february_2020

February 2020
Bringing about a vibrant community where people lead fulfilling lives and make meaningful contributions.
Christopher Milo is an internationally renowned
concert pianist, motivational
speaker, performer and entrepreneur who
has chosen to use his story and his music to
enrich the lives of others. Fairfield DD is excited
to announce that he will be joining us
for the March 26th Celebration of Possibilities
and also will be spending that entire
week in Fairfield County.
Milo is fully trained in life skills and resiliency
with the Summit County Educational Service
Center and is currently working with the ESC and Summit County ADM Board to launch his 13 Messages from Milo
(13MFM) mentoring program. His unique program creates a non-invasive environment that is welcoming to all ages
and uses real-life scenarios to drive the messages into people’s hearts and minds. Milo will share the story of how he
was paralyzed two decades ago and told by doctors that he would never walk again. His colorful message has the
goal to motivate, encourage and empower others. His programs aim to positively impact the entire audience, giving
them purpose which creates hope and a “can-do” attitude and instill kindness.
Milo is possibly best-known for his 13 messages from Milo which are character counts that he teaches to businesses,
universities and schools. Inspired by real life experiences, it is his belief that if we all spent more time on the 13 Messages
From Milo, we would spend less Pam time Whiteley on texting horrible messages, posting inappropriate posts on today’s social media
outlets and we might be less judgmental. Simply speaking, we might have happier places to work, live and go to
school.
While Fairfield DD is excited to welcome Milo to the Celebration of Possibilities stage, Superintendent John Pekar felt
that one evening of Milo simply wasn’t enough.
“I was blown away when I met with Christopher and I know that there
are more people needing to hear what he has to say than can possibly
fit into one room,” he said. “The idea of hosting him for the week and
finding different ways for our staff, families and community members to
hear his message became increasingly important.”
While still in the planning stages, Milo’s week in Fairfield County will
hopefully include visiting several civic organizations, as well as an opportunity
for people supported by Fairfield DD and their families to hear his
message too.
Information about these events will be surfacing on the Fairfield DD
Facebook page and website soon. In the meantime, grab your tickets
to the 2020 Celebration of Possibilities by calling 740-652-7220 and learn about Christopher Milo and the 13 Messages
from Milo at www.christophermilo.com. Watch for upcoming events at www.fairfielddd.com or on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/fairfieldcountyboardofdd. [More Celebration of Possibilities info on Page 7]

