Events

Community Food Drive
The Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities recently partnered with ten Knox County agencies and businesses to hold a Community Food Drive Competition. In a ceremony on October 3, Knox Developmental Disabilities honored the Food Drive Leaders. The People’s Bank and the Knox County Health Department tied for first place, each providing food worth an estimated $331. The Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities came in second and Body Basics came in third. The ten agencies and businesses that acted as collection points for donations to benefit Interchurch Food Pantry for the week of September 22 were Opportunity Knox, Hospice of Knox County, WMVO/93Q, Knox County Health Department, Knox County Head Start, Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Allison’s Finer Diner, Knox County Sheriff’s Department, The People’s Bank and Body Basics.
Joy Harris of Interchurch estimated that this drive provided over $1300 worth of food to help replenish Interchurch’s empty pantries. Harris explained that Interchurch has seen an almost 10% (ten percent) increase in the amount of families that they serve over the last few months and they expect the need to continue to grow. Knox Developmental Disabilities recognizes that this is an ongoing need, and so we plan to continue to sponsor food drives on a regular basis in the coming year. (Pictured below left to right: Brian Benick of the Health Department, Joy Harris of Interchurch, Tessa Selby and Deb Kirk of The People’s Bank and Steve Oster of Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities accepting their awards for the Community Food Drive).

Partners In Justice Community Training
The Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities recently partnered with Ohio Partners in Justice Coalition to provide a training for Mental Health professionals, Developmental Disabilities staff, justice system and law enforcement professionals, and Adult Day Service providers. Over 40 professionals attended this event intended to foster collaboration to benefit individuals that receive services across the Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Justice systems.

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State Accredits Knox KCBDD

The Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities has been accredited by the state for the quality services and supports they provide to people with disabilities.

The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) issued the highest-level accreditation that can be given and it was presented to the Board of Developmental Disabilities during their November 13 board meeting by Beth Chambers, Review Manager for the Ohio Office of Provider Standards and Review.

  “That the Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities received this five-year accreditation means that you not only met compliance with our minimum standards set forth by the DODD," said Chambers, “But that you exceeded them with several areas of excellence.”
The Ohio Department of DD found that the Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities provided an exceptional level of service following an extensive review completed in July. Chambers supervised the team that was lead by Heather Leffler from DODD. The team, which specializes in the rules and regulations governing county boards of Developmental Disabilities, conducted a very thorough examination of the Board that included interviews, on-site reviews and extensive records reviews.
After the Knox County Board was found to be in compliance, the accreditation team recommended that the Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities apply for the “Areas of Excellence” citing exceptional standards in monitoring and an exemplary Early Intervention program as just a few of the ways in which the Knox County Board is a leader in quality services.
“You should really be proud of the person-centered planning you offer in Knox County,” Chambers said to the Board. “I heard positive feedback from everyone we spoke to… You really went above and beyond to think outside the box and hold yourselves to higher standards.”

"Very few counties receive a five year accreditation,” said Teresa Bemiller, Board president. “On behalf of the Board members I congratulate Superintendent Steve Oster, the staff, individuals and providers on this important accomplishment."

Knox Developmental Disabilities Superintendent Steve Oster said that he is proud of the achievement, but he plans to continue to push for quality, choice and Self-Determination in the coming year.

“We are very ambitious,” Oster said. “We just finished our departmental goals for our Annual Action Plan and we are really challenging ourselves next year.  We continue to reorganize internally to be more efficient with what we have and we are participating in Quality Services Systems training to ensure we have the tools to continue to pursue excellence.”

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Important Notices

Local Advocate Speaks at Statehouse

COLUMBUS – Mount Vernon resident John G. Gillespie spoke at the Statehouse on May 13 in favor of House Bill 118. As a representative of People First of Ohio, a self-advocacy group for individuals with disabilities, Gillespie encouraged the passage of this bill that will eliminate the words ‘Mental Retardation’ from the name of the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, local county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and other state funds.

Ohio is one of only six (6) states in the nation still using the term 'Mental Retardation' in the name of state-funded agencies. HB 118 proposes a revision of the state law that created and named these agencies for the purpose of eliminating this term.

After many years of grassroots effort from the disability community, the movement to change the state law gained traction this year and passed the Senate on April 21 with a 32-0 vote. The bill still needs to pass the House before it can be signed into law by Governor, Ted Strickland.

Many advocates for the name change point out that mental retardation is a developmental disability and so the current name used by state and local agencies is redundant. Also at issue, is a desire to more accurately reflect the diverse population that County Boards of Developmental Disabilities serve.

“The Knox County Board serves a very diverse community of individuals, including individuals with Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Down Syndrome, Mental Retardation and many other developmental disabilities,” says Superintendent, Steve Oster. “Everyone we have discussed this with; the individuals, the families, the Board members, the Commissioners and self-advocacy groups like People First and Aktion Club, are all for it,” said Oster. “I believe that they inherently understand what legislators have been slow to recognize: by keeping Mental Retardation in our name we are furthering the perception that all individuals we serve have the attributes of one particular developmental disability when, in fact, they have a variety of abilities.”

In Ohio, ten (10) counties have already chosen to drop the term ‘Mental Retardation’ and now operate their county agencies under the name County Board of Developmental Disabilities. In addition, at least eight other counties are considering such a switch. These include:  Butler, Fairfield, Guernsey, Hocking, Huron, Knox, Richland, and Vinton. 

Many counties, like Knox, have seen their efforts stall due to the current law. County Boards that have chosen to go forward with the name change do so at the discretion of their County Commissioners and County Prosecutors and currently face inconsistencies in ballot language since the name they operate under differs from the one recognized by law.

