Empowering ReachOut e-Diversity News - June 2022

Empowering Empowering

e-Diversity News News ReachOut e-Diversity ReachOut

An Electronic Electronic Publication Publication of of the the An Ohio Developmental Developmental Disabilities Disabilities Council Council Ohio

Reach Out e-Diversity News is designed to EMPOWER you to…

• Recognize the needs of un/underserved Ohioans with developmental disabilities.

June 2022 Edition | Volume 1, Issue 5 Read, Pass on to Friends, Family Members, Colleagues & Constituents

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• Collaborate and coordinate to make sure culturally competent services are provided.

• Measure and monitor to get results that support un/underserved Ohioans living more productive and independent lives.

This month’s focus: Community Outreach

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Data Tool Kit Download NOW and gain access to tools you can use to help you with community outreach!

DISCUSSIONS RESOURCES

BEST PR

ACTICES Page 1 P

This Months -HighlightsEngaging Makes Me Whole

Community Leader Qualities

Kelly’s Kitchen A Community Outreach Solution

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD AARP Ohio is hosting a Deciding Voices Listening Tour Register at a Site near you or Sign Up online

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SAVE THE DATE Community Outreach Difference Maker Challenge August 2, 2022 4:00 – 5:00 pm Look out for your Challenge Invite

JUNE is a time of celebrations!

Juneteenth President Joseph Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in 2021, making it a federal holiday. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and read a federal order abolishing the institution of slavery in the state: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”

The moment was significant. Texas had been the last of the Confederate states in which enslavement continued, despite President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery in 1863 and despite the end of the Civil War on April 9, 1865. Texas was the most remote state in the Confederacy, and it took Union forces until June to reach Texas in sufficient numbers to announce and enforce the federal order that ended slavery there.

(The 13th Amendment, which added the abolishment of slavery to the Constitution, passed Congress in January 1865, but wasn’t ratified and adopted until December 1865.)

Since June 19, 1865, Americans have observed and celebrated Juneteenth as Emancipation Day, a day of freedom.

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month: June 2022

This project was supported, in part by the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, under grant number 17OU01FA22 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

The purpose of Empowering Reach Out e-Diversity News is to promote interagency collaboration and coordination that result in agencies providing culturally competent services to the unserved/underserved populations in Ohio. It is the policy of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council to use person-first language in items written by staff. Items reprinted or quoted exactly as they originally appear may not reflect this policy.

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Empowering Reach Out e-Diversity News is produced by The Outcomes Management Group, Ltd.

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Empowering Empowering

e-Diversity News News ReachOut e-Diversity ReachOut

An Electronic Electronic Publication Publication of of the the An Ohio Developmental Developmental Disabilities Disabilities Council Council Ohio

Engaging Makes Me Whole Shari L. Cooper Public Relations Assistant Easter Seals Miami Valley As a person who loves life, without community engagement, my world would be empty. Although I have a disability, it has never stopped me from going to places and meeting people. I’m what you would call a social butterfly full of energy, and ready to mingle. I know my tenacity to live a full life which includes, getting out, and engaging makes me who I am.

Unfortunately, many people with disabilities don’t have the luxury of engaging in their community. There are barriers that play a big part in hindering people with disabilities to not be able to engage in their community.

The first barrier is transportation. For a person to be able to engage in the community, he or she first must be able to get there. Unless an event is within walking distance, many must travel to get to events in the community. Transportation is a major obstacle in the disability community because most don’t drive.

Ride-share programs are great unless you’re in a wheelchair that requires you to use an accessible van which many programs don’t offer. And if you use paratransit, all rides must be scheduled often meaning, you’ll either be picked-up way early, late or not at all. Plus, if anything goes wrong causing you to miss, your ride, you’ll get penalized with a no-show. After three, you’ll not able to ride for a while at least that’s how it is in my city.

Physical barriers are another factor that can make engaging in the community impossible. If an event is being held where there are steps to get in, a person with a physical disability that Page 4

uses a wheelchair is, just out of luck. I’ve been asked on occasions do I mind being picked up on my scooter to get up the steps to attend an event, and have obliged a few times, but that’s not something I want to do every time I want to engage. My safety and dignity mean a lot to me. Wherever I go, I like to be able to roll up a ramp entering independently just like everyone else.

Next, attitudinal barriers can deter a person with a disability from engaging in their community. Some people are rude and haven’t taken the time to educate themselves on the disability community. Therefore, they are stuck in the mindset that we don’t belong. I’ve been stared at, told crazy things to my face, and whispered about while out in the community, but I’m strong, cute, and always fashionable so I can handle it. Plus, I can catch an attitude quickly, if need be, to get people off me. For those with disabilities who don’t have thick skin, attitudinal barriers can cause one to never go anywhere.