Grant Request Approved for
Fairfield, Licking DD
It hardly seems possible but the new year is
well underway. 2020 is forecasted to be a
busy year for Fairfield DD, and we have
been focusing heavily on the fourth year of
our five year long-range strategic plan, Connect
the Future 2017-2021.
Last month our Board approved the 2020 Quality Improvement
Plan [QIP] which represents the progress made by Fairfield DD
over the previous year, and steps we will take in the coming year
to achieve the goals stated in our strategic plan. This plan is not
one that is derived hastily and, in fact, the QIP relies heavily on
the input of community stakeholders, the families of those we
support, employees, Board members and those supported by
Fairfield DD.
As we progress through our five-year plan, the questions we
pose to the public become increasingly important and guide the
direction of the current Quality Improvement Plan. Embedding a
culture of quality improvement is also much more than just the
QIP. For a QIP to be effective and meaningful, all stakeholders
must be involved in the improvement process. The quality improvement
process is really about the changes you make to ensure
continuous improvement. A truly meaningful process will not
just involve the stakeholders in plan development, but in the actual
journey of change. What is in the QIP? How do we achieve
our goals? How can providers, employees and families contribute
to this achievement? These are questions which reflect a
meaningful approach to the quality improvement process, not
just the plan itself.
Further, as we complete tasks and objectives in the plan, we
continue to come up with new and innovative tasks that take a
particular objective further. Thus, the QIP is an ongoing document
providing guidance about how Fairfield DD will manage,
deploy, and review quality throughout the organization in the
coming year.
If you have not done so already, I invite you to take the time to
read the 2020 Quality Improvement Plan by visiting
www.fairfielddd.com/quality-improvement-plan. We welcome
any feedback and will happily answer any questions you might
have. After all, this plan involves you and your input matters.
Thank you—
John Pekar, Superintendent
The Fairfield and Licking County Boards of Developmental
Disabilities are continuing to collaborate to increase
the capacity for and utilization of planned,
therapeutic respite and intensive in-home supports to
prevent or reduce out-of-home placements, prepare
for successful return home for youth in out of home residential
settings, prevent readmissions and improve
outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental
disabilities and significant behavioral challenges
and their families.
To that end, Fairfield DD, Licking DD, MEORC, and I
Am Boundless (Boundless) submitted a grant proposal
to the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
(DODD) to continue our partnership to expand the
number of families of multi-system youth supported
with in-home respite; transition the current FSS approach
to Boundless; establish feasible measures of
success and develop a nearby option for out of home
respite and crisis stabilization.
Fairfield DD is pleased to announce that DODD approved
the proposed grant request for the full $200,000
requested for the grant term. We are very excited to
continue work with our partners to provide supports to
this group of individuals and their families.
The History of National DD
Awareness Month
Every March, Fairfield DD is proud to participate in National
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Still,
many do not know the history behind this significant
month.
In 1987 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed March
“Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.” The deinstitutionalization
movement of the seventies and early
eighties had laid the foundation for significant social
change, and the presidential proclamation called upon
Americans to provide the “encouragement and opportunities”
necessary for people with developmental disabilities
to reach their potential.
As those citizens began living within the general community
in larger numbers, programs to provide career
planning, job coaching and supported employment
began to emerge. The idea that individuals with developmental
disabilities could become productive members
of the workforce was new to many people, and
entrenched preconceptions had to be overcome. Advocates
recognized a moral imperative to engage individuals
with developmental – and other – disabilities.
With passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in
1990, workplace discrimination against people with disabilities
became sanctionable.
Please join Fairfield DD throughout the month of
March as we celebrate both where we’ve been, and
where we’ve yet to go.

DD Awareness Advocacy Day Set for March 4 at Statehouse
Registration is open for DD Awareness Advocacy Day taking
place March 4th at the Ohio Statehouse.
The Developmental Disability (DD) Advocacy and Awareness
Day is an annual event that has taken place for over a
decade at The Ohio Statehouse in March, which is DD
Awareness Month. The purpose of this event is to educate
and empower people with developmental disabilities, their
family members and other community allies to come together
on a single day to advocate policy issues which impact
the lives of people with developmental disabilities.
This event is funded by a grant from The Ohio Developmental
Disabilities Council’s (ODDC). ODDC is one of a national
network of state councils, committed to self-determination
and community inclusion for people with developmental
disabilities. One of Council’s goals is to educate policymakers
about how state government services and policies can be improved, expanded, or strengthened on behalf of
people with disabilities. Council believes it is important for the policymakers of Ohio to hear the voices of people
with disabilities and their families through this event.
The design of the DD Awareness and Advocacy Day is guided by a team of organizations who make up
a planning committee and is executed by ODDC’s grant recipient. The 2016 grant recipient is the Ohio Provider
Resource Association (OPRA). Register Today! https://ddohio.wordpress.com/registration/
Provider Training
Freeing Individuals to Live Their Most
Independent Lives
Date: Tuesday, March 24th
Time: 12:30pm – 3:30pm
Location: OPRA Training Room, 1152 Goodale Blvd.,
Columbus OH 43212
Cost: $75.00 – Members / $150 Non-Members
Presenter: Sara Sherman International, LLC
Do you feel like, sometimes, your staff create more
dependence than independence? We all know
that the goal for the individuals we serve is to increase
independence through skill acquisition, but in
those day to day moments when decisions are
made and supports provided, the needle sometimes
doesn’t move any closer to independence, if it
moves at all.
In this workshop agency leaders will learn how to
teach staff to support individuals in ways that:
• Expand individuals’ independence
• Empower individuals to develop decision making
skills
• End unnecessary dependence on staff
• Make it clear when success is achieved (both for
the individual and staff)
• Support staff to create a full company culture of
empowering individuals.
For more information or to register, visit
www.opra.org.