“It is at the discretion of each county’s Commissioners and the County Prosecutors if they feel comfortable allowing a County Board of Developmental Disabilities to do businesses as a County Board of Developmental Disabilities instead,” said Oster. “While they may support the reasoning behind the name change, some are just not comfortable modifying the name until the state law changes.”

Although it is likely that changes at the state level may happen quickly following the bill passage, Dan Ohler, Executive Director of the Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities, requested in testimony on April 21that County Boards be given the opportunity to make the change in their counties in the timeframe between bill passage and Dec. 31, 2012, in order for County Boards to work through a gradual changeover. 

Knox County's Own Danielle Brown is Ms. Wheelchair Ohio 09!

Knox County’s own Danielle Brown from Danville won this year’s Ms. Wheelchair Ohio. Brown, 25, competed against individuals with disabilities from across the state for the Ms. Wheelchair America pageant’s Ms. Ohio crown.

As part of her responsibilities as Ms. Wheelchair Ohio 2009, Brown will spend the year speaking at events across Ohio advocating for awareness and accessibility for all individuals with disabilities. She will have the opportunity to travel, visiting advocacy groups, making public appearances and conducting radio, print and TV interviews.

Ms. Brown recently graduated from the Knox County Career Center where she received a degree in Computer Office Technology. She is the treasurer of the Knox County Aktion Club, a Kiwanis sponsored club for adult individuals with disabilities to learn leadership through community service. She also models clothing for the local Fashion Bug and has participated in Special Olympics, winning gold and silver medals in swimming. She is currently seeking sponsors to help her compete in the national Ms. Wheelchair America pageant taking place this August in South Dakota.
For more information visit:
www.MsWheelchairOhio09.com or e-mail MsWheelchairOhio09@gmail.com

Parent 2 Parent Group Gets Rolling

Parent 2 Parent needs you! The Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities is supporting the formation of the Parent 2 Parent Mentoring Group. This group welcomes families to build the connections that will help their children live fuller lives in the community. Parents of school aged children with disabilities can tap into the experience and specialized knowledge of other parents that understand their questions, concerns and frustrations. Parents experienced in the challenges and triumphs of raisings a child with special needs can provide a family struggling with the same concerns and challenges as they once did wih guidance, support, resources and advocacy. All participants are volunteers that can have as little or as much involvement as they would like. To learn more about this growing program go to: www.knoxdd.com/p2p.html

Special Edition of The Ambassador

The Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities could not wait to tell everyone about all the great partnerships, events and activities that happened in March! So, we issued a special edition of our Ambassador newsletter, called ‘Branching Out,’ to talk about all our community growth! To read this publication online (PDF format) click HERE!

Our Goal is "Green"

If you have not yet given us your e-mail address, there is no better time than the present! You can receive publications and other information the “green” way. You can help save money and save trees! Please send us your name and e-mail address to: support@knoxmrdd.com.

The New 2-1-1
Have you ever wondered how to find help or a community service for yourself or someone in need? For the millions of Americans needing help every day (from locating financial assistance during a family crisis, to finding adequate care for an aging parent, or searching for the highest quality child care) 2-1-1 is an easy-to remember number connecting them quickly to community resources and volunteer opportunities. No more wasted time trying to find the right resource. You will reach a trained, caring professional 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. It's efficient, fast and easy to use. And it's all free and completely confidential.

Emergency Preparedness
The Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities is collaborating with many other agencies, health care and social services providers to distribute awareness material about the need to be prepared for emergencies. As the recent windstorm has shown, emergencies can strike at any time and have lasting effects on the safety and well-being of individuals in the community. Though some people feel it is impossible to be prepared for unexpected events, the truth is that taking preparedness actions helps people deal with disasters of all sorts much more effectively. Make a kit, make a plan and be informed. The Knox County Board now has Emergency Preparedness kits available at our Administrative offices. For more information about how you can be prepared visit www.ready.gov or 1-800 -BE-READY.

Flu Season Foresight
The Flu season is fast approaching and yearly flu vaccinations have begun. In America every year more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications and 36,000 people die from the flu. There are important precautions that you can take to protect yourself. Some of these precautions are simple, such as washing your hands frequently to avoid getting sick. Anyone who wants to reduce their chances of getting the flu can also get vaccinated. For more information on flu prevention or the flu vaccine, contact your doctor or the Knox County Health Department at 740-392-2200.

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People First Language

Language reflects how we see one another. That's why words can hurt. It's also why we use and we encourage you to choose language that reflects the dignity of people who have disabilities—words that put the individual first, rather than the disability.

• Think 'people first.' Say 'a woman who has mental retardation,' rather than 'a mentally retarded woman.'
• Avoid words like 'unfortunate,' afflicted,' 'suffers from' and ,victim.'
• Don't cast an individual with a disability as a superhuman model of courage. People with disabilities are just people, not tragic figures or demigods.
• Mental retardation or any other developmental disability is not a disease. Do not use 'symptoms,' patient' or 'treatment,' unless the individual has an illness as well as a disability.
• Use common sense. Avoid terms with obvious negative or judgmental connotations, such as 'crippled,' 'deaf and dumb,' 'lame' and 'defective.' If you aren't sure how to refer to an individual's condition, ask. And, if the disability is not relevant, why mention it at all?
• Never refer to an individual as 'confined to a wheelchair.' Wheelchairs enable people to escape confinement. An individual with a mobility impairment 'uses' a wheelchair.
• Try to describe people without disabilities as 'typical' rather than 'normal.'
  

Adapted from Ohio Public Images/Public Images Network's “People First Language"

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Press Releases

Please click the links below to view our press releases in PDF format.