Oregon Community Brokerages

03/11/2026

Whew! The longest, shortest 5 weeks of every two years is over--the Oregon Legislative short session for 2026 has ended. Check out our recap on what happened and where key issues landed at the close.

The Oregon Legislature adjourned Sine Die (a Latin term meaning ending without a plan to reconvene) on Friday March 6th. This short session was a sprint through many bills and a lot of unusual budget work, forced by our state’s revenue shortfall. We started budget conversations back at the start

03/11/2026

DD Services can feel complicated, and ISP meetings are often packed full of forms and other system requirements. But when you walk in knowing your rights, knowing what you want, and knowing how to ask for it, it changes things. Please check out a new series of trainings offered by our friends at OSAC and the Office of Developmental Disabilities. Sign up, and then mark your calendars!

Oregon Self Advocacy Coalition (OSAC) is partnering with ODHS Office of Developmental Disabilities Services on a training series.
Together, we are leading a 5-week online training with self advocates across Oregon. The training is about the Self-Advocate Guide to I/DD Services. It is for self-advocates and the people who support them.

Each session is one hour long. Self-advocate trainers will walk through the guide with staff from OSAC and ODDS.

Each week, we will talk about one chapter:
• Advocating for yourself – March 19, 2026, 3–4 PM
• Introduction to Oregon I/DD services – March 26, 2026, 3–4 PM
• Oregon Needs Assessment (ONA) – April 2, 2026, 3–4 PM
• Individual Support Plan (ISP) meetings – April 9, 2026, 3–4 PM
• Your rights and disagreements in I/DD services – April 16, 2026, 3–4 PM

Register for this training using this link: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/Lr-FMX_mTa-DLg3gFHg1sg #/registration

03/06/2026

March is DD Awareness Month! There are events online, in-person in Salem, and ways to participate anytime you like. Check out all the information on the webpage linked below. Brought to us by our friends at the Oregon DD Council.

Celebrating 2026 DD Awareness (click on each image to view larger) We’re excited to announce this year’s Developmental Disabilities Awareness theme and poster! Although DD Awareness is observed in March, the IDD community promotes awareness throughout the year. This year, we are continuing las...

03/06/2026

Today! Join the event this afternoon at OSAC.

Reminder! OSAC's Advocate Connection & Education Meeting is TODAY from 2-4pm. Registration link: https://forms.gle/6Yqawwy6x2Z3ZMnP9

This month we will be joined by two guest speakers:
The Linkage Project team from Oregon Office on Disability and Health will be discussing resources for people in the I/DD community to access health care.
Em Braman, Executive Director at The Arc Oregon will be talking about mini grant opportunities for self advocates!

We will also be talking about DD Awareness month and how you can get involved in the celebrations with Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities!

Come connect with other self advocates across the state and learn together!

01/09/2026

01/09/2026

The Oregon Department of Human Services is hosting a series of opportunities to learn and provide feedback.

First, there is a series in January, leading up to the 2026 legislative session, to give feedback on possible budget reductions.

Then, throughout 2026, there will be Forward Together webinars put on by ODHS to talk about our budget and impacts due to federal spending decisions. You can learn more about both and sign up by clicking below.

December 2025 ODHS Community Updates Oregon Department of Human Services sent this bulletin at 12/19/2025 02:00 PM PST Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Date: December 19, 2025 Contact: Communications.odhs@odhs.oregon.gov We are sending this out a little earlier than normal a...

01/09/2026

Tune in to the town hall at 2:00 today to hear from the final two candidates for the Office of Developmental Disabilities Services Director position!

We’re happy to announce that we have two strong finalists in our search for the next permanent director of the Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS). We invite you to meet them at a public town at 2 p.m. Jan. 9. The event is free and on Zoom. To sign up, read the full announcement:https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/news/directors-messages/odhs-2025-12-29-odds-director-finalists-en.pdf

---

Nos complace anunciar que contamos con dos finalistas fuertemente calificados en nuestra búsqueda del próximo director permanente del Programa para Discapacidades Intelectuales y del Desarrollo (Office of Developmental Disabilities Services, ODDS). Le invitamos a que los conozca en una asamblea pública que tendrá lugar el 9 de enero a las 2 p. m. El evento será gratuito y se realizará por Zoom. Para inscribirse, lea el anuncio completo:https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/news/directors-messages/odhs-2025-12-29-odds-director-finalists-es.pdf

12/02/2025

We have a little bit more information to help you understand the reductions proposed at the top of the list for IDD.

The Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS), along with every other state program, has submitted a list of potential reductions. These reductions were combined with options from other programs within the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and placed on a prioritized list that wa

12/02/2025

This is a great opportunity to join people who use developmental disability services to learn about the legislative policy process, and talk about what is going on right now.

We will have our first OSAC Policy and Legislative meeting on Zoom this Friday from 2-4pm. This week, Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities will be coming to our meeting to talk about policy and legislative advocacy 101, the proposed budget reduction of I/DD services and how you can get involved. Sign up using this link and we will add you to the meeting calendar invite: https://forms.gle/3mHvXSgHJk1AgVLp9

11/15/2025

We now know what is on the reductions exercise for ODHS, a list of potential cuts put forward by the agency for legislators to consider during the upcoming 2026 session. Click below to read more.

In anticipation of its November 17th hearing, the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Services has published various agency reduction lists under their Meeting Materials tab . This includes the ODHS reductions list, and potential reductions to the IDD service system.

10/27/2025

We lost a longtime friend of home and community based services in Oregon. Molly Holsapple was an active part of setting up Brokerage services in Oregon, and ensuring that the system was centered on and powered by people.

Oregon’s disability community lost a bright light this week with the passing of Molly Holsapple.

Molly was a driving force behind the creation of Oregon’s support service brokerage system and a steadfast champion for community employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her insight, persistence, and belief in person-centered support helped shape the best parts of the system.

For those of us privileged to work alongside her, Molly was more than a policy leader — she was a mentor, a collaborator, and a compass. Her influence continues to guide our work and our values.

Thank you, Molly. You made such a lasting difference. The path you cleared endures. ✨

10/22/2025

Important update on SNAP benefits and the federal government shutdown.

The federal government shutdown is affecting funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). If the shutdown continues into November, SNAP benefits for November will not be issued until federal funding starts again.

You can still use any SNAP benefits already on your EBT card. SNAP funds do not expire right away. Your current balance will stay available during this time.

When federal operations resume, ODHS will issue November benefits as quickly as possible. The timing will depend on national systems that process benefits for many states, which may cause some delays.

We know this is stressful for many people who rely on SNAP. We are watching the situation closely and will share updates as soon as we have them.

Get more details here: https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/news/Pages/snap-updates.aspx