Council launches Food Desert article series
The Ohio DD Council presents Ohio’s Food Desert Crisis, an article series that aims to educate and inform people about food deserts and their impact on low-income communities affecting unserved and underserved individuals across Ohio, including those with developmental disabilities.
There are four articles in the series:
- Recognizing a Food Desert
- Impact of Food Inaccessibility
- Impact on Physical and Behavioral Health
- Community-Minded Solutions
Read the first article of this series, Recognizing a Food Desert, here: https://ddc.ohio.gov/food-desert-series-1
Ohio DD Council Members Go to Washington!
Ohio DD Council Member Michael Denlinger was one of almost a dozen Council Members who traveled to Washington DC this past September to participate in federal briefings on disability policy and to meet with members of Congress. Denlinger, serving as a DD Council Member from Hamilton County, was able to meet with his Congressman Steve Chabot and with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.
The trip, planned by the Ohio DD Council, and also by the Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities and the Ohio Statewide Independent Living Council, provided members of all three organizations an opportunity to learn, network and advocate. The program included a day where members learned about Medicaid block-grants, the Disability Integration Act, and efforts to eliminate healthcare discrimination against people with disabilities.
Denlinger has been a vocal advocate with his federal policymakers for years, but he said this was the first time he was able to meet face-to-face with his Congressman.
“It was only a few minutes with Chabot, but I’m glad he saw that we were there and had a chance to say hi to us,” said Denlinger. “Sherrod Brown spent a considerable amount of time with us and I feel like he really heard us when we spoke up.”
Jo Spargo, Chairwoman of the DD Council, said this trip was the best one she’s participated in as a member of the Council.
“Our meetings with legislators went very well, and having folks representing county boards and independent living centers in each meeting made the conversation with each of the policymakers flow very smoothly,” said Spargo. “I know this was a lot of work to plan, but it was definitely worth it in the end.”
Council members were armed with two Fact Sheets to share with legislators or their staff: a sheet highlighting DD Council project outcomes from 2018 and a sheet identifying federal policy barriers to employment for people with disabilities. Each member participated in three meetings on Capitol Hill.
Speakers during the Wednesday afternoon briefings included Andy Schneider, Research Professor of the Practice at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy; Sheryl Grossman, Community Living Advocate for the National Council on Independent Living; Roger Severino, Director of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Erin Prangley, Director of Policy for the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities.
The State of Tech: Teaching Tech
An important part of being able to use technology is to be able to learn how to use it, such as through training programs, webinars, community events and more. For people with developmental disabilities, this is even more important and is a need for many.
Read the fourth of a four-part series, The State of Tech: Teaching Tech, to learn how organizations and state government are beginning to devote resources to bridge the digital divide caused by systemic issues and gaps in access to technology.
The entire series is available here: The State of Tech
Stay informed: Check out our Events Calendar!
Interested in family supports trainings, transition bootcamps, assistive technology fairs guardianship workshops, and much more? Check out what's happening in Ohio on our Event Calendar page!
And let us know if you have event that we can add to the calendar. Send an information with the event information to Kim Crishbaum at kimberly.crishbaum@dodd.ohio.gov.