Toward Independence, Inc.

Toward Independence, Inc. Toward Independence, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with developmental disabilities

๐ŸŽ‰ ๐‚๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐›๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ! ๐ŸคToward Independence was honored to present the ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ซ ๐‘๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐...
04/22/2026

๐ŸŽ‰ ๐‚๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐›๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ! ๐Ÿค

Toward Independence was honored to present the ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐ž๐ซ ๐‘๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ to the incredible City of Xenia Government on Friday, April 17th.

This recognition highlights Xeniaโ€™s outstanding commitment to building an inclusive community where individuals of all abilities are empowered to live, work, and thrive. From supporting local initiatives to fostering meaningful collaboration, the City of Xenia continues to be a true partner in advancing opportunities for those we serve. ๐ŸŒŸ

Through this partnership, weโ€™ve seen firsthand the impact that community support can have, creating pathways for independence, encouraging engagement, and strengthening connections that make a lasting difference in peopleโ€™s lives.

r Greene County Board of Developmental Disabilities Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities Ohio Health Care Association

https://youtu.be/BKlf20FfkmU
04/13/2026

https://youtu.be/BKlf20FfkmU

Welcome back to another weekly update from Toward Independence.The TI Epic Committee is looking for volunteers to help lead our upcoming 5K Committee. If you...

04/13/2026
We are excited to share with you that Xenia's Mayor Ethan Reynolds issued a proclamation proclaiming March 2026 Developm...
03/24/2026

We are excited to share with you that Xenia's Mayor Ethan Reynolds issued a proclamation proclaiming March 2026 Developmental Disabilities Awareness month! Attached is a copy of the proclamation for you to share and celebrate!

Xenia's Mayor and City of Xenia Government have been extremely supportive of the DD community. A couple of weeks ago, they allowed pur very own CEO to speak at a council meeting to share about the history and impact of people with developmental disabilities.

They were especially touched by Bill, a self-advocate, and his message of awareness, advocacy, and being kind.

Also attached is a copy of Bill's speech and a few pictures from the meeting, including the city council & members from the Toward Independence, Inc. team wearing orange ribbons to celebrate DD Awareness month.

Thank you to Bill, the EPIC council, the city of Xenia, and Mayor Reynolds for their strong support of people with Developmental Disabilities!

Greene County Board of Developmental Disabilities Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services Miami County Board of Developmental Disabilities Darke County Board of Developmental Disabilities Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities Ohio Health Care Association

This weekโ€™s update is led by one of our own, proudly representing both the holiday and his Irish roots, as we highlight ...
03/23/2026

This weekโ€™s update is led by one of our own, proudly representing both the holiday and his Irish roots, as we highlight a St. Patrickโ€™s Day celebration hosted by our EPIC committee. The event brought together staff and the individuals we serve for a costume party full of connection, laughter, and community.

We also recap our presence at the Xenia Community Council meeting, where our CEO Joe shared the continued impact of TI, alongside Bill from our Advocacy Group, who spoke about advancing rights and representation in the community.

Additional updates include:
โ€ข Annual training completion and compliance reminders
โ€ข New features on the TI intranet, including EPIC applications and event calendar
โ€ข Introduction and support for the V&V app
โ€ข Announcement of the 2026 TI Scavenger Hunt

Mission Moments this week:
โ€ข A Galentineโ€™s celebration connecting multiple homes through shared activities
โ€ข Special Olympics regional basketball achievements by Cody, Mia, and Anna

Thank you to everyone who continues to show up, support the mission, and make a difference every day.

Weโ€™re back with another weekly update from Toward Independence โ€” with a little extra St. Patrickโ€™s Day spirit.This weekโ€™s update is led by one of our own, pr...

On ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ at the ๐—๐ž๐ง๐ข๐š ๐‚๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐‚๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐œ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ž๐ž๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ , Toward Independence, Inc. got to talk about the individuals we support,...
03/16/2026

On ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ at the ๐—๐ž๐ง๐ข๐š ๐‚๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐‚๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐œ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ž๐ž๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ , Toward Independence, Inc. got to talk about the individuals we support, and the broader community we serve.

During the meeting, CEO Joe Harmon shared the ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ž๐ ๐š๐œ๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐“๐จ๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ ๐ˆ๐ง๐๐ž๐ฉ๐ž๐ง๐๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž, highlighting our long-standing commitment to empowering people with developmental disabilities and helping them live as independently as possible.

โญ ๐€ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ž๐œ๐ข๐š๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ!
Bill, one of the individuals we support and a member of the ๐“๐ˆ ๐†๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐’๐ž๐ฅ๐Ÿ-๐€๐๐ฏ๐จ๐œ๐š๐œ๐ฒ ๐‚๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐œ๐ข๐ฅ, did an outstanding job advocating for himself and representing our agency. His voice is a powerful reminder of why the work we do matters.

๐Ÿ‘ ๐“๐ก๐š๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ฆ๐ž๐ฆ๐›๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐š๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐๐ž๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง. Your presence helped represent our organization and demonstrated the high level of care and professionalism that defines Toward Independence.

