Recent Events

Here is information about recent events hosted by OOTF or our partners.

Accessible Ohio Expo

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Ohio Olmstead Task Force’s table at the #AccessibleOhio Conference and Expo! Thank you for having us and hope to see you next year.

Picture of conference table with Ohio Olmstead Task Force banner and swag. People talking and brick walls in the background.

OOTF Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Advocacy Retreat

OOTF received funding from the Administration on Community Living (ACL) to participate in the Grassroots Project: Supporting Disability Advocacy project. This project was administered by the Human Services Research Institute. With the funding we received, OOTF hosted a two-day advocacy retreat that consisted of 18 individuals along with caregivers. The retreat aimed to educate individuals on the current HCBS landscape in Ohio, brainstorm how to improve the system for all who utilize the services, and to strengthen advocacy partnerships. The goal was to develop a list of goals and objectives for systemic change. OOTF hopes to use the information for capacity building of the grassroots advocacy in Ohio in the future.

We would like to thank our funders and those who participated in the retreat for their expertise, knowledge, and support! The following individuals and organizations participated in the event:

Jennifer Kucera, Chair of OOTF; Brittanie Maddox, Vice Chair of OOTF; Kara Ayers, UCCEDD and Cincinnati Children’s; Jordan Ballinger, Disability Rights Ohio; Kelsey Bergfeld, Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging; Jeremy Bigelow, Advocate; Elizabeth Brassell, Advocate; Sarah Davies, GT Independence; Sally Fish, The Ability Center of Greater Toledo; Dee Henry, Independence Alliance; Susan Koller, Advocate; Beth Kowalczyk, Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging; Latisha Martin, Advocate; Jeremy Morris, Ohio SILC; Jules Patalita, The Ability Center of Greater Toledo; Elizabeth Piazza, Pearl’s Hope; Rajai Saleh, Secretary of OOTF; Gina Wilt, COHHIO

OOTF HCBS Advocacy Retreat Presentation Download

O4A Annual Conference

Photo of conference attendees with presentation screen in background.

Photo of conference attendees seated at table.

Jennifer Kucera presented alongside Brittanie Maddox and Claire Gaglione from Disability Rights Ohio (DRO) at the annual O4A Conference. The group discussed voting rights for people with disabilities and strategies for successful advocacy.

We want to thank everyone who attended the session as well as O4A for their continued partnership and inclusion! If you would like to view the PowerPoint, please click here: http://ohioaging.org/wp-content/uploads/Workshp-8-kucera-Maddox-Gaglione-Revised.pdf.

Ohio Housing Conference

Picture of people speaking at a conference

Picture of cupcakes with decorations of the number 25

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) and Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing hosted the annual Ohio Housing Conference and OOTF was there! The conference’s target audience was anyone with passion for affordable housing. Attendees included housing developers, property managers, architects, real estate professionals, lenders, government officials, nonprofit organizations, and more.

OOTF Chair, Jennifer Kucera, presented about the Independent Living (IL) movement and the Olmstead Decision. OOTF Secretary, Rajai Saleh, and others spoke about the housing crisis and the lack of accessible affordable housing. OOTF member, Lynne Johannson, moderated the session, which included cupcakes celebrating the 25th anniversary of Olmstead.

If you or your organization are hosting an event and would like that added to the calendar, contact OhioOlmstead@gmail.com.