Many years ago, when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was on the horizon but not yet law, I did trainings for companies called “Windmills Training.” The idea was to educate and to challenge general notions about disability, especially in the workplace. The two-hour training featured activities such as tying a brick onto the bottom …
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Franklin County residents with developmental disabilities who want to be employed can look to many sources of support—their Franklin County DD service coordinators, providers, advocacy organizations and the state’s Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities. But it’s also important to remember how much a person can accomplish on his or her own, Franklin County DD board …
Read More Recently I read a book about ableism, specifically about ableism in the church. It included a nugget of research that is truly startling. The author noted a 2018 study by the disability equality organization SCOPE that found 67% of people were uncomfortable talking to someone with a disability. Let that sink in. Two-thirds were afraid …
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Hunter Primmer was just 2 years old when he discovered that he could captivate his family – and himself – by changing his voice. The characters, dialects and scripts have been flowing ever since. “It’s a lot of fun,” said Primmer, 25. “I love it.” Primmer, who markets himself as ‘Hunter P Voice,’ has autism. …
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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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Deshaun Washington couldn’t help but notice how often his neighbor seemed to be out helping people, lending a hand or offering guidance. And if he wasn’t helping someone, James Leonard likely was working. “He’s a good man,” Washington said of Leonard, the Transportation Director at the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities. “A good, hardworking …
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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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Bill Ryan admits to being skeptical about hiring Emma Snailham as a bus assistant for the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities. After so many surgeries on her hands, he worried she wouldn’t have the dexterity to safely secure a wheelchair. Ryan may never have been so happily wrong. Not only could Snailham handle the …
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During the early days of the pandemic, with most schoolwork and socializing taking place on a screen, Sierra Olsen came to an important realization about her future. “I decided that I didn’t want a job where I just sat in front of a computer,” she said. That knowledge eventually led to a summer position with …
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