The Shelby County residents who attended the self-advocacy conference are shown with the Fairlawn High School Drama/Puppet Theater students with group leader Liz Maxson.
Shelby County Board of Developmental Disabilities courtesy photo
TROY — The Shelby County Board of Developmental Disabilities (DD), along with six additional county boards of developmental disabilities, hosted a Self-Advocacy Conference on Sept. 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 is “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.
Shelby County Board of DD hosted the conference in collaboration with Auglaize, Champaign, Darke, Logan, Miami and Preble County Boards of Developmental Disabilities. This is the seventh year the regional group has hosted the conference.
The Shelby County Board of Developmental Disabilities (SCBDD) provides services for 551 people of all ages and preschool for 200 students in Shelby County. SCBDD’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. SCBDD also directly provides case management, early intervention, Shelby Hills inclusive preschool, recreational activities, Special Olympics programs, community housing coordination and other valuable services to people from birth through the end of life. For more information about Shelby County Board of DD visit www.shelbydd.org.