Saturday
March 7
10 am to 2 pm
River Valley
Live Music by The Shazzbots & Other Local Bands!
Meet Local
Fairfield County
Providers
and Businesses
Participating in
the Resource Fair
from 10 am to 2 pm!
Coordinated by
www.fairfielddd.com
TrueFit Athletics
TNT Dance Team
Susan’s Tap & Toe
Alley Park
FCD Library
Jolly Hoppers
Lancaster Parks
SOCIL
Art & Clay on
Main
Community Action
This Accessible Event is
in recognition of
National Developmental

It has been written that the art of change
lies in a constant ability to readjust to our surroundings.
(Kakuzo Okakura). That certainly
has been the case for a group of talented
artists under the guidance of Fairfield DD’s Artistic Coordinator Pam Whitely.
When Whiteley first began with Fairfield DD in 2012, her primary objective was the coordination and orchestration of
Blue Shoe Arts—a group of adults with developmental disabilities who worked collaboratively on art. But that was then.
Blue Shoe Art began a gradual metamorphosis under her direction— first shifting its focus to artists working independently
in their preferred mediums, then to a group of Artists in Residence at Art & Clay on Main. The Artists in Residence
program broke new ground in that the artists accepted into the
group did not have to have a developmental disability to apply. As
the word about a communal art space spread, more local artists applied
for the program. Soon thereafter, the Artists in Residence outgrew
the space at Art & Clay and moved to the former Opportunity Center
on Coonpath Road.
“The space there was great and there was a lot of it,” Whiteley said.
“But we weren’t really in the community and the building was going to
be used for the new Workforce Training Center.”
Fortunately, an excellent space dedicated to the education and
creation of art was looking for increased activity. This winter, the group
was welcomed to the Wendell Center for the Arts, a three-story building
belonging to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio (DACO) and located
on its historic property.
“We were a bunch of artists needing studio space in the community and this was a space in the community needing
a bunch of artists,” Whiteley said. “We met with DACO Director David Hogrefe and he was totally on board. Having our
artists here was in line with his vision for DACO.”
So much so that recently Hogrefe revealed to Whiteley that the artists could use the space four days a week—
extending the hours and number of days they had been gathering together prior. But that is not the only change happening
with this group of artists, currently numbering just under 20.
“We’re doing away with the residency,” said Peggy McDevitt who
has been an Artist in Residence for two years. “We’re taking away the
parameters. We’re simply a group of artists now who get together to
create together, share ideas, offer opinions and learn from one another.”
Artists who choose to take advantage of this arrangement bring
there own supplies into the studio and take them with them when they
leave—hopefully along with new ways of looking at their art and a
newfound sense of fulfillment.
“We encourage each other,” McDevitt said. “We accept each other.
And you know what? We’re all better for it.”
For more information, contact Pam Whiteley via email at
pkwhiteleyatfairfielddd.com. To visit DACO, visit www.decartsohio.org.

Ice, Ice Baby!
Jordan Brown of Lancaster plays hockey on a traveling
team at Chiller North in Lewis Center. He said he enjoys
the competition and the sportsmanship that comes with
being a part of this team.

795 College Avenue
Lancaster, OH 43130
Contact Us
Temple Custer Montanez, Editor
www.FairfieldDD.com
Administration ...................................................... 740-652-7220
Superintendent ..................................................... 740-652-7220
Services and Supports ......................................... 740-652-7220
Family Support Services ....................................... 740-652-7220
Department of Quality .......................................... 740-652-7235
Forest Rose School .............................................. 740-652-7225
Early Intervention/Birth to 3 ............................... 740-652-7225
Opportunity Center ............................................... 740-652-7230
Art & Clay on Main/Square 7 Coffeehouse ......... 740-653-1755
JobFusion ................................ 614-835-2700 or 740-652-7235
Transportation ...................................................... 740-652-7228
Pickerington Regional Office .. 614-835-2700 or 740-652-7235
Volunteer Opportunities ....................................... 740-652-7220
Our Mission
To bring about a
vibrant community where people
lead fulfilling lives and make
meaningful contributions.
Board Members
President: Sharon Scruggs
Vice President: Robert Competti
Secretary: Elizabeth Burwell
Matt Wideman
Teresa Mowen
Pam Barkley
Derek Upp
Superintendent John R. Pekar