Pictured are unidentified staff from the photo includes staff from The Champaign County Board of Developmental Disabilities, staff from Active Day (formerly PCS) in Urbana, and community members from Champaign County.
Submitted photo
Submitted story
The Champaign County Board of Developmental Disabilities (DD), along with six additional county boards of developmental disabilities, hosted a self-advocacy conference on September 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Miami County Board of DD, also known as Riverside, in Troy.
This event was part of a collaborative advocacy program developed by counties in the Midwest Ohio region. The conference wraps up a year of monthly meetings where individuals with DD learn to identify their needs and achieve goals in an independent way. The theme of this year’s conference was “My Story, a Journey into Self Advocacy.”
Event participants heard from keynote speaker Jenni Lough Watson from Greatdogs, who shared her story of overcoming challenges with the help of specially trained dogs. Participants also learned how she trains dogs to help others. There was also an interactive and entertaining session with teacher Liz Maxson and students from Fairlawn Local Schools. Between speakers, participants learned about the accomplishments of other people with disabilities and discovered ways to achieve goals and make their communities a better place to live, work and play together.
Champaign County Board of DD hosted the conference in collaboration with Auglaize, Shelby, Darke, Logan, Miami, and Preble County Boards of Developmental Disabilities. This is the seventh year the regional group has hosted the conference.
The Champaign County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD) provides services for 400 people of all ages in Champaign County. CCBDD’s mission is to promote opportunities which support people of all abilities. The organization offers service coordination and funding for in-home care, adult day services, job training and transportation. CCBDD also directly provides case management, early intervention, recreational activities, community housing coordination and other valuable services to people from birth through the end of life. For more information about Champaign County Board of DD visit www.champaigncbdd.org.
Info from event organizers
