BLOGS

At this time last year, I wrote about 2024 being transformative. If I had to pick a word for 2025, it would be transitional, and while transitional sounds very boring, I assure you, the past year was anything but boring for the Allen County Board of Developmental Disabilities! Like many of you, we experienced opportunities to learn, opportunities to educate, many firsts, many challenges, painful losses, and joyful beginnings. It was a wonderful and busy year as we built upon

Layla has come an incredibly long way since beginning her Early Intervention (EI) journey. She started services in her first month of life at just 5 lbs 3 oz and dependent on a feeding tube. Within those first months of working with EI's Occupational Therapist, Nicole Wilson, Layla’s family learned that she had a lip, cheek, and tongue tie. Once those ties were released, they hoped feeding would become easier, but Layla still struggled to eat more than an ounce at a time. In

Josh (left) & Nathan (right) Meet Nathan and Josh. Josh has been working with Nathan as his independent provider for over a year, however they knew each other long before that from attending the same church. When Josh became an independent provider, the two working together happened rather quickly. Now, Nathan and Josh spend a lot of time together. Josh assists Nathan with his medical needs, transports him to different events, and grocery shops for him. “It’s great to be able

The June Employee of the Month is Rico Sanchez. Rico is a recent graduate of Apollo Career Center and the Project SEARCH program. Project SEARCH is a high school transition program through Apollo that takes place entirely at Mercy Health/St. Rita’s Medical Center . The internships allow participants to explore jobs they might not have been aware of and gain employment and social skills to prepare for the workforce. As with many teens, Rico has explored his options to determin

The Board's Speech Language Pathologist, Marisa Odenweller, and Developmental Specialist- Speech/Communication, Samantha Bullock, participated in a Q + A session to discuss the impact of speech therapy for children in Early Intervention services. Read the session below to learn more about speech therapy for children under three, strategies and supports Marisa and Sam offer, and their own experiences as parents with a child who was in Early Intervention. How do you approach sp

The Allen County Board of Developmental Disabilities has coordinated a career camp for local youth since 2018. Career Exploration Camp is an opportunity for youth to learn about different careers, explore their strengths and weaknesses, and hopefully gain an understanding of what they would like to do in the future upon graduation. Over the course of four days, the youth visit local businesses and discuss their likes, interests and strengths in a workgroup. One person who can

Advocacy is at the forefront of making sure those with developmental disabilities are seen, heard, and respected. Every year in March we celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and a highlight of the month is DD Awareness & Advocacy Day at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. On March 4th, a group of self-advocates took part in this important and meaningful day. Abby, Aumesha, James and Linda spent the day listening to other self-advocates, learning about advocacy i