Little Lightning Spring Sports Registration is OPEN!

Spring will be here soon, and that means a new season of sports! We will be offering Bowling, Tennis, Track & Field, and Walking Group to the Little Lightning athletes. This registration is for athletes who are age 8-21 only. Deadline to register is next Friday, March 22! You must register to participate in spring sports/summer games. Click here to register.

Lucas DD Art Show at Franklin Park Mall next week!

Stop by to view various works of art created by nearly 30 local artists with DD! You can view the show in the Macy's wing (near Sole Status) any time the mall is open from March 18-22, and on March 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. there will be a casual Meet the Artists event. The artists who are available will be there to meet and greet anyone who is interested (and will take their artwork home after the event).

Lucas DD Support Group for Parents with Disabilities Continues

This support group is for people with any type of disability who are parents or interested in becoming parents. Participants will learn from other parents on everything pregnancy and parenthood related. The group will run for 3 more weeks, two times offered each week. Have questions? Email jzydorczyk@lucasdd.org. To register, click here. To see the informational flyer, click here.

Wealth & Wisdom March 20

March's topic is Money Mapping: A New Way to Budget. In this virtual class, from 6 - 7:30 p.m. on March 20, you will learn the power of ‘forward thinking’ by setting the direction of your financial goals; how to build a solid plan for life’s unexpected events; ways to create a cash flow for your personal situation; and more! This free class is presented by Lucas DD as part of our Wealth and Wisdom series. Questions? Email us: wealthandwisdom@lucasdd.org. Click here to register!

Fitness Fun for Everyone March 22

A fun (and easy, we promise) and free fitness class for all ages and abilities in our community in honor of DD Awareness Month! Next Friday, March 22 from 6 - 7 p.m. you can run through a circuit of different workout stations, collect a band upon completion of each station, and redeem for prizes at the end! Registration recommended but not required - click here to register!

Lucas DD Board Meeting March 25

The next monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities will be on March 25 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public at Lucas DD's Larc Lane Training Center, 1155 Larc Lane (Entrance O) in Toledo.

Cops and Conversations March 26

Cops & Conversations is put on by our SALUTE self-advocates and invites local law enforcement officers to have an informal conversation. Join us on March 26 from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. for this event that allows police/fire/EMS to interact with individuals with developmental disabilities and ask any questions they might have. It also allows the individuals to ask any questions they may have of law enforcement. Can't make it in person? Click here to join the conversation via Zoom!

Spoken Rx "Talking" Prescription Labels Available at CVS Pharmacies

Spoken Rx® tells you which prescription you’re holding and how to take it.* All you need is a smart tagged prescription and the CVS Pharmacy® mobile app. It's a smart tagged prescription label that works with our app to read your prescription information aloud — in English or Spanish. It was created for blind or low-vision patients, Spoken Rx shares your prescription information without having to read the label. Click here to learn more.

DODD Releases Update on Safe Eclipse Viewing

As part of DODD's online toolkit, they send out a Well-Informed newsletter to promote the health and welfare of people with developmental disabilities wherever they choose to live, work, and spend their day. This week's focus was on safely viewing the upcoming eclipse on April 8. Click here to see their update, which includes additional links to NASA and the National Park Service.

Board Closed on March 29

The Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities will be closed Friday, March 29, in observance of the Spring Holiday. On-call staff are available 24/7 on our Emergency/After Hours line at 419-380-5100.

Disability and Outer Space: How Would Blind Aliens Do Science? Mar. 16

At 10 a.m. on March 16, the University of Toledo is hosting Dr. Sheri Wells-Jensen, an Associate Professor at BGSU, who will lead a thought experiment on a sightless society. This interesting program is FREE! No registration required. For full details, click here.

Puberty, Dating, & Reproductive Health Seminar March 16

Please join Avenues for Autism on Saturday, March 16th from 10 a.m. -12 p.m. at the Way Public Library in Perrysburg for a free, engaging discussion regarding Healthy Boundaries and Sexual Health. This training is geared towards caregivers of autistic children, teens, and adults of any age. Click here to see the flyer. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

First Steps with DSAGT on March 17

Down Syndrome Association of Greater Toledo's next First Steps Baby & Toddler event is on March 17 at Trinity Lutheran Church (4560 Glendale Ave). Jaclyn from Heartstring Melodies will be joining at 4 p.m. to make some music with the littles. Everyone is welcome to come play any time after 3 p.m. 

Special Education Legal Clinic on March 18

The Special Education Legal Clinic is having a webinar on March 18 from noon - 1 p.m. The topic is Social Security for Transition Age Youth by DRO. This clinic offers parents and guardians an opportunity to meet with a special education advocate or attorney in an open and welcoming environment to ask questions and discuss specific challenges related to education. Clinic staff members and volunteers will help guide parents and guardians through the special education process and provide resources to request and secure special education services. The Clinic includes a group workshop followed by a Q&A panel from special education professionals. Attendees participate virtually. Free 30-minute individual guidance sessions with attorneys are available for scheduling as well. Click here for more information.

DODD Family Advisory Council on March 20

Family Advisory Council (FAC) meetings take place quarterly and are open to everyone. Join them from noon - 1:30 p.m. on March 20. The Family Advisory Council provides a forum for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) to hear directly from family members about the issues that affect their lives and provides the opportunity to learn more about the department's current initiatives from executive staff. FAC is a forum for families to have their voices directly heard by DODD leadership. Service providers or county board staff are welcome to attend but are encouraged to use their membership organizations and other avenues to raise any issues that concern them. To request an accommodation due to a disability, reach out to meredith.mendoza@dodd.ohio.gov. Click here to register.

