have a professional or personal understanding of the impact a child’s developmental disability can have on brothers and sisters. Equally important, they have great kid skills!
All Sibshops take place at the Alternate Learning Center at 3939 Wrenwood in Toledo, Ohio. CDC prevention guidelines will be followed. Sibshops are free!
For more information and to register, contact Wendy Smenner, Lucas County parent mentor, at 419-214-3066 or wsmenner@esclakeeriewest.org. Space is limited, so register today.
15. Arc of Ohio to present trust-planning webinar
The Arc of Ohio will present “Special Needs Trusts and STABLE Accounts” on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 6:30 p.m. This webinar will feature Logan Philipps, attorney with Resch, Root, Philipps & Graham LLC, and Doug Jackson, deputy director of STABLE Accounts with the Office of the Ohio Treasurer. To register, click here.
16. Arc of Ohio to present discussion about Ohio’s new ISP
Join The Arc of Ohio on Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. to discuss Ohio’s new individual service plan with Heidi Davidson and Jim Bennett from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. To register for this virtual meeting, click here.