ElevateDD

ElevateDD is excited to welcome our interns!

Lee Dinovo is an MSW student at The Ohio State University and has been involved with the greater disability community in Central Ohio for approximately six years. As an autistic self-advocate, Lee has worked to support and elevate the voices of autistic people and has also advocated within the LGBTQIA+ community as a nonbinary self-advocate.

Driven by a desire to give back to the communities that have provided support throughout their life, Lee is pursuing an education and internship experience that will help build the skills and knowledge needed to make a lasting impact through advocacy and community engagement.

Please join us in welcoming Lee to ElevateDD!

This Father’s Day, we’re celebrating the dads whose experiences help shape stronger, more inclusive communities.

In our latest guest blog, Patrick Kilbane shares how fatherhood deepened his understanding of disability advocacy and strengthened a lifelong commitment to supporting people with developmental disabilities. From his early days as an educator to his experiences raising children with complex support needs, Patrick reflects on the people and moments that have shaped his journey.

Read Patrick’s story and learn how family, advocacy, and community continue to inspire his work: https://www.elevatedd.org/news/afathersjourney

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, caretakers, and father figures! Wishing you a great day.

Recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice regarding Olmstead has raised concerns across the disability community.

While this memo does not change the law or overturn the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision, it signals a shift in how the government may interpret and enforce the rights of people with disabilities to receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.

ElevateDD will remain committed to the principle at the heart of Olmstead: people with developmental disabilities should have the opportunity to live, learn, work, and participate in their communities alongside their peers.

We will continue to monitor developments, amplify the voices of people with disabilities and their families, and advocate for policies that promote choice and authentic inclusion.

Thank you to the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities for inviting ElevateDD to join this year’s annual Get Involved meeting with the Self Advocate Advisory Council.

ElevateDD's Senior Manager of Statewide Education Services Rachel Heiber and President & CEO Troy Hunter were grateful for the opportunity to share more about ElevateDD’s programs and how people can get involved across our work through DSACO: Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio, Learning Aid Ohio, and Adult Literacy Ohio.

From education and literacy supports to community programming, advocacy, and statewide disability policy engagement, ElevateDD is committed to helping people with developmental disabilities, families, and community members connect with opportunities that support learning, leadership, and belonging.

Today we honor and reflect upon Juneteenth.

Please note that our office is closed today as we observe the holiday.

IDEA has helped protect the educational rights of children with disabilities for more than 50 years.

As conversations continue following recent federal announcements, ElevateDD remains focused on what matters most: ensuring children with disabilities have uninterrupted access to the services, supports, and protections guaranteed under federal law.

We will continue to provide information and advocate for policies that advance inclusion and opportunity for people with developmental disabilities.

Read more here: https://www.elevatedd.org/news/protectingideaspromise

ElevateDD is excited to welcome our summer interns!

Alyssa Gray is a graduate of Ohio University with a B.A. in Political Science, a minor in Journalism, and a certificate in Political Communication. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration at Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. Alyssa is passionate about public service and looks forward to supporting ElevateDD's mission this summer.

When she's not studying or working, Alyssa enjoys spending time with her two guinea pigs and her yellow lab.

Welcome to the team, Alyssa!

For over 50 years, IDEA has helped protect the right of children with disabilities to learn, belong, and receive the supports they need in school and in their communities.

In Ohio, more than 257,000 K–12 students, 25,000 preschoolers, and nearly 30,000 infants and toddlers receive services connected to IDEA.

Following the U.S. Department of Education’s June 16 announcement of new interagency agreements with HHS and DOJ, ElevateDD believes the focus must remain on continuity, clarity, accountability, and access for families.

Special education is both an education issue and a civil rights issue. Families deserve clear answers. Educators deserve clear guidance. States deserve consistent support. Most importantly, children with disabilities deserve uninterrupted access to the services and protections guaranteed to them under federal law.

ElevateDD will continue to provide clear information, listen to families, elevate community concerns, and advocate for systems that protect the rights, dignity, inclusion, and full potential of people with developmental disabilities.

Read the full blog post: https://www.elevatedd.org/news/protectingideaspromise

We are excited to congratulate Rachel Heiber on her promotion to Senior Manager of Statewide Education Services!

In her new role, Rachel will provide leadership and strategic direction for Learning Aid Ohio and Adult Literacy Ohio, helping expand access to educational opportunities for learners on IEPs and with developmental disabilities across the state.

Rachel's dedication to learners, families, and educators has helped strengthen our programs and advance our mission of creating authentic inclusion through education. We look forward to seeing the impact she will continue to make in this new leadership role.

Congratulations, Rachel!