ABILITY CENTER OF GREATER TOLEDO

The goals of the organization are to make Northwest Ohio the most disability friendly in the nation by using Advocacy, Home Accessibility Programs, Durable Medical Equipment, Assistive Technology, Assistance Dogs, School Facility Dogs and Emotional Support Dogs, Education and Recreation for children, youth and adults, site assessments and recommendations, along with raising awareness through Disability Awareness Experiences, 68 Words Podcast, Authentic Authors Series, and working with our partners within the community to make this happen.

In 2020, the Ability Center started a campaign to make NW Ohio the most disability-friendly community in the nation. While we will continue to address physical accommodations, our focus will be on the invisible barriers that prevent PWDs from fully integrating into society.
In July, 2022 we launched the “Think Differently, then ACT!” campaign, which features several new media efforts designed to raise society’s expectations of those with disabilities and that those with disabilities have of themselves. We want people in our community to realize that PWDs are doctors and lawyers and that we are employees, employers, parents, and consumers.
Additionally, we plan to launch an interactive Disability Awareness Experience (DAE) that will aim to create an association with the word disability that is positive and to “normalize” disability for those who participate. Participants will have a chance to play with wheelchairs, white canes, and other assistive technology
while getting to know a wide variety of people with disabilities. In many cases, it may be the first-time participants have interacted with someone blind, deaf, or using a wheelchair.
We will work to build community and make working with the agency easier by adding new front-line staff, “Navigators,” that will be a one-stop entry point to services. The ACT Navigators will intake clients and organize support across all the agency’s programs. In addition, they will work with clients to ensure they are taking full advantage of ACT support services.
Moving into the coming three-year cycle, we will look to increase client participation across all our supports and services. We’ve set ambitious goals - 28 service dogs by 2024, doubling our home modification outcomes, new youth programming focused on socialization through recreation, and a push to better serve the rural communities.
Our advocacy team will continue to work towards significant policy changes. For example, we are currently putting effort towards ensuring PWDs are not discriminated against in custody cases, increasing wages for direct care workers, and making public government meetings accessible through live streaming.
A new Director of Operations will be added to oversee the HAP and DME programs as well as the new navigators, facilities and rural operations. This position will provide clear, cohesive operations across these areas to work and organize efforts together moving forward with coordinated structure and leadership.
Lastly, we are looking to add structure to our development efforts. A Development Director will be added to oversee high net worth individuals, major gifts and estate planning. Additionally, they will oversee targeted grant procurement and reduce our dependance on the S.O. in the future. This position will also create new revenue lines by commercializing our innovative programming. We are currently doing an extensive review of our existing donor database for donors who may have the ability to commit more considerable

The Ability Center has over 100 years of experience serving and empowering the independent living model. We are have conducted research of our community determine the needs of the community, identify the gaps, and plan to fill those gaps. We have the capability to find the correct people for the positions needed to accomplish this task, and have a plan for fundraising to play for the plans. We have a strategic plan in place and individual and department goals and evaluations are aligned with this plan. Quarterly evaluations identify accomplishments and assist with adjusting plans accordingly to stay on track for meeting our objectives by the end of 2023.

As of February 2023, we have already launched our educational campaign "Think Differently, Then ACT!", and revamped our website, launched our new podcast, 68 Words and our Authentic Authors Series. The Ability Center is now offering our Disability Awareness Experience to organizations and groups in our community on a steady basis, as well as Lunch & Learn educational opportunities for the public to learn more about our programs.
We have our new Navigator department in place, along with their separate entrance for public assistance walk-in services.

We have a new Rural Independent Living Manager, a new Development Director working on fundraising and targeted grant opportunities, a new Operations Director overseeing HAP and DME, and have brought whelping and other vet services in-house to increase the number of trained service dogs available.