#AdvocacyMatters: The Room Where It Happened
August 28, 2026 / #AdvocacyMatters
A packed house at The Ohio State University’s Fawcett Center. Countless wheelchairs, support professionals, AAC devices, and fidgets. Representatives for office sharing their hopes and dreams for the future for disabled Ohioans. At this year’s Disability Policy Candidates Forum, these were some of the things you might have seen. Over 400 disabled Ohioans were in attendance (both virtually and in-person), and DRO was honored to support and attend this important event.
Between the 1 in 4 Ohioans with a disability, the over 34% of children with special needs, and their caregivers, parents, loved ones and community members – the disability constituency in our state is a super-majority. All told, over 75 to 80% of the state is directly related to the disability space, and we are a powerful and diverse group.
Through countless planning meetings, advocate engagement, and community partnership, the 2026 Ohio Disability Policy Candidates Forum was brought to life. From start to finish, the event put disability rights and access at the center: accessible formatting, large print texts, sensory breaks, and ASL and live captioning both online and in person were just a few larger commitments to inclusion that made accessing the forum a little easier for all.
We want to thank the endless advocates and professionals that made this forum possible and emphasize the importance of the candidates that made this event a priority. In-person attendees included Secretary of State candidate Allison Russo, Attorney General candidate John Kulewicz and State Senate candidates Jeffrey Harris, Cara Jacob, and James Nowalk. Several other candidates provided videos.
Jennifer Kucera, a major leader for this event and Director of Advocacy, Policy and Outreach at the Center for Disability Empowerment and Chair of the Ohio Olmstead Task Force, had this to say about the event:
“This event will not be a one and done. We showed the candidates and the entire state about the importance of disability policy. Hopefully, from this moment forward candidates will take the disability community seriously and as a community we must make sure that happens.”
#AdvocacyMatters
Candidates Forum event bags.
The initial guest in the room at the Candidates Forum.
Jennifer Kucera introducing the Candidates Forum.
DRO Staff at the Candidates Forum. From L to R: Lindsey Evans, Brittanie Maddox, Kyle Pigman, Georgie Elson (board), and Kerstin Sjoberg (President and CEO).