Ohio Provider Resource Association’s Post

Get to know the dedicated individuals serving on the Board of Directors for the Ohio Provider Resource Association! Meet Tim Menke, Chief Executive Officer of Lott and District 4 OPRA Board Member.   How many years have you served people with disabilities? 12 years   How long have you been an OPRA member? 4 years   How long has your tenure been on the OPRA Board? 3 years   What is one reason that inspired you to serve on the OPRA Board? To be engaged and more informed about our industry, and to help serve people at Lott to the best of my ability.   How did you get started in our field of work? God’s direction and I obeyed.   What's your dream for Ohioans with disabilities? To be able to enjoy their lives without all the restrictions, guidelines, and rules that regulate their daily lives.   What's one thing you'd like the OPRA Community to know about you? I love serving people in this industry and would love to see them freed from over-regulation. 

So honored to get to be a part of this! Check out the discussion on YAI’s YouTube Channel!

👀 When we launched our long-term strategy and fresh new look yesterday, you may have spotted our new strap line: 'Learning disability allies' 🤔 But what is an 'ally'? 💜 Being an ally is about taking action, making a stand and doing something to make a difference. It's standing up for, and alongside, learning disabled adults and their families. 👇 Find out more about our brand new, long-term strategy, and being an ally here: https://loom.ly/vxJtOZo

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion begins with helping those in most need of thy mercy. Let us always find ways to empower people with disabilities so they can have a safe and fulfilling life. So, reflect on the teachings of Saint Mother Teresa who inspired hope and offered a renewed focus on living a life of love, service, and faith. A few of her quotes are as follows:: “Peace begins with a smile.” “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” My purpose in life is to offer faith and hope to others, as well as create a village where people with disabilities can live together in unity. My hope is to foster partnerships so we can develop a living village for the intellectually disabled. Please help an organization which has a focus of helping the disabled. Research is great but individual support makes an immediate difference in the lives of others. It only takes faith and action to make a difference! Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

The arts enrich our lives. Get to know three arts and culture focused nonprofits that are creating beauty in various fields as they promote inclusion and access for those with disabilities in this article from Let's Get Moving Journal: https://bit.ly/4afcvPj

Young leaders came together to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with a conversation about how to make education and meaningful work more accessible. Hear from young leaders like Divine on what needs to change and how key stakeholders can support the dreams and aspirations of young people with disabilities. Watch the replay here: https://bit.ly/3RDk9gq

I'm late to the party here, but I wanted to make sure folks in my network knew about the Ramp Your Voice! free virtual conference on this Friday, June 7th. The line up is incredible! From the site: "Illuminating the richness of Black disabled people - our joys and truths This conference will intentionally center Black disabled perspectives and create spaces to candidly discuss the topics that matter to us, as well as learn about the talented individuals who are a part of our dynamic community. At the Ramp Your Voice! Conference, we will make the unseen seen and form new connections across fields and endeavors, to lift up and support the intellectual, creative, and joyful talent that runs right through our powerful community. This will go beyond the typical conference - we want to spotlight what WE do. There will be two focal points for the conference: Ramp Your Talent - Showcase Black disabled people’s gifts & abilities to spotlight who we are creatively. This is where the artistry for the conference comes into play. Ramp Your Passion - Display what it looks like to turn your passions into careers or even just expanding your self care and personal knowledge. This houses a more niched, but vital, focus. The idea behind both Ramp Your Talent and Ramp Your Passion is simple - the desire to have a conference that isn’t just intellectually-heavy with facts and data. The intention to display a full holistic charm of the community is the goal. “Solely centering Black disabled voices is an intentional, unapologetic action, one that is long overdue to occur and is strongly needed for us to truly be seen and heard without concerning the gazes of others.” - Vilissa Thompson, LMSW, Founder of Ramp Your Voice!" Live Captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided. https://lnkd.in/gvp_5GXv #Disability #Learning #Diversity #DEI #Access

As Black disabled people, sometimes the disability part of our identity is minimized. Of course, at some point there needs to be a conversation with the rest of our larger community about the fact that our value is the same as everyone else’s. In the meantime, we have each other. - Tinu Abayomi Paul What are your needs and the needs of your people? How can you strengthen trust and transparency within your mutual aid network? Learn more about how mutual aid saves lives in the Disaster Justice Guidebook for People of Color with Disabilities. Download for free at www.justiceshorter.com.

Celebrate 34 years of progress and inclusion with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 🎉 At Myers and Stauffer, we stand strong in our support of the rights and opportunities it champions. Interested in learning about the ADA's impact, benefits, state compliance challenges, and how we can help? Gain valuable insights from Director Julia Kotchevar of our Consulting team in our latest blog post: https://okt.to/6OHVfs

Differently Abled, Specially Abled, Divyang and more, So many names for individuals with disabilities! Check out our 'White Cane Stories' video brought to you by @Grailmaker Innovations. In it, Preetham Gandhi Sunkavalli, an individual with visual impairment employed at a large conglomerate discusses Ableism and offers insights into appropriate language when addressing people with disabilities. https://lnkd.in/grgNMyuu