#AdvocacyMatters: Starting Fresh

January 10, 2025 / #AdvocacyMatters

Since we turned our calendars to 2025, much of Ohio has been blanketed in snow. This feels most appropriate, as these sheets of clean powder represent well the fresh start a new year can bring. After some time away to rest and reflect throughout the holidays, our focus now turns to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

We continue our push to grow and expand our capacity to support better educational outcomes for young people with disabilities all across Ohio. By securing funding beyond our core federal grants, we hope to maintain additional positions within our education team. In a 3-month period earlier this year, our education advocate was able to assist 67 families with the information and support they needed to better advocate for their students. Our Education Fellow, another position supported by non-traditional funding, routinely assists more than 200 families a year through the IEP process.

We remain focused on this year's Goals and Objectives. Kicking off at the start of our fiscal year last October 1st, this document describes and defines the specific areas of focus for our organization and our work. These goals have been informed by nearly 500 surveys completed by Ohioans with disabilities - including hundreds directly from people living in facility settings - and input from our PAIMI Advisory Council. You can read our full list of Goals & Objectives at disabilityrightsohio.org/goals

We are also wrapping up work on an exciting project to increase awareness and elevate understanding of our organization in underserved communities across Ohio. For more than a year, our team has hosted listening sessions with communities that are disconnected from disability-related resources and services. All that we learned throughout these conversations are informing a series of introductory videos and individualized plans to better reach these communities. Set to debut in the coming weeks, these videos will be available in 8 different languages to better reach all those in need of our advocacy.

With 2025 underway, we invite you to join us in continuing this push for a truly equitable Ohio for people with disabilities. You can get involved by sharing our story, supporting our mission, and investing in our work.

#AdvocacyMatters