Playgroup Pals on March 22

Wood County Board of DD is hosting Playgroup Pals from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. on March 22 at the BG Community Center. Playgroup Pals is an INCLUSIVE playgroup for children aged 0-5, no registration is required! Click here for more information.

World Down Syndrome Day's Virtual Dance Party March 22

GLOBAL’s #WorldDownSyndromeDay Dance Party is back. Join Global Down Syndrome Foundation on Friday, March 22 at 6 p.m. for a memorable evening full of fun, friends, dancing and more! To register, click here. Check out their website for full details: World Down Syndrome Day | Global Down Syndrome Foundation

Sibshops on March 23

Does your child with special needs have a sibling, aged 8-16 years old? This free group is just for them! Sibshops provide young brothers and sisters with peer support and information in a lively, recreational setting. The next meeting is on March 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 3939 Wrenwood Rd, Toledo. To register, click here. For more information, click here.

iDance Hip Hop Performance Team Auditions

Don't be late, be ready to dance at the iDance Adaptive Performing Arts Center from 6 - 7 p.m. on March 24. Questions? Call 419-309-1610.

Free Egg Hunt on March 26

Purple Day is an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. This year, the Epilepsy Center of NW Ohio will be hosting an Egg Hunt to celebrate the day with family fun. Free to the public. Come paint the town purple at 4 p.m. on March 26! Click here for full details.

Sunshine Discovery Night at Imagination Station on March 27

This is a free, sensory-friendly event for friends and families of Sunshine Communities. Explore Imagination Station’s exhibits and watch science demonstrations. Food in their café will be available for purchase. Contact Lori Richard, lrichard@sunshine.org, if you have questions.

Parker's Purpose Grant Application Open

Parker’s Purpose was founded in 2008 as a result of people coming together to help out the Inks family in their time of need. The mission of Parker’s Purpose is to provide the highest level of service to individuals or groups in need. The organization is committed to service with integrity and respect to all individuals or groups and also hope to foster a positive self worth and self esteem to the individual giving. They are currently accepting applications for monetary assistance of up to $1,000. Deadline is March 31. Click here to learn more or submit your application.

Community Fund Ohio Grant Application Open

The mission of Community Fund Ohio, a nonprofit tax-exempt organization, is to develop and make available trust vehicles, education, and related services that help enable individuals with disabilities to use private funds to enhance their quality of life while attempting to safeguard their eligibility for government benefits. Community Fund offers grants to nonprofits that serve Ohio residents with disabilities as well as three types of grants to individuals who reside in Ohio and have a disability. Quarterly deadline is March 31. Click here to learn more.

World Institute on Disability Fellowship Program

WID’s Global Heumann Fellowship Program honors and grows Judy Heumann’s legacy by supporting disability leaders and advocates around the world to work on projects that promote disability rights and disability justice in their regional communities. As a bridge to an equitable, inclusive, and just world, The Global Heumann Fellowship seeks disabled, visionary leaders with a demonstrated history in advocacy, communications, and influential collaboration. Must have the ability to be effective while working remotely and maintain flexibility working with a diverse, global team.

This is a part-time, twelve-month fellowship, with a term from July 2024 to July 2025. Individuals who have lived disability experience, active in the disability community and have extensive experience or leadership within the disability rights and disability justice fields are encouraged to apply. The application will be open through March 31, 2024.

Click here for more information or to apply.

Toledo Lucas County Public Library Seeks Feedback

The Toledo Lucas County Public Library is currently evaluating how their branches can best serve neighborhoods and communities in the future. To better assist in the planning process and gain direct feedback from Lucas County residents, they invite you to complete our online community survey. Share your feedback here: https://ow.ly/pgLW50QUbWs

The U.S. National Weather Service needs input from individuals w/ DD

The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) is redesigning the weather.gov website to be more accessible and is seeking input from individuals with disabilities! Their intention is to redesign weather.gov to serve everyone needing weather information, especially in emergencies – when every word and every minute matters. In order to accomplish that, they need input from people to understand their unique needs. Click here to learn more about this opportunity.

Ohio Parent 2 Parent Applications Open

Are you an experienced caregiver who would like to help other parents? Ohio P2P is an evidence-based, statewide parent support program that matches parents, siblings, self-advocates, foster parents, grandparents, etc. who have family members of any age, with a disability or special healthcare need, to an experienced, trained, volunteer support parent. Apply to be a volunteer support parent at: Ohio P2P Support Parent Trainee Application. Questions? Contact Jena Wells at 513-636-1245 or Jena.Wells@cchmc.org.

Avenues for Autism needs Volunteers

Avenues for Autism is looking for volunteers for the Glass City Marathon, which is on April 27-28. They will work the Registration as well as the Post Race Food tent. If you wish to volunteer or would like details, please contact Ali Cousino at acousino@avenuesforautism.org or by cell 419.210.5095 with the date and time you want.

The Center for Transition to Adult Health Care for Youth with Disabilities, an ACL grantee, is recruiting youth and young adults ages 12-26 with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to participate in development and leadership opportunities. These opportunities will allow members to grow, build relationships, and impact national work while receiving a stipend for their time and work. 

There are two opportunities available:

·    Youth Steering Committee (YSC) Member: The YSC is a group of youth ages 17-26 who guide the center's design and operation. The YSC guides the work plan, develops resources, and supports evaluation efforts. YSC members receive ongoing support and education to build their knowledge about healthcare transition and leadership skills.

·    Youth Development Initiative (YDI) Committee Member: The YDI is a group of youth ages 12-17 with I/DD who will receive training and mentoring by young adult leaders also with I/DD. This initiative will help them understand healthcare transition, advocacy, and self-determination.

For more information or to apply, visit the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network website.