Council Member Spotlight: Brandon White
Being a member of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council not only helps Council to achieve its goals, but also helps Council members learn how to be stronger advocates and to stay informed about issues that affect people with developmental disabilities. Our current and former Council members are strong advocates in the community, and we always like to share what they are doing in their own community to advocate for people with developmental disabilities.
This month, we would like to introduce you to Brandon White. Click on the video below to hear what Brandon has to say about being a Council member.
For more videos and articles about our members, visit the Council Members in Action page.
Grantee Gathering Brings Together DD Council Initiatives
On October 31, 2018, the Ohio DD Council hosted a Grantee Gathering in Columbus, bringing together organizations that partner with the DD Council to advance its mission for people with developmental disabilities in Ohio.
The meeting began with introductions where each grantee took five minutes to talk about their project. Of the many that attended, several presented a more detailed summary of their work, bringing a comprehensive understanding to the many initiatives that the Ohio DD Council funds across the State.
Katherine Foley spoke about her work on transportation equity, and Dr. Patricia Larkins-Hicks shared the insight her team has received from publishing the ReachOut e-Diversity Newsletter as a part of Council’s outreach efforts to the unserved and underserved populations.
Additionally, Dana Charlton spoke about the work being done by self-advocates through the grant, Empowering Self-Advocates.
In their work to identify and reach out to 50 African American women with disabilities in Ohio, Cassandra Archie shared about the Triple Jeopardy Project that supports women to participate in network activities to collectively inform policy, identify barriers to supports and services and demand action.
Staff from Council were on hand to answer questions and provide information about Council's grantee requirements, such as doing outreach to the unserved and underserved and conducting consumer satisfaction surveys. Grantees also learned about Council's annual external evaluations of projects.
The attendees were given time to network with each other, staff, and Council's members. You can learn more about projects funded by the Ohio DD Council on our Current Projects page.
Outreach: Reaching the Unserved and Underserved
The Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council conducts outreach activities to identify individuals with developmental disabilities and their families who otherwise might not come to the attention of the Council. This also enables individuals and families to obtain services, individualized supports and other forms of assistance including access to special adaptation of generic community or specialized services.
Learn more about why the Ohio DD Council considers outreach as an important part of its work, and how the Council ensures that the unserved and underserved populations are considered in its work. We have added a new section to our website that provides this information along with numerous resources.
Click here to learn more about Outreach to the Unserved and Underserved
Take a survey for the SABE GoVoter Project
The Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) GoVoter Project is collecting information from voters with disabilities across the United States about their voting experience in 2018. Voters with disabilities can complete the SABE GoVoter Experience Survey about the 2018 General Election at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018GoVoterSurvey or email jhuerena@swifamilies.org for a paper copy to mail back. The survey will be open until January 1, 2019.
Read more about the project: The SABE GoVoter Project survey wants feedback from voters with disabilities
SARTAC is Accepting Applications for Paid Fellowships for Self-Advocates
The Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC) is offering six paid Fellowships for self-advocates with developmental disabilities. The fellowship is a one-year project where you will design a project that is about self-advocacy and helps solve problems that many people have.
Fellows work on their projects about six hours each week. SARTAC pays Fellows $5,000 to complete their projects. SARTAC encourages you to find an organization near you to work with you on your project. Your project must end with a report or products others can use.
Six Fellows will be chosen this year. The deadline to apply is Thursday, December 20, 2018, 8:00pm (EST). To apply, fill out the online form here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SARTAC_Fellows19
Want to learn more first to decide if you want to apply? Check out other self-advocates who are SARTAC Fellows at http://selfadvocacyinfo.org/fellows/. You can also join a webinar being held on Monday, November 26 at 3:00pm (EST) that will provide information on how to apply. The meeting link is:
https://umkc.webex.com/umkc/j.php?MTID=m347f580e70aa027f417a39b1a73ae07e or you can join by phone at 1-855-282-6330.