๐Ÿค We look forward to continuing our partnership with the ๐‚๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐—๐ž๐ง๐ข๐š as we work together to strengthen our community and ๐›๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ž ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ ๐š๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ž.

https://www.youtube.com/live/QhbTG14gfHw

Greene County Board of Developmental Disabilities Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Miami County Board of Developmental Disabilities Darke County Board of Developmental Disabilities Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities Ohio Health Care Association

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

๐Ÿ’™ ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฌ๐š๐›๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐Œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ก ๐Ÿ’™This month is a time to recognize the value, dignity, and contrib...
03/13/2026

๐Ÿ’™ ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฌ๐š๐›๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐Œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ก ๐Ÿ’™

This month is a time to recognize the value, dignity, and contributions of people with developmental disabilities in our communities. Itโ€™s also a reminder that everyone deserves the opportunity to live, work, and participate fully in the community they call home.

At Toward Independence, Inc., we see every day how powerful inclusion can be. The individuals we support are neighbors, coworkers, volunteers, and friends who make our communities stronger. Their talents, personalities, and determination remind us that ability comes in many forms.

Supporting people with developmental disabilities is about more than providing services. Itโ€™s about building relationships, creating opportunities, and empowering people to live self-directed and meaningful lives. Whether someone is learning a new skill, maintaining independence in their home, finding meaningful employment, or enjoying activities in their community, every success matters.

Behind this support is an incredible workforce across Ohio.

๐“๐ก๐ž๐ฌ๐ž ๐Ÿ“๐ŸŽ,๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐œ๐ญ ๐’๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ž๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐Ž๐ก๐ข๐จ๐š๐ง ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐†๐จ๐-๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ง ๐ฉ๐จ๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐š๐ฅ.

Their dedication, compassion, and commitment make a real difference in the lives of the people they support every single day.

๐ƒ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฌ๐š๐›๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐Œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ก reminds us that inclusion is everyoneโ€™s responsibility. When communities come together to support and value all people, we create a stronger and more compassionate world.

Join us in celebrating the achievements, voices, and contributions of people with developmental disabilities this month and every month. ๐Ÿ’™

Greene County Board of Developmental Disabilities Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Miami County Board of Developmental Disabilities Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services Darke County Board of Developmental Disabilities Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities Ohio Health Care Association

Toward Independence 2026
03/02/2026

Toward Independence 2026

Important message from our CEO Joe Harmond

02/17/2026

Direct support professionals play a vital role in helping people with developmental disabilities thrive. Here's some advice to help you grow, stay connected, and use your voice with confidence as a DSP! โญ

๐ŸŒฑ๐ŸŸ ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐š๐ง ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐๐ข๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐๐š๐ฒ ๐š๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐†๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐“๐จ๐ ๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐€๐ช๐ฎ๐š๐œ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž & ๐‡๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ข๐œ๐ฌ ๐Ž๐ฉ๐ž๐ง ๐‡๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž!Weโ€™re excited to share that the even...
02/17/2026

๐ŸŒฑ๐ŸŸ ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐š๐ง ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐๐ข๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐๐š๐ฒ ๐š๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐†๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐“๐จ๐ ๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐€๐ช๐ฎ๐š๐œ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž & ๐‡๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ข๐œ๐ฌ ๐Ž๐ฉ๐ž๐ง ๐‡๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž!

Weโ€™re excited to share that the event was a huge success, with ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ“ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญs joining us, including community members, donors, local media, and public officials. It was an honor to welcome Greene County Commissioners Sarah Mays, Greene County Commissioner, City Councilman Wesley Smith, and Magistrate Heather Shannon for Greene Co. Probate Judge

Guests toured our systems, learned how the program works, and heard directly from staff and participants about the real-world impact. Grow Together supports vocational learning, skill-building, and meaningful engagement for individuals with developmental disabilities, while also producing fresh, locally grown products that are donated to One Bistro Xenia, Coffee Hub Ohio, and Greene County FISH Pantry. ๐ŸŒฟ

One of the highlights of the day was our client tour guides Cody, Mia, Marc, Nate, and Anna, who helped lead tours, explain the systems, and share their experiences. They did a fantastic job welcoming visitors and showing what the program is all about. Opportunities like this build confidence, communication skills, and real job experience.

This program has been years in the making. Former CEO Mark Schlater first launched the hydroponics vision with a long-term goal of adding aquaculture, and last Friday, that vision officially became reality. What an amazing milestone!

Our Current CEO, Josphe Harmon, shared during the event:

โ€œ๐˜ž๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง๐˜ง๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฒ๐˜ถ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜บ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜จ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ, ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ๐˜ถ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด, ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜จ๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฌ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ณ ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฎ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ด! ๐˜ž๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ด, ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ด, ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜Ÿ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ขโ€™๐˜ด โ€˜๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ญโ€™ ๐˜ข๐˜ฒ๐˜ถ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ถ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜จ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ต!โ€

Thank you to everyone who came out to support, learn, and celebrate with us. More growth ahead! ๐ŸŒฑ

Greene County Board of Developmental Disabilities Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services Miami County Board of Developmental Disabilities Darke County Board of Developmental Disabilities Warren County Board of Developmental Disabilities Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities Ohio Health Care Association

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81 E Main Street
Xenia, OH
45385

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Change lives. One person at a time.

We are a non-profit organization that serves adults with developmental disabilities across 5 counties in Ohio. We are all about creating miracles for those that we serve every single day. Whether it is helping someone learn a new skill, gaining more independence, connecting with their community or simply providing high-quality transportation, we take pride in helping each and every one of the individuals that we are honored to serve to take one more step toward their own independence.