March 27, 2015

by: Client Contributor

Developmental Disability Awareness and Advocacy Day 2015

This week’s blog post was written by Diane Cox, a UCP parent and a member of the Ohio Developmental Disability Council. Below she shares her experience about attending this year’s Ohio Developmental Disability Awareness and Advocacy Day, which took place on March 3 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.

UCLA Basketball Coach John Wooden said, “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” Sometimes people see a developmental disability and instantly see all the things a person cannot do. However, this leaves out seeing the possibility that comes from all of the other things that person is capable of. There are definitely people in the state of Ohio who are dedicated to working towards changing this common perception.

Every March there are campaigns to raise awareness about Developmental Disabilities and the issues that are important to those whose lives are impacted by a disability. For the past several years, the Public Policy Committee of the Ohio Developmental Disability Council provides an annual grant for a DD Awareness and Advocacy Day at the Ohio Statehouse to help highlight these issues and bring together people with disabilities, their families, and their advocates. The event was on March 3rd this year and, for a second year, all 400 attendance slots were filled in advance of the event. This year’s theme of the day was, “Can Do, Like You!” and it brought to light the fact that motivated people with disabilities can do things like everyone else, just many times it may be a slower process or they may have to go about it in different ways.

After guests are registered in the morning, the day begins with an hour-long kick-off rally in the Statehouse Rotunda, where a bunch of very motivational speakers with disabilities share their personal stories of triumph and success. Emceed by Shari Cooper (a self-advocate, blogger, and amazing speaker from Dayton), and including the Director from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, we were introduced to people who proved that a disability couldn’t hold them back from having and realizing their dreams. We met people who have gone through training courses to be certified to train others to advocate for themselves, people who started their own small-business when others thought it wasn’t possible, people who belong to a very successful mentoring and buddy program, and people who have traveled to Washington, DC to lobby their legislators for changes in the Federal law on behalf of people with disabilities. Our final speaker was Jack Wolf – a wonderful 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy who, despite being in a wheelchair, is an incredibly active, involved, and dynamic young man. He and his family (and his support dog, Tommy) make sure that Jack can participate fully in anything he sets his mind to – including campouts with the Boy Scouts, power wheelchair soccer, and playing the euphonium in his High School’s marching band. Jack also finds time to be a local celebrity, having been in the St. Patrick’s Day parade and countless local news stories, and dedicates himself to helping fundraise for MD research. When Jack finished his presentation, there wasn’t a person in the room that wasn’t excited to go out and challenge themselves.

After the speakers finished, arrangements had already been made for anyone who was interested to meet with their area legislators. Meeting appointments and issue fact-sheets were provided in registration packets to help make these meetings easier. Attendees were encouraged to speak about the following issues: 1. Medicaid Asset Limits; 2. The Ohio Medicaid Waiver Waiting Lists; and 3. Home Visitibility. But it is often very important to use this time to talk about your own concerns and to share your personal story – learning about a constituent who has current needs and has spent 5 years on a waiver waiting list goes a long way at helping a legislator understand why changes in funding are so important.

If you’ve ever wondered what you can do to help get something changed, this is definitely the place to start. It is a great day of motivation and a day of action that I highly recommend to anyone whose lives are touched by a disability. Look for this event March 2016 or contact Paul Jarvis at the Ohio Developmental Disability Council (Paul.Jarvis@dodd.ohio.gov) to be added to their email list.

Diane Cox
UCP Parent and Chair of the Public Policy Committee of the Ohio Developmental Disability Council

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