Would you like get involved in the community and help make central Ohio more inclusive? Best Buddies is accepting applications for Best Buddies Citizens in Franklin County, a program that pairs an adult with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) in a one-to-one friendship with an adult without IDD from their local community. The Franklin …
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Palette Pals, a new student organization at the Ohio State University, is inviting teens and adults with developmental disabilities to take part in a free, recreational art program. Organizer Kaitlin Herman said the aim is to create interaction among OSU students, people with developmental disabilities and their families, while empowering the creativity of the disabilities …
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Drawing and painting make Wallace Peck happy. His art makes other people happy, too. Sometimes so much so that they laugh and cry. Peck notices this, of course. But he’s more likely to take the emotional reactions in stride than to puzzle over them. Peck just enjoys basking in the connections between him, his viewers …
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The Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Ohio Self Determination Association (OSDA) are hosting a regional meeting in August for self-advocates in the central Ohio area. The gathering aims to re-activate the work of the Central Ohio Self Determination Association, a regional group of the OSDA that had paused events during the pandemic. The …
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Even before they picked up their first knitting needles or tugged at a skein of yarn, Destiny Hawkins and Peggy Bergados already were on track for success at their new hobby. “They have such motivation,” said Kristen McKenna, their knitting instructor. “These two are amazing.” McKenna, who regularly teaches through a craft-classes enterprise in Westerville …
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A vacant call center in Grove City has been transformed into a bright, welcoming and barrier-free space for adults with developmental disabilities. ARC Industries recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new facility on Marlane Drive, which expects to provide active treatment and community-based services for about 75 people. A majority will be residents of …
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As she stood before an audience that had swelled to more than 400 people, Lattie Harrington realized she wasn’t feeling like her usual happy self. “I thought, ‘Uh-oh, what just happened? It got me,” she said. “I got stage fright. I cried a little bit.” But the tears didn’t linger, and Harrington soon felt happy …
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Ask Hope Johnson to describe what she does, and her answer – Just about everything! – says a lot about the way she embraces her job as a direct-support professional. “We go out and integrate ourselves into the community,” Johnson said, smiling. “I tell people, if it’s somewhere I’d take my kids, family or friends, …
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For the first time since 2019, the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities is hosting an in-person provider fair to help connect people with disabilities and local disability-services providers. The annual event, which draws hundreds of families and providers, did not take place for the past three years due to the COVID pandemic. This year’s …
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For nearly a decade, Honeywell has partnered with ARC Industries to employ people with developmental disabilities. The crew started with six people, has grown to 24 and now makes up the largest on-site crew in ARC’s group employment program. Paula Daugherty heads up value-added services at Honeywell’s PPE distribution center in Groveport, where the ARC …
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