Finally, assistance barriers can shut down community engagement. Many people with disabilities rely on others for help. If you have someone who doesn’t see the value in taking you out in the community and refuses to for whatever reason, you won’t be going anywhere. Many who need assistance are at the mercy of the ones who help them. Often this barrier can be an antagonizing situation. One can almost compare it to being, bullied.

In the present day, help is very hard to find which care attendants are very much aware of. Some will use the care attendant’s crisis to their benefit to not do their jobs leaving you stuck in your cocoon to nest along.

No Barriers!

Even with all the barriers, community engagement helps one to grow. Without community engagement, you’ll be lost and so will the community. It takes all types of people to make the world go round which includes, people with disabilities.

As we explore the topic of disability community engaging, I hope it doesn’t have to be another goal that is put on paper to get fixed. Instead, I’d like to see it just progress naturally not because it must, but because it is what is right.

This project was supported, in part by the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, under grant number 17OU01FA22 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

The purpose of Empowering Reach Out e-Diversity News is to promote interagency collaboration and coordination that result in agencies providing culturally competent services to the unserved/underserved populations in Ohio. It is the policy of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council to use person-first language in items written by staff. Items reprinted or quoted exactly as they originally appear may not reflect this policy.

Return To Page One

Empowering Reach Out e-Diversity News is produced by The Outcomes Management Group, Ltd.

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Empowering Empowering

e-Diversity News News ReachOut e-Diversity ReachOut

An Electronic Electronic Publication Publication of of the the An Ohio Developmental Developmental Disabilities Disabilities Council Council Ohio

Community Leader Qualities

“Community Leadership is all about the welfare of the people they represent.”

The role of a community leader is not to fix all the community’s problems but rather to work together with the community members. Community leaders mobilize and guide others, facilitate the problemsolving and decision-making processes, and innovate to benefit the community itself. If you are currently leading or interested in becoming a community, here are ten qualities that make for a great community leader.

Self-Awareness A first and foremost quality that makes for a great quality community leader is that they are self-aware. They understand that before they can lead others, they must know about their own abilities first. They need to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses and shouldn’t be shy about asking for help. Also, situational wise they should be able to gauge themselves and places they fit in.

Eager to Learn and Adapt A community leader knows how they are limited in their knowledge and experiences. They understand that their perspective is not the only perspective present out there in any given situation. So, they focus on learning more about other perspectives from various people in their community before finalizing on steps to be taken. Even in between a course of action, they are willing to listen to any suggestion or advice and adapt accordingly.

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Empathy Community leaders are known to be empathetic individuals meaning they can sense other people’s feelings without even hearing from them. Often by looking at the situation itself, community leaders are quick to come with a plan of action to ease things out. Moreover, empathy is what leads to better leadership as it allows for the validation of viewpoints concerning all parties involved in a situation.

Honesty and Integrity If a person cannot be trustworthy then he can never be seen as a leader. It is that plain and simple to understand as being trustworthy and honest is a hallmark of every leader. Leaders are also a person of integrity meaning they have a set of moral principles. Hence, for a good community leader, they must be trustworthy to the community and the people who listen to them. They should even create safe spaces for facilitating healthy discussions and make changes for the better accordingly.

Dedication Towards a Cause

A great community leader is dedicated and never forgets the roots of the causes that led to becoming a community leader. Hence, they are always committed to bringing the changes to the cause they have championed irrespective of the time it takes. They always find a way to keep volunteering for the causes that are beneficial to the people. They are a believer who believes that only in the benefit of the community lies their benefit too.

Service What makes for a quality community leader are the services they provide to their people through various acts such as volunteering and includes fundraising. There are no tasks that are too big or small for the leader to undertake.

Interpersonal Skills It is essential to have great communication skills such as mediating, negotiating, active listening, and even articulating arguments. They must also have collaborative skills that allow them to work comfortably with other leaders and different types of people to create a productive space. Community leaders should be able to convey why and what certain things Page 7 are needed to be done effectively.

Forward Thinking

Forward thinking is a sign of a great community leader where their thoughts are not rigid.

They are open minded and progressive people who think outside of the box to achieve the set goal. They boast of innovative approaches and critical thinking skills. They also look to bring in more next generation supporters to their cause as they understand that the future is them.

Intelligence

Leadership isn’t just about being smart. They must have a high level of intellectual, emotional, and social intelligence to rally their causes with the support of the people in their community.

Community leaders are competitive people who can even handle tough situations with only their intelligence approach.

