rooms at the Ross County
Service Center to make them
more accessible. In February
the Commissioners were be-
ginning the process of obtaining
quotes and drawing up plans.
The project was 95% complet-
ed by the April 17 Advocacy
Meeting.
Over the past year, the
group has addressed topics
such as healthy eating during
the holidays, summer safety
tips, the marriage penalty, safe-
ty with prescription medica-
tion, safety with personal
space/finances/etc., Employ-
ment First, STABLE account,
and many other topics. Each
month an individual from the
group volunteers to share their
ISP, as well as events and activi-
ties they are involved in within
their community. The goals for
the group in the upcoming year
are to elect new officers, devel-
op new fundraising ideas, de-
termine where scholarship
monies will be utilized, and
continue to address important
topics in our communities.
Individuals from across the
region are welcome. For more
information contact your local
county board or Kendra
Roosa, Advocacy Group Liai-
son, at [email protected]. The
remaining 2018 meeting dates
are May 15, June 19, July 17,
August 21, September 18, Oc-
tober 16, November 20, and
December 18. All will be held
in Room A of the Ross County
Service Center, 475 Western
Avenue, Chillicothe, OH
45601.
The Good Life program
graduated another class in
December 2017. This “mental
model” focuses on the ability
of professionals to show
compassion, appreciation and
respect—not only with the
people they serve, but also
with their professional peers.
This model is about great
relationships and collabora-
tions to enhance services.
The Good Life program fo-
cuses on helping people live a
good life using some funda-
mental tools.
Pictured below: Instructor
Willie Jones, OACB and grad-
uates: front—Amy Jo New-
lun, Frontier Community Ser-
vices, Jane Burdette, Ross;
Whitlee Trimble, Ross, Jessi-
ca Hoffer, Scioto; back—
Stephanie McDowell, Pike;
Joyce Welsh, Pike; Rebecca
Puckett, Vinton; Autumn
Brown, Athens and Erin Hut-
son, Lawrence; Missing: David
McNelly, Athens.
Many of us take for granted
the right to speak up, to act on
our own behalf and to ask for
what we need. Historically, this
hasn’t been the case for individ-
uals with developmental disabili-
ties. Through advocacy, county
boards in Ohio are working to
assist individuals in knowing
their rights and allowing them
to have a say in how they live
their lives. These efforts include
people and organizations advo-
cating for individuals as well as
individuals advocating for them-
selves and others.
To make a difference in the
SOCOG region, individuals are
crossing county lines to em-
power themselves. A group
made up of individuals and rep-
resentatives from many of the
county boards come together
monthly in Chillicothe for a
meeting of the Southern Ohio
Self-Advocacy Group. It meets
the third Tuesday of every
month from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00
p.m. at the Ross County Service
Center in Chillicothe. The
group continues to grow
with attendance averaging 50
-60 people each month.
Counties in attendance typi-
cally include: Adams, Athens,
Clinton, Fayette, Highland,
Jackson, Lawrence, Pickaway,
Pike, Ross, Scioto, and Vin-
ton.
Travis D., advocate from
Pickaway County Board, is
just one example of how the
group is making a difference.
He has been working with
the Ross County Commission-
ers to remodel the public rest-
Good Life Graduation
I N S I D E
T H I S
I S S U E :
County
Boards
Celebrate
Disabilities
Month
2
Announce-
ments &
Acknowl-
edgments
3
S O U T H E R N O H I O
C O U N C I L O F
G O V E R N M E N T S SOCOGnitive Developments A P R I L 2 0 1 8 S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 8
Advocacy—Making a Difference
P A
County Boards Celebrate Disabilities Month
During March, the county boards
in the SOCOG region celebrated
Developmental Disabilities Month in a
variety of ways.
Adams County Board kicked
off DD Awareness Month by holding their
Annual "Celebrating Community" Fund-
raiser Basketball Game. Over $6,000
was Raised for Special Olympics pro-
grams and Guest Speaker Johnny Vilardo
gave a warm welcome to the 1,000
fans. Johnny received
A National Special Olympics Gold Medal
in Golf. Pictured below are
The Venture Productions Hawks and
Cheerleaders with Adams County
Sheriff Kimmy Rogers and his All-Star
Team.
Athens County Board held its First
Annual March on Court Street to kick off
DD Awareness Month. The event began
with the reading of a proclamation by
Athens Mayor Steve Patterson followed
by the march. Over 100 people partici-
pated. The week also featured the annu-
al Athens County board Developmental
Disabilities Awareness Festival. More than
300 people attended to meet, learn
about and celebrate the network of
agencies and providers. Photo: Glenda
M. participated in the march.
Fayette County Board—-Two
advocates from the F.A.C.T. (Fayette
Advocating Change Together) group
attended the 2018 Developmental Disa-
bilities Awareness and Advocacy Day.
Pictured below: State Representative
Gary Scherer, Buffy
Enochs, Chuck Stack-
house and State Sena-
tor Bob Peterson.
