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Commissioners proclaim Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

The Daily Record - 3/8/2019

WOOSTERWayne County is taking great strides to provide opportunities to people of all abilities and those efforts are being celebrated this March during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

The Wayne County commissioners delivered a proclamation on Wednesday to Wayne County Board of Developmental Disabilities Superintendent Dave Ashley and Community Transitions Manager Ken Kelly, program participants Kat Widmer and Amanda Yates, and intervention specialists Holly Pope of Wooster City Schools and Denise Followay of Norwayne Local Schools.

“We value what is important to people with disabilities and their families who are striving for everyday lives no different than that of all other citizens,” Commissioner Becky Foster read.

“Community members across Wayne County support the efforts of the Wayne CountyBoard of Developmental Disabilities along with the individuals and their families to celebrate the abilities of all people and recognize each person’s unique contributions to society.”

According to Ashley, the board has moved away from the “caretaker role” and is working toward connecting its clients to the community.

“Our whole mission is to partner with families, the individuals served as well as the community to allow our folks that are in our programs to live, learn, work and participate in the community to the best of their ability. Here in Wayne County, we’ve taken it to another notch,” Ashley said.

Widmer and Yates represented two of the individuals with developmental disabilities who have become vital members of the community through workforce programs. After school, Widmer works at Wooster Community Hospital through the Project Guide program, a training program that is giving individuals the opportunity to gain valuable experiences to get a job.

“She goes there every day of the week, she gets her education then she goes to work,” Kelly said. “She’s been offered employment and I think she’s going to grow from that opportunity.”

Yates used her background working at General Grounds, the Wooster High School coffee shop, to start The Joyful Cafe at HealthPoint in Wooster with her family.

“Amanda runs the register and is one of the best, happiest, most cheerful employees you will ever run into,” Kelly said.

Kelly also gave credit to Pope, Followay and all the intervention specialists, paraprofessionals and teachers in Wayne County for “their creativity, their imagination, their dedication, their dreams and what they provide to these students.”

“I just wanted to thank you for being so forward thinking and involving these young people in our community,” Commissioner Sue Smail said.

Reporter Emily Morgan can be reached at 330-287-1632 or emorgan@the-daily-record.com.

CREDIT: EMILY MORGAN

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