COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine allocated $56 million dollars of the state budget to the Department of Developmental Disabilities.

What You Need To Know

  • $15 million dollars will go directly to counties to make their communities more inclusive and accessible

  • The funds are coming from the American Rescue Plan Act

  • All projects that have been submitted and approved will be finished by March 2025

Hundreds of millions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act have been allocated to different departments across the state. The Department of Developmental Disabilities has received over $200 million dollars in relief funds since 2021. Most of the money has gone directly towards counties. In the state’s most recent budget it allocated additional funds to create community resources and infrastructure. 

“Our goal is to have every space in Ohio accessible for someone with a disability,” said Kim Hauck, who serves as the director of the state’s Department of Developmental Disabilities. “Our goal is to have every space in Ohio accessible for someone with a disability.” 

She knows the importance of making sure their needs are taken care of and knows where the state could aid counties in being more inclusive and accommodating. 

"An inclusive community really does start with an accessible community,” said Hauck.

Communities across Ohio are getting extra money to help them become more accessible. The state is sending a total of $15 million to dozens of counties that applied for the funding. Counties and organizations applied for the funding and projects have already been approved. The projects had to fall into one of the following categories: 

  • Supported connections (which includes summer camps and after school programs)
  • Accessible communities (curb cutouts, ramps, wheelchair accessible swings and more)
  • Increased community engagement (paying for community events)
  • Outreach to non-English speaking communities
  • Accessibility for meetings and conferences (which can look like offering pamphlets in braille or having a sign language translator)
  • Implementation of universal changing tables

“We had 59 requests,” said Hauck. “We funded all of those, 59 of them, we funded a portion or all of it, but in total, we funded 92% of all the requests that were given.” 

Nearly $4.5 million will go toward putting universal changing tables in public places. Those are changing tables made for adults. One table alone can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $12,000 dollars, but Hauk says their value is immeasurable.

“People sometimes aren't able to go in the community because they have to take care of their bathroom needs and can't be too far away from home,” said Hauck. “This will give them the opportunity to be out in the community longer.”

According to the DODD, 1.5% of Ohioans have been diagnosed with an intellectual disability and one third of that population have also been diagnosed with a mental illness. Those diagnoses can range from depression to anxiety.Hauck said that these changes will hopefully make people feel more included and a part of society. 

“It's important for everyone’s mental health to be a part of their community,” said Hauck. “I think making our communities more accessible and giving people the opportunity to be in their communities more certainly will address some of that.” 

In partnership with the Ohio Department of Transportation, Gov. Mike DeWine has committed to adding adult changing tables to rest stops across the state to make it easier for those with disabilities to travel. All of the projects that are receiving funding are expected to be completed by next March.