#AdvocacyMatters: The Year Ahead

October 3, 2025 / #AdvocacyMatters

Our work is most effective when it's informed by the actual, lived experiences of Ohioans with disabilities. Every year we survey advocates, allies, experts, and community members to create the clearest picture of life for Ohioans with disabilities. This feedback is used to develop our organization's annual Goals and Objectives, an outline used to guide our work in the coming year.

This week kicked off a new fiscal year for our organization, marking the official beginning of these new Goals & Objectives. Our new goals have been informed by more than 530 surveys completed by Ohioans with disabilities, including more than 450 directly from people living in facility settings.

This year's goals include pillars like:

• Strengthening and expanding access to community-based supports and services;
• Increasing positive educational outcomes for students with disabilities;
• Supporting disabled people to participate in advocacy and policymaking to address major, systemic issues that directly impact their lives;
• Ensuring voters with disabilities have equal access to voting systems and the information and resources they need to enforce their rights.

You can read our full list of Goals & Objectives at disabilityrightsohio.org/goals
This guide will help shape and inform our work and distribute our limited resources in the coming year.

We trust that together this work will help us get closer to our ultimate vision: Voices Elevated. People Empowered. Equity Achieved.

#AdvocacyMatters