April 18, 2008
This is the weekly e-mail newsletter from the Lucas County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
Ohio Supreme Court overturns death penalty for man with mental retardation
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1. Meetings to discuss Core Values survey next week
Four meetings are scheduled this week to receive input from families and others regarding the survey designed to determine how well the Board of MR/DD is addressing its Core Values -- People First, Self-Determination, Importance of Families, Community Participation, Ethical & visionary Leadership, and Cultural Competence. Families, persons served by the Board, providers, staff and advocates are encouraged to attend one of the meetings.
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2. Civitan again planning inclusive activity with the Village Players
Following on the heels of a very successful inclusive evening with the Village Players last year, Maumee Valley Civitan is again "buying out the house" for another entertaining event. Civitan will be giving 100 tickets to the mr/dd community for the performance on Sunday afternoon, May 18, of "Don't Dress for Dinner," a play described as "a recipe for hilarious confusion with more twists than a corkscrew!" The performance will be at the Village Players Theater on Upton Avenue. To make this a truly inclusive community event, Civitan will sell the remaining seats for $18 each. Everyone attending is invited to a reception preceding the show. To purchase tickets send an e-mail to maumeevalleycivitan@gmail.com or call Mary Pat Riker at 419-380-4049. To see photos from last year's event, visit maumeevalleycivitan.org Sponsors for this event include NBC24, Kroger, TRIAD and Maumee Valley Civitan.
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3. Area IV Games to honor Jennifer Adams
The Special Olympics Area IV track meet on May 10 has been renamed to honor Jennifer Adams. until her death in 2006, Jennifer coordinated recreation activities for the Board for 25 years. She also served as the Special Olympics Regional Director.
Volunteers are needed for the Area IV Special Olympics meet on May 10 at the University of Toledo. Athletes from Erie, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Sandusky, Williams, and Wood counties will be competing in preparation for the State Summer Games in June 2008. Please contact Linda Baranek at (419) 381-5254, or email lbaranek@lucasmrdd.com by April 15 if you plan on attending.
The Special Olympics State Softball Tournament will be on Saturday, September 6 in Oregon.
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4. Ohio Supreme Court overturns death penalty for man with mental retardation
The Ohio Supreme Court decided 7 to 0 to reverse a lower court ruling that Clifton White, 35, formerly of Akron, does not have mental retardation despite the testimony of psychologists hired by the state and the defense team who said that their diagnosis of mental retardation was “not a close call.”
The justices based their decision on the 2002 United States Supreme Court case Atkins v. Virginia, which banned the execution of anyone deemed to have mental retardation as defined by the American Association on Mental Retardation and the American Psychiatric Association.
Psychologists tested and interviewed members of Mr. White’s family and his former girlfriend. They concluded that he had an I.Q. of 52 and the academic skills of a second grader. They said that his adaptive abilities, including communication, self-care and social skills, were equivalent to an average 11-year-old and that the disabilities existed before he was 18 — a requirement to meet the Supreme Court’s definition of mental retardation — based on school reports and family accounts.
“We thought we presented an abundance of evidence and information to find him to be retarded,” said Kathryn L. Sandford, Mr. White’s lawyer, who said it took her client a moment to understand the news of his reprieve when she called him on Tuesday morning.
The lower court had ruled that Mr. White was not mentally retarded based partly on testimony that he worked, rented an apartment, play video games, drive and had bought a truck.
The Supreme Court cited expert testimony in determining that such abilities did not rule out retardation.
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5. Director Martin comments on Futures Committee report
John Martin, Director of the Ohio Department of MR/DD, told the Family Advisory Council the recommendations of the Futures Committee show the direction for mr/dd services into the future.
“The Futures recommendations are giving us direction on what we should be doing with our resources. I believe that the work of the Futures Committee actually gives us some hope in times of crisis, such as we are dealing with now -- with painful budget cuts. It is helping us to lay the groundwork for when things get better.”
He added, “We are committed to the work that was done by the Committee, and are now putting together an implementation plan to help us move forward most effectively.”
