LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Imagine the difficulty of being a parent to a child with severe-to-profound intellectual and developmental disabilities, fighting to protect your child’s well-being while struggling against a federal agency meant to prevent discrimination but, instead, perpetuating it. That unaccountable agency is Disability Rights Ohio.
In November 2022, hope surged as parents, guardians, and service providers packed the Statehouse to request accountability from Disability Rights Ohio (DRO). Yet today, the recommendations to Gov. Mike DeWine from the special legislative Joint Committee to Examine the Activities of the State’s Protection and Advocacy System and Client Assistance Program which held that hearing remain shelved, with families still waiting for action. On Monday, Jan. 6, the state ushered in a new legislative session with another opportunity to address these recommendations.
Federal law requires states to have a Protection & Advocacy (P&A) organization, designated by the state’s governor. Ohio’s P&A is DRO, with over 49 employees and funded ($5 million) by the federal Administration for Community Living (ACL), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services…