Ohio Olmstead Task Force

04/05/2026

The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming May 5th primary election is TOMORROW, April 6th!

Access Disability Rights Ohio's voter resources at www.disabilityrightsohio.org/vote

The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming May 5th primary election is NEXT MONDAY, April 6th! Now is the time to plan for a successful voting experience.

Voter Registration Deadline: Monday, April 6th
Early Voting Begins: Tuesday, April 7th
Absentee Ballot Applications Due: Tuesday, April 28th
Election Day: Tuesday, May 5th
(Mail-in ballots must be received by 7:30 p.m. on election day)

You can view all our voter resources at www.disabilityrightsohio.org/vote

04/01/2026

April 2026 - OOTF Submits Comments on OHFA's Design and Architecture Standards

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) held stakeholder engagement sessions for its 2027 Design and Architectural Standards (DAS) Update. The DAS establish mandatory quality, durability, , and amenity requirements that apply to all OHFA rental affordable housing projects. Read OOTF's recommendations on our website: www.OhioOlmstead.com/AdvocacyEfforts.

04/01/2026

Please join us for our monthly OOTF meeting today at 1:00 PM. If you don't have access to our listserv, please e-mail us at ohioolmstead@gmail.com. As always, you can visit our website www.ohioolmstead.com for more information about us. During today's meeting, we will discuss HB795.
https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb795
In essence, this bill will make GPS mandatory for nonemergency transportation and in-home personal care services.
We will fully discuss this bill as OOTF plans on providing testimony, so we will rely on this discussion to help shape that testimony.

03/04/2026

Please join us for our March 2026 OOTF meeting today at 1:00 p.m. if you need access to the zoom link or the agenda, please send an email to ohioolmstead@gmail.com. We look forward to your participation!

02/04/2026

Welcome to 2026! We look forward to having you join us for our first meeting of 2026 tomorrow, February 4th, 2026, from 1:00 PM to around 2:30 PM. If you have any questions or need accommodations, please email us at OhioOlmstead@gmail.com. You can find the agenda here

Agenda for February 4, 2026 1:00 – 2:30 pm OOTF Agenda – February 4 2026Download OOTF Agenda – February 4 2026 TXTDownload If you are not a current OOTF member and would like to a…

01/30/2026

Health Policy Poetry Competition: Submit your poem that relates to a KFF Health News article by February 4th. Read their webpage for full list of rules and prizes.

Affordable health care is our love language. We want to see your most clever, heartfelt, or hilarious tributes to the policies that shape health care. And we've sweetened the deal with prizes.

01/26/2026

Know your rights with bringing a wheelchair or other power-driven mobility devices (OPDMD) to a specific place.

"Entities may not ask an individual using a wheelchair or OPDMD about the nature or extent of his or her disability. They may, however, ask a person using an OPDMD to provide a credible assurance that the mobility device is required because of a mobility disability, by either:
-Showing a valid, state-issued, disability parking placard or card or other state-issued proof of a disability, or
-Verbally stating that the OPDMD is being used by a person with a mobility disability (as long as the statement does not contradict observable fact)."

Have you read our fact sheet on ‘Wheelchairs and Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices’ yet? You can visit our page below to review the regulations that provide definitions of wheelchairs and other power-driven mobility devices and what questions businesses and other entities may ask: https://adata.org/factsheet/wheelchairs

01/26/2026

A great way to be a disability is to know the resources available in our area. Check out some helpful disability services and advocacy groups like Disability Rights Ohio, Ohio Statewide Independent Living Council, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, and the Ohio Self Determination Association!

Which resource should we share next?

01/23/2026

Today we celebrate Ed Roberts on what would have been his 87th birthday — a day we call Ed Roberts Day. Ed Roberts is considered one of the fathers of the disability rights movement. His area of focus was independent living, work that — like Ed Roberts’ impact — still lives on to this day.

Ed Roberts was admitted to Berkley in 1962, where he had trouble finding housing that would accommodate the 800-pound iron lung that he slept in at night. The director of the campus health service offered him a room in an empty wing of the Cowell Hospital. Roberts accepted on the condition that the area where he lived be treated as dormitory space, not a medical facility. His admission broke the ice for other students with disabilities who joined him over the next few years at what evolved into the Cowell Residence Program.

Ed Roberts would go on to have a huge influence on Berkeley creating the first Centers for Independent Livings (CIL), the first independent living service and advocacy program run by and for people with disabilities.

Now, CILs help disabled people across the country access independent living. In 1976 Roberts was appointed as the director of the California Department of Vocational Rehabilitation by then-governor Jerry Brown.

Ed Roberts' influence and impact on the disability rights movement cannot be overstated.

ID: Black and white portrait of Ed Roberts, with the years 1939-1995 and text that says "remembering Ed Roberts".

01/19/2026

January is Braille Literacy Month, a time to recognize the importance of braille as a vital tool for independence, education, and employment for people who are blind or have low vision. Braille literacy supports equal access to information and helps build confidence, self-determination, and lifelong learning skills. The month also honors the legacy of Louis Braille and highlights the ongoing need for accessible materials and inclusive learning environments. Celebrating Braille Literacy Month reminds us that literacy in all forms opens doors to opportunity and full participation in the community.

January is Braille Literacy Month, a time to recognize the importance of braille as a vital tool for independence, education, and employment for people who are blind or have low vision. Braille literacy supports equal access to information and helps build confidence, self-determination, and lifelong...

12/23/2025

North Central Area Transit (NCAT) is stopping services in Huron County, including cutting the only transportation services many people with disabilities have access to. OOTF leadership was interviewed on this matter and our letter was published in the Norwalk Reflector.

"Transportation is a significant barrier for folks with disabilities and many rely on public transportation, paratransit and other accessible modes of transportation to go to medical appointments, places of employment, community activities, other social events and provide public feedback...People with disabilities have the right to access their community just as their peers without disabilities.

OOTF urges NCAT and Huron County to reconsider the decision to remove paratransit services without the supports to institute a similar system for the individuals who utilize that service."

Read more here: www.NorwalkReflector.com/news/687183/agencies-want-transit-provider-to-stay

Say decision to discontinue service will 'disproportionately harm those who can least afford to lose' it

12/09/2025

Dayton Advocacy Opportunity! Join The Access Center's Access and Functional Needs Committee next week for conversations on emergency response and disability. Get more information from their website page: https://acils.com/etn/access-and-functional-needs-committee-3/