Contact the Community Connections Team by email or 513-785-2813 in regards to any item listed above.

For every donation made to Goodwill on our behalf, we receive a voucher to be able to support people with developmental disabilities. If you or someone you know is going to Goodwill to donate anything, please make sure that they are taking a donation form.

Help us thank Direct Support Professionals throughout Butler County! Swing by the Janet Clemmons Center at 282 N. Fair Avenue and grab a yard sign to post in your neighborhood.

Take a selfie with your yard sign and send it to Patricia Dawson at [email protected] or text (513) 785-616. We'll post it to the Butler County Board of DD social media!

Do you know an outstanding Direct Support Professional? Help us give them the recognition they deserve! Fill out the form below to nominate them for our DSP of the month award. If selected, they will be featured on our social media, website, and in our newsletter. Their work is phenomenal and we can’t wait to tell everyone about it! Click here to cast your nomination.

The UniDiversity Festival is a collaborative effort to promote diversity and inclusion in our community, and it is also a chance to learn more about the valuable contributions of the Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean peoples and cultures. At Oxford Uptown Memorial Parks High St. & Main St., Oxford, OH 45056

Join Gorman Heritage Farm to taste their garden veggies, join the animals in their pasture, learn to feed chickens, and walk through the historic buildings in the guided farm walk. Click here to learn more.

The Down Syndrome Association's Fearless Photography Day is an opportunity for you and your family to get free, complimentary pictures taken by a professional photographer. Click here to learn more.

Join Therapeutic Rec at 194 Forest Lake Lane, Hamilton, OH 45011 (just inside Joyce Park). The cost is free. Poles and bait will be provided if you do not have your own. Please bring a lawn chair as chairs will not be available. This is an inclusive event, so we welcome family members and caregivers. RSVP to Connie Mehlman at (513) 785 - 2882 or [email protected] no later than September 17. Space is limited!

Join the advocacy group Speak Up sponsored by the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Everyone can be a self-advocate. Meetings occur once a month and are focused on ways to advocate for yourself and your community. Click here to learn more.

Join us for Cookies * Connections where we'll learn about Supported Decision Making (an alternative to guardianship for adults with developmental disabilities). RSVP to Jenny Mann by Friday, October 15. Email [email protected].

The Young Social Crew is inclusive of people with all abilities.

Perhaps you perceive yourself to have a disability, perhaps you perceive yourself to not have a disability. Regardless - we are all people who want to make connections, learn, and try new things together. Learn more on their Facebook page.

This event will provide some fun, creative ways to use this simple toy for building language skills in children. The ideas presented will be appropriate for typically developing children and those with delays. Great for parents, childcare providers, and educators. Click here to learn more.

We all live lives of interconnected life domains that lead to our “good life” -a good quality of life.

Learn how we can use the framework of the life domains across the life span from birth to aging, to guide our conversations with people and families to empower them to identify their good life and support them as we plan, brainstorm, problem-solve, identity supports, and review movement to their good life. Click here to register.

Join the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities for this multipart series. This event focuses on Considerations in Evaluating Students who are English Language Learners. Click here to learn more.

During this session, the focus will be on how to find employment and the advantages of working. What do you need to know before you start, what to keep in mind when searching? This event is for students and young adults. Click here to learn more.

Learn about the lived experiences of autistic adults in this virtual panel discussion. For medical professionals, providers, caregivers, and anyone who supports individuals with autism. Click here to learn more.

Attendees will be able to identify situations that are often misattributed to laziness; will be able to generate reasonable explanations for a person’s struggle to transition; will have more insight into the possible negative influence of the pandemic on transitions; and will be able to better identify areas for intervention in assisting individuals on the Spectrum with difficult transitions. Click here to learn more.

Join Possibilities for Diverse Abilities for this virtual expo which provides experts, graduates, and families to discuss postsecondary programs for individuals with moderate to minimal support needs. This event is for teens and young adults with disabilities and families thinking about post high school educational opportunities. Click here to learn more.

Join the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities for this multipart series. Click here to learn more.

Join Project CARE STARR for a weekly virtual session that focuses on healthy sexuality & relationships, personal rights, and empowerment. It is your right to enjoy healthy and safe relationships. National Public Radio’s unpublished Justice Department data report on sex crimes shows that people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities — women and men — are the victims of sexual assaults at rates more than seven times those for people without disabilities. Click here to learn more.