The Futures Committee report is posted on the Department's website at http://odmrdd.state.oh.us/futures/docs/MRDDFuturesFinalReport.pdf
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6. Book signing to benefit Special Olympics
Barbara Holdcroft, , whose 27-year-old daughter, Katie, participates in Special Olympics, has written a book with Dr. Holdcroft says the intent of her book I’m Katie’s Mom, is to offer advice and encouragement to anyone — family, professional, or friend — who assists people with disabilities. Dr. Holdcroft. will be holding special book signings to benefit Special Olympics
The book sells for $10.95 retail. Books were purchased at a discount and will be sold for $10.00 with all proceeds benefiting Lucas County Special Olympics.
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7. Upcoming Events
This Family FASD Forum is a network opportunity for parents/caregivers raising children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. It will be Friday, April 25, from 1:00pm -3:00pm at the Owens Corning Conference Center, Room - Commons 2, One Owens Corning Parkway in downtown Toledo at Summit and Washington. Dress is business casual. Please Note: all visitors MUST check in at the front desk in the lobby. Register at www.notasingledrop.org or call 800-788-7254, option 2.
The Autism society of Northwest Ohio is reserving a section of seats at Fifth Third Field behind the Mud Hen’s dugout for the game on April 27. It will be Dora the Explorer Day so kids can meet-n-greet Dora. Kids also can get autographs from featured Mud Hens players before the game starts and after the game kids can run the bases. Tickets must be purchased in advance from the Autism Society for $8 per ticket (a one dollar discount per ticket.) To purchase tickets: call the office or go online to www.asno.org . PLEASE purchase your tickets NO LATER THAN April 25. EXTRA: For every ticket you purchase, your loved one with autism will have a chance to win the opportunity to throw out the first pitch of the game.
April 28 "Living with Autism" is an inservice sponsored by the Sandusky County Board of MR/DD. See the attached flyer.
Autism Society of Northwest Ohio Annual Meeting will be April 29 at the Toledo Hospital Education Center Auditorium. The topic this year is Promising New Treatments for Patients with Fragile X Syndrome and Autism. Those planning to attend are asked to pre-register by calling 419-578-2766 or by sending email to asno.org@bex.net with the names of the individuals attending and a contact phone number. Please indicate whether you are a parent or professional and what county you live in.
Bingo Bonanza will be May 5 at the Glanzman Plaza Bingo Hall on South Byrne. See the attached flyer.
The next Rec Jam is May 31 from 7:00 to 9:00 at Centennial Terrace. A Rec Jam is a dance where you can expect a lot of fun! Registration is not necessary. Just show up and pay $3.00 at the door. No charge for caregivers. DJ and refreshments provided. In order to serve large groups, we ask that if you require 1:1 supervision for dietary, medical or behavior support that your caregiver accompanies you. If you cannot provide a caregiver, please contact us at 419-534-4980 and we will work with you to develop a plan to safely meet your needs. If you will be coming to the Rec Jam without an adult family member or your homemaker/personal care staff, please remember to carry an identification card and emergency contact names and phone numbers.
The National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministry 2008 Conference will be September 4-6 at the Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron. for more information log onto http://www.toledodiocese-spl.org/NAlM%20Conference%20Brochure.pdf
May 27-29 are the dates for the International Conference on Self-Determination at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center. The Conference is designed to be a combination of a few very short presentations but mostly panel discussions and roundtables organized by topic with a diversity of moderators and cross-disability panel members. For more information log onto http://www.communitydrive.org/uploads/ICSD_Broch.pdf .
The Special Olympics State Softball Tournament will be held at the Oregon Recreation Center September 6.
September 18-19 are the dates for the 27th annual conference of the Brain Injury Association of Ohio. It will be in Columbus at the University Plaza Hotel. For registration forms go to www.biaoh.org
The annual Sibling Conference will be November 7-8 in Columbus. For more information visit the website.
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Please forward this newsletter to others interested in activities, events and issues concerning individuals in our community with mr/dd. To subscribe, send your e-mail address to comments@lucasmrdd.com
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