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 kroosa@socog.org. 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