She didn't feel safe on the school bus. We helped her get the support she needed. #AdvocacyMatters
At the end of last school year, Kayla was inappropriately touched and repeatedly sexually harassed on the school bus by an older boy. However, the school refused to take action and even suggested that Kayla may have encouraged his behavior, despite knowing that she had disabilities related to fetal alcohol... Read more...
September 8, 2017Read More
D'Marcell felt out of place and desperate for help. Our advocacy brought systemic changes. #AdvocacyMatters
D'Marcell is a transgender woman living in a men's prison. This caused her to feel extreme anxiety and depression and to act out by injuring herself. The prison, however, denied her any hormone therapy, choosing instead to treat her only for anxiety and depression, which didn't solve the underlying problem.... Read more...
September 1, 2017Read More
She needed an accommodation to get her license back. We helped her succeed. #AdvocacyMatters
Vanessa's massage therapy license had lapsed. She wanted to get it restored so she could financially support herself. That required her to take a computer-based licensing test, but her disability made it difficult to travel to the distant location where the test was administered. She asked the state Massage Therapy... Read more...
August 18, 2017Read More
She wanted to see our nation's history. We helped her get there. #AdvocacyMatters
Tasia's eighth-grade class was planning a trip to Washington, D.C., and although her developmental disabilities made it difficult for her to focus on tasks and move efficiently from place to place, she was excited to go. Her grandmother, Jeanne, provided all of the required information and paid for the trip,... Read more...
August 11, 2017Read More
We saw a need, and a grant from OSBF helped us fill it. #AdvocacyMatters
Although Disability Rights Ohio has dozens of helpful documents in its online Resource Center, they were not accessible for many of the 100,000 American Sign Language speakers in Ohio, so we applied for, and received, a grant from the Ohio State Bar Foundation to change that. Because ASL and English... Read more...
August 4, 2017Read More
They were being mistreated in prison. We advocated for their rights. #AdvocacyMatters
"Treatment team meetings are just discussions about how to kick us out of the mental health unit as soon as possible," they said. Several people in prison units designed to provide treatment for those with serious mental illness had contacted Disability Rights Ohio to express this concern. DRO took their complaints... Read more...
June 16, 2017Read More
He lost his sight during a mental health crisis. We helped him regain his dignity. #AdvocacyMatters
Gerald is lucky to be alive. In 2015, he was shot by police 10 times during a mental health crisis. The altercation left him missing one eye and with limited sight in the remaining eye. After he healed from his gunshot wounds, he was placed in a psychiatric hospital, where... Read more...
June 9, 2017Read More
He wanted to move on from some mistakes in his youth. We helped him get a new chance. #AdvocacyMatters
Marcus was ready to find a job in the community, but he was having difficulty finding work because of some criminal charges from 14 years ago. Since then, he had stayed out of trouble, gone to therapy and become an active member of his church community, making him an excellent... Read more...
June 2, 2017Read More
Her high school teachers thought she couldn't learn. We stepped in. Now she's thriving in college. #AdvocacyMatters
Jordyn Zimmerman was always told that because she was not able to communicate verbally, college was not on the horizon. Even a modified high school diploma was hardly expected. Her educators believed her autism meant that she couldn't understand them. DRO found that was not the case. Read more...
May 26, 2017Read More
After many years of school, she wanted to give work a trial run. We gave her some good news. #AdvocacyMatters
Marcy was a recipient of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and she had just finished school to become a physician's assistant. She worried about being physically able to work full-time, which would eliminate her SSDI benefits. Read more...
May 19, 2017Read More
Her school had failed her. We helped her learn to succeed. #AdvocacyMatters
Sometimes the only thing standing between people with disabilities and success is the systems that are meant to serve them. In 2012, Alexis had a behavioral incident at school. The school removed her, even though the incident was related to her disability. DRO stepped in and represented Alexis in a... Read more...
May 12, 2017Read More
She wanted help after a sexual assault. We connected her with resources. #AdvocacyMatters
“Brenna” was a patient at a psychiatric hospital who was sexually assaulted by a staff member. The nurse on duty refused to do a rape kit. She also refused to allow the victim to go to the medical hospital, where she would be connected with counseling services. Brenna called DRO... Read more...
May 5, 2017Read More
They needed dental care. We made it happen. #AdvocacyMatters
On a monitoring trip to a psychiatric hospital in March, DRO advocates found that some patients had not received dental care in several months. Some of the problems were serious. Read more...
April 21, 2017Read More
She wanted independence. That's when DRO took her guardianship case. #AdvocacyMatters
"Rebecca," a young woman with a mild to moderate intellectual disability, had a guardian - her mother. Rebecca wanted to maintain the good relationship she shared with her mom, yet felt she no longer needed her to make choices about her life. Read more...
April 14, 2017Read More
A thief stole his car - with his wheelchair inside. We helped him find a way forward. #AdvocacyMatters
On a cold January day, "Mitch" started his car to let it warm up, with his wheelchair inside. Someone stole it. Read more...
April 7, 2017Read More
After five years in a nursing home, a client wanted to move out. Her guardian was hesitant. We helped her find her place. #AdvocacyMatters
"Nancy" (not her real name) had lived in a nursing home for five years. She worked in the community and did not need the level of services that the nursing home provided. Like many who live in institutions, Nancy was isolated and segregated for no reason. Read more...
March 31, 2017Read More
A client needed to find a flexible job. OOD wouldn't accommodate. We helped her gain access. #AdvocacyMatters
A woman with disabilities needed a full-time job with flexible hours that allowed her to work from home. She'd been working as a recruiter, but, to her great frustration, she kept getting laid off. Read more...
March 24, 2017Read More
A student needed an emotional support animal. Her landlord put up barriers. We knocked them down. #AdvocacyMatters
A college student who lived in an off-campus apartment received a letter from her mental health treatment provider recommending an emotional support animal. She gave the letter to her landlord and then got a small emotional support dog. The landlord ordered her to remove the dog immediately, fined her $150... Read more...
March 17, 2017Read More
Missteps led to serious consequences. Our advocacy improved care for patients. #AdvocacyMatters
At Disability Rights Ohio, we are committed to ensuring that the right of people with disabilities to be free from serious abuse or neglect in treatment settings is protected. Recently, we were asked to step in and help a client in crisis. Read more...
March 10, 2017Read More
Aleeha Dudley wanted to be a veterinarian. Her university couldn't help her. We did. #AdvocacyMatters
Aleeha Dudley has loved animals all of her life. She grew up on a farm with all kinds of livestock and wanted to be a vet from the time she was seven. She is also blind. Read more...
March 3, 2017Read More
#AdvocacyMatters: Bringing Abuses to Light
Earlier this week, we released the results of our nine-month investigation into Sequel Pomegranate, a residential treatment facility for children in Columbus. Our findings were shocking: Serious and systemic cases of abuse and neglect, violations of safety and treatment standards, inappropriate use of restraint, peer-to-peer bullying and staff intimidation, and... Read more...
June 26, 2002Read More
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