MUI Resource
An MUI is an incident that someone says happened, or says someone told them about, that puts a person’s health and welfare at risk. Additional resources have been developed for people with developmental disabilities and families to better understand major unusual incidents (MUIs) and what happens when one is reported. You can learn more with the Family Guide to Understanding MUIs
Charting the LifeCourse: IEP Series
Planning for Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings can be overwhelming. One great way to approach an IEP meeting is to share the vision for your child's future. You and your child's vision are an imperative piece to IEP planning. Join Family Support Coordinator and Charting the LifeCourse Ambassador, Celia Schloemer, to learn how the Charting the LifeCourse framework and tools can support you in the IEP process and share your vision. This three-part series will be held on March 2, 9, and 16, 2022 from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. To learn more, and register, click here.
Parent to Parent
No parent should ever feel alone. Ohio Parent to Parent (Ohio P2P) is a statewide parent support program. It matches parents, siblings, self-advocates, foster parents, grandparents, etc. who have a family member, of any age, with a disability or special health care need, with an experienced and trained volunteer support parent. The support parent provides support on needs and issues related to parenting and providing care to a loved one with a disability or special healthcare need. Support is provided via email, phone, virtual communication (e.g. Skype, Zoom, etc.) or in-person. See the attached flyer for more information.
In addition, Parent to Parent is recruiting support parents. See the attached flyer for more details.
DODD Core Group Applications
The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) has quarterly Family Advisory Council (FAC) meetings to offer opportunities for families to interact with DODD and offer advice on issues of strategic importance to families. The FAC is guided in collaboration with a core group of family members and people with developmental disabilities. The goal of this FAC Core Group is to strengthen family leadership and ownership of FAC meetings, offer guidance and input to DODD, and take leadership roles in hosting FAC meetings. DODD is seeking members to serve on the FAC Core Group. People with disabilities and family members who are who are interested in participating in a two-year term can learn more, and submit an application to be considered at this link. Application deadline is March 18, 2022.
DODD Family Engagement Survey
The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) would like to ask families of people with disabilities to take this short survey about what DODD family resources they use, and how they were involved with DODD during the past year. The results will inform DODD about how to best support families in 2022. This survey closes March 18, 2022.
March Forth to Employment Virtual Conference
The free March Forth to Employment Virtual Conference (March 4, 2022 from 9 AM - 4 PM) features virtual programming for students ages 16 and above with disabilities and their families, as well as local employers and managers interested in learning more about how to support people with disabilities in employment. Of the two available tracks, the Family/Student track will focus on information valuable to individuals, families, and providers who are working towards and gaining skills for employment. Content specific to the Family/Student track includes: Keynote: Making It Work!; How to Support Individuals at Career Centers; Transportation Realities and Considerations; Charting the LifeCourse; and Self-Advocacy in the Workplace. To learn more and register click here.
UCCEDD Vaccine Session
Many people have questions about the COVID-19 pandemic or are overwhelmed by all the information out there. Others are hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine or booster. Join UCCEDD for a round table conversation on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 from 6 PM to 7:30 PM via Zoom where adults with disabilities will share their experiences with COVID-19. After the round table, the group will stick around to answer questions and discuss how to make an informed choice about the vaccine. To learn more and register, see the attached flyer.
Nisonger Center Survey
Every five years, The Ohio State University Nisonger Center, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, revises its strategic plan and updates what they will work on for the next five years. To do so, they need input from Ohioans with developmental disabilities, family members, services and supports providers, professionals, and other interested stakeholders. They need your ideas about what would make things better for Ohioans with a developmental disability and what is needed to better support their learning, independence, health, and employment options to lead a happy life.
Please complete the Needs Assessment survey by March 11, 2022. Survey takes 15-20 minutes to complete. Links to surveys are below:
Early Planning Pilot Project
The Employment First Task Force is exploring family and educator perspectives of having earlier conversations about transition planning before the age of 14, perhaps even in elementary school. A new webpage has been developed that has surveys for parents of children in elementary school and elementary school educators to share their options and offers universal supports for families and educators, as well. Consider sharing the survey opportunity with your families. To learn more, visit the Early Planning Pilot Project webpage.
Ohio CtLC Showcase
Join families and professionals throughout Ohio at the Ohio CtLC Showcase on May 12th in Westerville, Ohio. This day-long conference will showcase the use of Charting the LifeCourse throughout Ohio. You will learn more about the framework, how to implement it, and hear stories from families and organizations about how they’ve found success with Charting the LifeCourse. You will interact with families, county boards, educators, self-advocates, and CtLC Ambassadors. To learn more, click here.
Additional Resources