Friday Update: July 12, 2024

SALUTE Storytellers Are Live tomorrow!

SALUTE Storytellers return to the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion for an afternoon of storytelling and art, followed by a reception with light refreshments. SALUTE Storytellers is a collaboration between the Toledo Museum of Art, Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities, and the University of Toledo Disability Studies Program. It celebrates July as Disability Pride Month through live stories and art displays from self-advocates with disabilities.

Family Ties Support Group July 18

Did you know Lucas DD has a new Parent Support Group this year called Family Ties? The goal of Family Ties is to help families make connections and build a network that they can lean on for support. This month the group will meet from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. on July 18. Light snacks will be served! Please email familyties@lucasdd.org with any questions.

Register for the 5th Annual LCSO Golf Scramble!

Grab your team and your golf clubs and get ready for some fun that directly benefits Lucas County Special Olympics! The 5th annual golf scramble is on July 27. Business sponsorship opportunities are also available. Click the headline for more details!

The next EI Summer Playgroup is July 31!

Lucas DD's Early Intervention team welcomes everyone to the remaining inclusive Summer Playgroups. Playgroups are ideal for those up to 6 years old, but ALL ages and abilities are welcome to attend. Parents are encouraged to connect as well. Register and check-in with staff upon arrival for a chance to win fun prizes! Remaining dates, from 10 a.m. to noon are:

• July 31 at Glass City Metropark,
• August 12 at Sylvania Playland.

Project STIR is coming to Toledo!

Project STIR is a training program for self-advocates designed to provide people with disabilities with the tools to advocate for themselves, work with others in advocacy and gain leadership experiences. This is a FREE training that takes place August 7 - 9 in Toledo. Registrants must attend all 3 days.

Supervision is not included; it is recommended that individuals attend with an ally. Registration required; space is limited. Once registration has closed, all details will be forwarded to the participants.

SALUTE Storytellers in The Blade

The Blade published an article about the upcoming Storytellers event tomorrow. Our staff member, Deetra Kelly and several individuals were featured!

Special Olympics Football Camp featured on BCSN

BCSN stopped by the football camp with the Ottawa Hills football team this week! The video features footage of the camp as well as interviews with Kelley Watson and some Special Olympics athletes.

Lucas County Special Olympics Athletes bring home medals

Ohio Special Olympics State Games wrapped up and the numbers are in! Lucas County Lightning brought home 91 medals and countless memories. Check out this recap video!

UBS PREVENTION PLAN TRAINING VIDEOS

Effective MUI and UI prevention plans are critical to minimize the risk of reoccurrence and prevent injuries. The use of unapproved behavioral supports, especially physical restraint, places those we serve and others at increased risk for injury, trauma and even death. Dr. Sorg, Medical Director for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, recently completed a short 3-part training series on physical restraint. These quick videos review the history, consequences and alternatives to physical restraint and specifically review the ban on prone restraints. These informational videos make an excellent addition to any training catalogue and can be utilized as part of an effective prevention plan for UBS incidents.  

Disability Inclusion Webinar Schedule Released

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) recently announced the second half of its 2024 webinar series to help employers support disability inclusion in the workplace. The webinars align with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's Executive Order 2019-03D, establishing Ohio as a Disability Inclusion State and Model Employer of Individuals with Disabilities. The monthly webinars correspond with OOD's Inclusive Employer Toolkit and the Governor's Inclusive Employer Award criteria, providing practical steps and strategies for creating inclusive workplaces.

Social Security to Simplify Disability Evaluation Process

In response to President Biden’s Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government, the Social Security Administration is proud to announce changes that will reduce administrative burdens for applicants and help more people with disabilities receive government benefits and services if they are eligible. On April 18, 2024, Social Security published a final rule, “Intermediate Improvement to the Disability Adjudication Process, Including How We Consider Past Work.”

First Steps with DSAGT Sunday

Do you have a little one with Down syndrome at home? Come join the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Toledo for their July First Steps Baby & Toddler Group! On July 14 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. there will be a cookout and some water toy fun! This program is designed as both an educational and social opportunity for parents with babies and toddlers who have Down syndrome. Please rsvp so they can have a good food count!

ADA 34th Anniversary Update

The Great Lakes ADA Center invites you to mark the 34th Anniversary of the ADA by joining a zoom session with representatives from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) who will provide an update on their litigation, technical assistance, and enforcement efforts. On July 16 from 2 - 3:30 p.m., participants will have an opportunity to pose questions to the presenters regarding issues in their own workplace or community.