Learn about OOD and what role they play in your child's future. When you should start planning for your child's employment future. Who is eligible and when can you apply? Plus much more. Click here to learn more.

Join Stafire for their monthly Community Story Hour featuring Tim Vogt. Tim will share his story of how he came to understand the importance of the role of the family in inclusive communities and what that has meant to his work and life over the past few years. Click here to join the Zoom meeting.

Join Project CARE for this virtual support group in a welcoming environment where people with developmental and/or intellectual/cognitive disabilities can connect and share their experiences. Click here to learn more.

Individuals enrolled in supports at the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities are invited to this virtual job training to learn about in-demand careers and employment services, navigating financiers, and saving for your future. Click here to learn more.

Join Regional Autism Advisory Council with support from DODD for this virtual panel discussion with Q&A. Click here to learn more.

Join the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities for this multipart series. Michael, a courageous High School Junior will share his journey both pre/ post-pandemic. The discussion will include the tools and strategies that are designed to meet Michael’s ever-changing needs and provide a meaningful education. It won’t take you long to discover his strong determination to do his best even in the midst of extreme challenges and his commitment to helping others find hope Click here to learn more.

The University of Cincinnati is seeking adults 18+ with IDD and family members of people with IDD of all ages. Participants have the chance to win a Visa gift card! Help them understand how people with IDD and their families feel about the COVID-19 vaccine. Click here to take the survey.

Operation Pumpkin is gearing up for the 10th event on October 8 - 10 and they need your help! Check out their volunteer list and sign up for a role. Click here to volunteer.

This study is to gather additional information to help identify a new subgroup within the autism spectrum. This involves a phone call or online survey to screen for the study and a study visit at Children's Hospital within 4 months of the screening. Click here for the Online Survey.

Help UCEDD evaluate a new web-based resource being developed for family caregivers of children with Intellectual or Developmental Disability (IDD). This is a PAID RESEARCH STUDY. Click here for more information.

The Best Buddies Citizens Chapter is in need of community members to be paired with adults who have developmental disabilities in one-to-one friendship matches based on age, personality, interests and location. Matches develop their friendships by spending time together throughout the year. If you are interested in joining, contact Jenny at [email protected] or 513-785-2813. Click here to view the flyer.

Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities is offering a webinar series for families to help them understand the eligibility determination process for preschool special education services, the IEP for a preschooler, and the information considered when determining a child's placement in the least restrictive environment. Click here to learn more.

For families impacted by disability, Luke 5 Adventures creates community and shows empathetic love by making the impossible possible.

Using very unique pieces of equipment, they take individuals living with a disability on hikes to places never before accessible to them. For those unable to cross it, forge it, climb it, or ascend it, they can make it possible. Click here to learn more.

American Sign Language (ASL) videos on important COVID-19 information, including vaccinations, are available on the Ohio OOD YouTube channel. Please check back regularly as new videos will be added to the playlist. Click here to view the channel.

There are innovative changes that Ohio Medicaid is making to upgrade the managed care program. This will improve the quality of care coming from providers.

Please click the link below to open the PDF file that is a FAQ sheet about the 'Next Generation of Ohio Medicaid Managed Care. Click here to download the FAQ.

A new booklet called "A Guide to Nursing Services in Ohio" is now available for people with disabilities, families, and SSAs. The guide was created by members of the Ohio Nursing Collaborative, with families as the lead, through Cincinnati UCEDD's Ohio Family to Family Health Information Center. Click here to download the guide.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is a temporary FCC program to help households struggling to afford internet service during the pandemic. Click here to learn more.

Social Security recently changed its rule about what financial assistance can affect your eligibility for SSI or monthly SSI payment amount. To learn more about what financial assistance will NOT impact your SSI, click here.

This new resource distributed by the Adult Advocacy Centers is a comprehensive list of contact information for statewide and county-level groups throughout the state. the publication is a joint effort between the AACs and Ohio's DD Council, with support from the state's independent living centers. Click here to check it out.

Cincinnati Children's is offering emotional or behavioral supports for COVID-19 vaccinations. Click here to download the flyer.