Franklin County DD Clippers Day
 Save The Date:
July 30 is our Franklin County DD Clippers Day at Huntington Park! Stop by and enjoy watching the Columbus Clippers take on Toledo. Tickets will be $6 and parking will be $7. There will also be concession stand specials, and we also will have the nicely shaded pavilion! More information to come soon on where to snag your tickets.
Staff Appreciation Week Celebrated
 The first full week of May, we had a blast celebrating Staff Appreciation week!
From May 4-8, Early Childhood Education celebrated, and each day was different. Monday was a Treat Trolley that came through providing a variety of fun treats for all staff members. Many thanks to our Partners at CDCFC Head Start for all the treats that made our Treat Trolley! Tuesday was Queso & Chips not only in honor of staff appreciation, but also Cinco de Mayo. Wednesday was Crafts & Donuts. Thursday was Thirsty Thursday with a big variety of beverage flavors to create. Friday was their finale wrap-up with a fun pizza party from Jet's Pizza.
Administrative staff also celebrated by having a special Cinco de Mayo Staff Appreciation party on May 5, and served breakfast pizza from Hounddogs Pizza full of breakfast meats, eggs and topped with french fries.
There was also a staff appreciation celebrated at West Central which was a lot of fun.
Graduation 2026 for West Central
 The 48th Annual West Central School graduation ceremony was held of May 27. Franklin County DD Superintendent/CEO Dot Yeager served as master of ceremonies. Barb Sapharas is the sibling of a person with intellectual disabilities, and she provided the commencement address for the 28 graduates. Barb is also a retired Cuyahoga County DD employee after 36 years of service, and is now an Ohio Ambassador of 'Charting the Life Course'.
We want to congratulate all their seniors on a job well done, and wish them the very best of luck with their future endeavors!
DD Caucus
Pictured, from left to right: Jake Dowling (OACB), Dot Yeager, Superintendent
(Franklin DD), Alicia Leatherman, CEO (Childhood League Center),
Rep. Mike Odioso, and Rep. Crystal Lett.
OACB has reported that Co-chair State Reps. Crystal Lett (D-Franklin) and Mike Odioso (R-Hamilton) and member Senator Bill DeMora (D-Franklin) hosted a meeting of the Legislative DD Caucus on Monday at the Childhood League Center in Columbus. The meeting marked the caucus's first gathering following a lengthy hiatus. Lett and Odioso are both parents of children with developmental disabilities, while DeMora has a niece with a developmental disability.
The meeting included updates on Early Intervention (EI) services, including a reported 35% increase in children entering the EI system statewide. Representatives from the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) also discussed efforts to expand EI-related supports, including extending the Bright Beginnings program to children ages birth through 5 and broadening the age range for the department’s “Ages and Stages” questionnaire. DCY shared that the expanded outreach efforts connected with more than 20,000 families over the past year.
Caucus members and attendees also discussed several policy issues affecting Ohio’s DD system, including concerns regarding Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) ventilator capacity and the potential impact of eliminating property taxes through a future constitutional amendment proposal. County board representatives and providers described ongoing challenges involving children remaining in hospitals because of limited ICF ventilator placement capacity statewide. Participants discussed how those gaps can create additional strain across multiple local systems.
Attendees and caucus members also shared concerns about the potential impact eliminating property taxes could have on local DD services. Discussions emphasized the importance of maintaining stable local funding sources to support people with developmental disabilities and their families.
What does this mean for county boards?
The return of the Legislative DD Caucus creates additional opportunities for people with developmental disabilities, families, providers, and county boards to engage directly with lawmakers involved in DD policy discussions.
Good for you!
Notable achievements in the Franklin County DD community
 We have a very special congratulations for Franklin County DD Human Resources Clerical Aide, Jenny Cunningham. She has won not one...not two...but THREE gold medals at Special Olympics! These were awarded based on her top notch performance for bench press, deadlift, and a total combined score. Join us in congratulating her on this amazing accomplishment!
 Get ready for the brand new Mirolo Sensory Park! Whether you come to play, relax, reconnect or simply soak up the sun, this park is a wonderful addition to our community. This amazing park is brought to you by Open Door Columbus.
Want to take a look? You are invited to the upcoming Community Opening.
Mirolo Sensory Park Community Opening
Sunday, July 12
12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Open Door Columbus
540 Industrial Mile Road
Columbus, Ohio 43228
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