Members of the
People First of
Highland County
Self-Advocacy
Group recently attended the Develop-
mental Disabilities Awareness Day in
Columbus. Members met with Rep.
Gary Scherer (Dist. 92) and Sen. Bob
Peterson (Dist. 17) to discuss issues fac-
ing Ohioans with disabilities. Self-
Advocates shared that living in a rural
county presents barriers to employment
and community living, by not having suffi-
cient transportation. Current options for
transportation are often limited to hours
within the week that are not flexible, or
accessible. Other issues that were pre-
sented were the marriage penalties to
their benefits and housing needs in the
community.
Rep. Scherer and Sen. Peterson
shared stories of the history of the
Statehouse and how bills are introduced,
presented and the voting procedures.
They encouraged the group to contin-
ually share their ideas and participate
in the political process, as it directly
affects key issues in their communi-
ties.
Pictured below: Rep. Scherer, Dustin
Turner, Joe Barlett, Sen. Peterson,
Madeline Rogers, Susan Kuhbander,
Wilson Jones, Jean Ann Jones.
Lawrence County Board held
several events for DD Awareness
Month, including a basketball game
between Lawrence County’s Open
Door School and Scioto County DD
and the 19th Annual Chili Fest and
Craft Show. The Chili Fest and Craft
Show attracted more than 750 mem-
bers from the community to pack
Dawson Bryant High School gymnasi-
um.
Meigs County Board celebrat-
ed Developmental Disabilities Aware-
ness Month by providing a Health &
Wellness Fair in conjunction with
Holzer Clinic and other health related
S O C O G N I T I V E D E V E L O P M E N T S
Disabilities Month continued...
P A G E 3 S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 8
organizations to provide health screen-
ings designed for the prevention and
early detection of hidden health
issues. Other organizations included
Meigs Help Me Grow, the Meigs
County OSU Extension Office, OOD,
the Meigs County Early Intervention
Program, the Meigs County Sheriff’s
Department, and several groups
from the Meigs County Health De-
partment.
Pickaway County Board held
its annual "March Madness" basket-
ball games. PCBDD hosted two
games between the Pickaway County
school districts and an integrated game
with Special Olympians and community
members.
Individuals from the Pike County
Board of Developmental Disabil-
ities and Canal Industries made
fleece blankets and donated to Eliza-
beth’s Hope agency helping young
mothers and babies stay warm in
frigid weather. Pictured: Dee Ann Skin-
ner, Mike Macklin and Brandy Camp-
bell.
Vinton County Board presented a
DD Awareness proclamation to the
Vinton County Commissioners. Pic-
tured below: Gregory Gill, Linda
McPhearson, Commissioner Jim
Satory, Don Malone, Commissioner
The Step Up To Quality Program
Standards include four domains:
Learning and Development, Admin-
istrative and Leadership Practices,
Staff Qualifications and Professional
Development, and Family and
Community Partnerships.
Fayette County Board—
Fayette Progressive Preschool
located at the Starting Gate Build-
ing recently received the highest
rating of Five Star through the
Ohio Department of Education’s
Step Up to Quality Rating sys-
tem! Step Up To Quality
(SUTQ). Fayette Progressive
Preschool offers preschool pro-
graming to students with disabili-
ties as well as typically developing
peer models ages 3-5.
Awards were presented at the annu-
al holiday lunch to SOCOG staff
who attained milestones in years of
service. Recipients (pictured below)
included: Jodi Kinker—10 years,
Kendra Roosa—5 years, Tiffany
Stephenson—5 years and Lori
Lippert—10 years.
Adams County Board of
DD recently received a three-
year accreditation.
Highland County Board —
Hills and Dales Preschool
received the highest possible
rating of 5 STARS in the Step
Up to Quaility (SUTQ) rating
and improvement system ad-
ministered by the Ohio De-
partment of education and
Ohio Department of Job and
Family services. it recognizes
and promotes learning and
development programs that
meet quality program stand-
ards that exceed licensing
health and safety regulations.
Announcements & Acknowledgments
Do things together we
can't do effectively and efficiently alone
Offer members a trusted source of external expertise and feedback
SOCOG Mission Statement
April 2018
27 West Second Street, Suite 202
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601
Phone: 740-775-5030
Fax: 740-775-5023
The Southern Ohio Council of Govern-
ments was formed in March 1996 and be-
gan serv ices in March 1997. The Counc i l
was created by Super intendents of County
Boards of Developmental Disabi l it ies in
southern Ohio. The Council is a govern-
ment ent ity created under Chapter 167 of
the Ohio Revised Code, represent ing 15
County Boards of Developmenta l Disab i l i -
t ies . The Counci l provides admin istrat ive
supports for County Boards in Adams,
Athens , Brown, Cl inton , Fayette, Gal l ia ,
Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, P icka-
way, P ike, Ross, Sc ioto and Vinton Coun-
ties . Office hours - M-F
8:00AM-4:00PM
We’re on the web at
www.socog.org