Ohio Olmstead Task Force

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/

12/05/2025

Don't miss it! Ohio Olmstead Task Force, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Disability Rights Ohio, and the Ohio Department of Medicaid are hosting a listening session on Ohio waiver and non-waiver services.

We need your feedback as disabled Ohioans who are on a waiver service to inform Anthem's 2026 programs. Register here or using the QR code below: https://bit.ly/anthemootf

We are honored to help facilitate this upcoming event with Ohio Olmstead Task Force and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and Ohio Department of Medicaid.

Please share this registration far and wide, so we can hear from as many voices of disabled Ohioans who are on a waiver service. In this time of giving and reflection, we are proud to see amazing organizations like OOTF and Anthem taking time to listen and learn.

Register here or using the QR code below: https://bit.ly/anthemootf

12/04/2025

What's your ? Lois Curtis was one of the plaintiffs in the Olmstead Court Case, an artist, and disability rights advocate. Olmstead protects the right of people with disabilities to live in the community with supports, like Lois.

12/03/2025

Come join us for the last OOTF meeting of 2025 at 1pm via Zoom. We will be wrapping up the year by highlighting important advocacy work and events we participated in. Please visit www.ohioolmstead.com or send us an email at ohioolmstead@gmail.com to learn more or if you need information to participate in the meeting.

OOTF's mission is to advocate, educate, and support change for all people with disabilities by ensuring their rights to participate in a thriving community life.