For years, Summit DD has worked with local school districts and Koinonia to provide a program that helps build useful career skills for students with disabilities. Koinonia’s Compass Pathfinder program (formerly ASPIRE) works with transition-age teens to explore their interests, develop skills and gain employment experience. This program is traditionally very hands-on. When the Coronavirus hit Northeast Ohio in early March 2020, that could have meant the end of the program. However, thanks to hard work and collaboration, teens from the Compass Pathfinder program were able to keep their momentum. Read More ›
Author Archives: Tricia Perduk
Summit DD Grant Supports Local Disability Professionals Through Crisis
(Tallmadge, Ohio) – In an effort to support direct support professionals and front-line supervisors amid the challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, Summit DD created a grant opportunity in April to help local disability agencies in Summit County.
- A total of $100,000 was shared by nearly 50 local providers serving people with developmental disabilities. Providers ranged from small organizations with less than ten employees, to larger ones employing more than 250 people, with individual grant awards ranging from $75 to $10,000. Grant money was required to be used to support or incentivize direct support professionals and front-line supervisors who have continued to support people in their homes throughout this crisis.
WAKR’s Ray Horner Show
93.5 FM and 1590 AM WAKR
Ray Horner Morning Show, May 13, 2020
Summit DD Superintendent, John Trunk was recently on the Ray Horner Morning Show’s Open for Business. Listen to the interview here. Read More ›
In It Together: Supporting Providers and DSPs through the Pandemic
In this new, ever-changing reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, Summit DD made it our goal to be there for those around us. We ensure that children and adults continue to feel supported. We are also determined to ensure local disability providers and the Direct Service Professionals (DSPs) who work for these providers feel supported as well.
“As you can imagine, the demands on our provider network are off the charts,” shared Summit DD Superintendent, John Trunk. “And our Community Supports and Development Department has stepped up in a big way to support our partners.” Trunk went on to explain that providers are experiencing dramatically increased demands to Read More ›