CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Holmes DD superintendent talks policy with state lawmakers?

The Daily Record - 8/8/2018

MEDINA – In a regional gathering of state lawmakers and county board of developmental disabilities (DD) superintendents on Aug. 3, Holmes County Board of DD Superintendent Marianne Mader met with Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof, R-Medina, and Ohio State Rep. Darrell Kick, R-Loudonville, to discuss disability policy ahead of the upcoming two-year state budget process.

The regional meeting, which was held at the Medina CountyBoard of DD offices, drew superintendents from the Ashland, Holmes, Medina, and Richland County Boards of DD, which together provide services and supports to more than 3,000 people in North Central Ohio.

Supports for Ohioans with developmental disabilities are funded by a combination of local, state and federal dollars. Much of the state’s portion of that funding is decided every two years during Ohio’s biennial budget process, during which lawmakers draw up the state’s two-year spending plan. The 2020-21 state budget will be written in the first half of 2019.

“It’s crucially important to have a relationship with our lawmakers in Columbus,” Mader said. “Our representatives need to know how boards of DD support people locally and how the counties and state can cooperate to better help our friends and family members with developmental disabilities.”

Mader and other board superintendents also spoke to Obhof and Kick about several other DD-related topics, including state funding for DD programs and the ongoing statewide shortage of direct service professionals (DSPs) to care for people with developmental disabilities in home and community-based settings.

“The boards of developmental disabilities provide invaluable services,” Obhof said. “I look forward to working with them proactively as we approach the next state budget cycle.”

Obhof represents Ohio’s 22nd Senate District, which includes all or part of Ashland, Holmes, Medina, and Richland counties. He has served in the Ohio Senate since 2011 and has led the chamber as senate president since 2017. Kick represents Ohio’s 70th House District, which includes all or parts of Medina, Ashland, and Holmes counties.

“I was thrilled to sit down with local leaders in the developmental disabilities community today,” Kick said. “I look forward to continuing the discussion with facilities in my district to get a better understanding of how best to serve them and advocate on behalf of them as they continue their outstanding work.”

The Holmes CountyBoard of DD supports 270 Holmes County residents, including 45 babies and toddlers, nearly 100 school age children, and more than 120 adults with developmental disabilities.

County boards offer a variety of supports for people with developmental disabilities, including early intervention, school age services, and employment services. Established 50 years ago by the Ohio General Assembly, Ohio’s 88 county boards of DD now support more than 93,000 people with developmental disabilities statewide.

Nationwide News