Special Needs Free Beach Party

Getaway Bay in Milan, Michigan is hosting their third annual special needs day! Come enjoy the day with your family without having to worry about the public crowd. Free admission and food for all. Donations welcomed! Registration required. Please call 313-732-8424 or email matt@migetawaybay.com with questions.

Mud Hens Field of Dreams Special Needs Camp

The Mud Hens are holding a camp just for boys and girls ages 5 and up with special needs. Price is $30 / camper (adult chaperone is required to be in attendance with each camper.) The camp will feature three simultaneous games on the field with Mud Hens players. Each camper will have the opportunity to bat at least once at home plate complete with an introduction on the PA system and a live shot on the videoboard! All participants will receive a souvenir Mud Hens baseball + two (2) ticket vouchers to a Mud Hens game during the 2024 season.

Virtual Disability Pride "Parade" July 26

Make a statement and join Easterseals for their virtual disability pride parade on the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act! To join, use the hashtag #VirtualDisabilityParade on July 26. Create a virtual 'sign' that shows your pride and share with them using the hashtag on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They will feature signs throughout the day!

Or you can grab some of the "signs" by clicking the headline above! Be sure to caption them when you post.

Other ways you can participate under the #VirtualDisabilityParade hashtag:

• share why you have disability pride
• share a photo or video
• share stories showing the positive difference people with disabilities are making in people's lives.

Free Autism Masterclass for parents of younger children

Children with autism can face challenges in toilet training due to sensory sensitivities, developmental readiness, and resistance to change. In this talk, Dr. Rick of the P.L.A.Y. Project, draws from extensive research, clinical literature, and decades of experience, to present a systematic, developmentally sensitive, and practical six-step approach to supporting children on the spectrum in transitioning to independent toileting. Register for this webinar/Masterclass to have free access to the prerecorded webinar content from July 1 - August 2. Then join Dr. Rick for a MasterClass over Zoom on July 30 to delve even deeper into the subject matter.

Lucas DD Adult Day Program Grants

The next cycle of the 2024 Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities Adult Day Grant application process ends on July 31! 

Funding is capped at $50,000 for each grant cycle, not to exceed $10,000 per award. Awarded funds will be distributed directly from the Lucas County DD ADA Grant Fund.

The goal of the grants is to help fund technologies and/or programs that expand and/or enhance Adult Day and/or Employment services, promote community integration and community employment, and/or helps people achieve their goals related to Adult Day/Employment services & supports. 

Chase's Warrior Foundation

Chase’s Warrior Foundation's vision is to make kids with special needs, and their families, happy. They turn their vision into reality by providing families and local school districts with costly adaptive and therapeutic equipment.

The Shannon Foundation

Working through social workers at various hospitals across the country to identify kids in need, The Shannon Foundation has paid for medicine, medical tests and procedures, equipment (such as wheelchairs, ventilators, etc.), hospital visits, surgery, medical co-pays, chemotherapy, and physical therapy.

J-Rob Foundation, Inc.

The J-Rob Foundation, Inc. provides adaptive sporting equipment to children with physical disabilities or challenges. The Foundation also funds adaptive sports opportunities for athletes. The adaptive sporting equipment may include, but is not limited to racing wheelchairs, hand cycles, mono-skis and bi-skis.

Lucas DD Parent Support

To learn about additional grants and funding resources such as the ones above, please reach out to Tammy Eisenreich at teisenreich@lucasdd.org or 419-356-3824.

Board Vacancy at Preferred Properties

Preferred Properties, Inc. has a current vacancy on its 9-member Board of Directors. The not-for-profit focuses on creating housing opportunities through a variety of housing programs for persons with developmental disabilities. Its goal is to develop housing in such a way that persons living with disabilities are effectively integrated into communities and neighborhoods. Learn more at p2housing.org, and if you are interested in being a part of the Board, please email cwilson@preferred-properties.org.

Support OOD's Business Enterprise Program

Did you know that if you stop at any Ohio Department of Transportation rest areas and purchase an item from the vending machines, you are supporting small business owners participating in our Business Enterprise Program? The program provides Ohioans who are legally blind entrepreneurial career opportunities in food service management. Click here to learn more.

Support Toledo on Track

Interested in supporting the FRA's select proposed passenger rail corridor from Detroit, MI to New Orleans, LA, and help improve the personal mobility and independence of Americans with disabilities? Then consider signing the petition to show your support for the development of the FRA's Selected Proposed Preferred Long Distance passenger rail corridor!