Ohio Governor Signs Bill Eliminating the “R” Word

Ohio Governor John Kasich signed two developmental disability (DD) related bills, HB158 and HB483.  HB158 removes the “R” word in state documents to, “person with an intellectual disability”.  Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) Director John Martin said “It is your collective voice…that helps us shape the system, and has made Ohio one of the stronger states in terms of our service delivery.”

The article states that “HB483, the mid-biennium review (MBR) DD budget bill, contains many key provisions that will help move the DD field forward in Ohio.  Another component of HB483 that holds significant policy impact deals with delegated nursing.

“By providing training and oversight to the caregiver, individuals with disabilities are now able to access their communities faster, longer, and without institutional restriction. Caregivers are now able to give individuals their prescribed medication, in a safe and efficient manner,” said Jaime Steele, executive director at Ohio Valley Residential Services. “

 “It’s a privilege to have John Martin,” Gov. Kasich told the audience before signing the bills. I want you to know, personally, that as best as I can communicate, through my efforts and the efforts of John Martin, we don’t want you to be alone. We need to think about other things that we need to do and we need to hang together.” Governor Kasich said.