Motivation Are you even a leader if you cannot motivate anyone? A sign of great community leaders is their ability to inspire and motivate people to fight for change, make others’ lives better.

This article was written in collaboration with team members led by Sunny Samanta at OpenGrowth.

This project was supported, in part by the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, under grant number 17OU01FA22 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

The purpose of Empowering Reach Out e-Diversity News is to promote interagency collaboration and coordination that result in agencies providing culturally competent services to the unserved/underserved populations in Ohio. It is the policy of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council to use person-first language in items written by staff. Items reprinted or quoted exactly as they originally appear may not reflect this policy.

Return To Page One

Empowering Reach Out e-Diversity News is produced by The Outcomes Management Group, Ltd.

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Empowering Empowering

e-Diversity News News ReachOut e-Diversity ReachOut

An Electronic Electronic Publication Publication of of the the An Ohio Developmental Developmental Disabilities Disabilities Council Council Ohio

Kelly’s Kitchen- A Community Outreach Solution Jennifer Border Outreach Coordinator Kelly’s Kitchen is a national non-profit organization established in 2016 by Kelly Timmons in South Carolina. This organization is committed to educating the whole community about food security issues and being a catalyst for change in the lives of individuals with disabilities. Jennifer Border shares “why” she is passionate about food security and working as the Outreach Coordinator at Kelly’s Kitchen.

Kelly’s Kitchen connects with communities to promote awareness of food justice issues.

Did you know in 2019 that 8 million people with disabilities were food insecure in America? Here’s what Kelly Thompson, CEO has to say.

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Kelly’s Kitchen is developing a national online resource, “food net” that will help people identify Farmer Markets, Pop-Up Pantries, Food Vendors, and Agencies who interact and serve people with disabilities. The organization is also conducting research to determine what is needed to make these more accessible to people with disabilities.

Make sure your community’s Farmer Markets and Pop-Up Pantries are included.

Kelly’s Kitchen is promoting healthy nutrition by providing accountability classes that provides community leaders and influencers the knowledge to provide healthy means and encourage healthy eating in communities. These classes include interactive cooking lessons, grocery shopping techniques, fruits, veggies and raw food preparation, and weekly meal planning.

Get more information about how to get assistance in promoting healthy nutrition CLICK HERE Kelly’s Kitchen wants to support organizations that are interested in creating a food bank, maintain an existing food bank, or is actively involved in healthy feeding efforts in your community

Reach out to Kelly’s Kitchen here.

Kelly’s Kitchen demonstrates community engagement makes a difference.

This project was supported, in part by the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, under grant number 17OU01FA22 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

The purpose of Empowering Reach Out e-Diversity News is to promote interagency collaboration and coordination that result in agencies providing culturally competent services to the unserved/underserved populations in Ohio. It is the policy of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council to use person-first language in items written by staff. Items reprinted or quoted exactly as they originally appear may not reflect this policy.

Return To Page One

Empowering Reach Out e-Diversity News is produced by The Outcomes Management Group, Ltd.

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Empowering Empowering

e-Diversity News News ReachOut e-Diversity ReachOut

An Electronic Electronic Publication Publication of of the the An Ohio Developmental Developmental Disabilities Disabilities Council Council Ohio

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Community Outreach Tool Kit This month’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Community Outreach Tool Kit contains a “must have” set of tools that will equip you to identify potential community resources, build and sustain community partnerships and coalitions, and lead in a thriving community. Click on each description and check out the examples pertaining to resources, discussions, and best practices.

RESOURCES Guide: How to Build A Network Quick reference with key steps for building a network, including guide for a first-meeting

Creating & Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships The Community Tool Box from the University of Kansas includes an outline of key steps to define a partnership and examples from around the world

Guidebook for Community-Based Organizations in the Pandemic Determine the best timing and methods to engage your community (includes worksheets) Page 11

DISCUSSIONS

Community Engagement Tactics Blog highlights tactics to connect with community members and keep them engaged with games and public platforms

Who are Your Non-Profit Community Partners Defining different types of partnerships and how they bring value to your vision

BEST PRACTICES

How to be a Great Community Leader Tested attitudes and approaches for leading a thriving community

This project was supported, in part by the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, under grant number 17OU01FA22 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

The purpose of Empowering Reach Out e-Diversity News is to promote interagency collaboration and coordination that result in agencies providing culturally competent services to the unserved/underserved populations in Ohio. It is the policy of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council to use person-first language in items written by staff. Items reprinted or quoted exactly as they originally appear may not reflect this policy.

Return To Page One

Empowering Reach Out e-Diversity News is produced by The Outcomes Management Group, Ltd.

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