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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">March 28 Event 1.1.pdf</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Ohio APSE Logo 14 (c) Task Force Logo </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">A logo for a employment agency</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">SAVE-THE - DATE </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Ohio Employment First and Greater </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Act. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">WHAT: VIRUTAL EVENT FOR THE SUBMINIMUM WAGE BILL </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">WHEN: Thursday, March 28TH </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">WHERE: Virtually (registration link below) </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">TIME: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">AGENDA: </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">9:00 – 10:00 AM Representative Jarrells and Representative Lipps </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">10:00 – 11:00 AM Doug Crandell, Author of the book, TWENTY-TWO CENTS An HOUR </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">11:00 – 12:00 AM PANEL DISCUSSION: Gary Tonks, President and CEO, the Arc of Ohio, the states </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">lead advocacy organization supporting the elimination of subminimum wage; Julie Christensen, </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Executive Director and Policy and Advocacy Director, National APSE; Kimberly Tissot, President and </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">CEO, able South Carolina, who led the successful legislation to eliminate subminimum wage; Brady </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Bartley, person who worked in subminimum wage; John Pekar, retired superintendent of Vinton </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">and Fairfield County, Intellectual/Developmental Disability history; Dr. Fred Schroeder, Past </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">President of World Blind Union, former commissioner of Rehabilitation Services Administration </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">(RSA) appointed by President Clinton. Dr. Schroeder ended the practice of state vocational </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">rehabilitation agencies placing individuals with disabilities in segregated subminimum wage </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">employment. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Registration is required for this event. Proceed to the link below to register. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpcO2qqzkrE9URUJ1cwx9HI4Wfhc2VPEPW"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#467886" FACE="Aptos">https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpcO2qqzkrE9URUJ1cwx9HI4Wfhc2VPEPW</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">For information, please contact Ohio APSE at </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="mailto:ohapse@apse.org"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#467886" FACE="Aptos">ohapse@apse.org</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">HB 427 </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/135/hb427"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#467886" FACE="Aptos">https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/135/hb427</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">State Representative and Assistant Minority Leader Dontavius Jarrells is currently serving </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">his second term in the Ohio General Assembly representing House District 1, which includes Berwick, Bexley, </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Bronzeville, Downtown, Franklinton, German Village, Milo-Grogan, and the South Side of Columbus. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">A person in a blue suit and bow tie</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Growing up in the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland, Dontavius witnessed firsthand the struggles that </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">disadvantaged communities face every day. From a lack of affordable housing to limited access to education and </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">essential services, these challenges shaped Dontavius' worldview and ignited a passion for advocacy and public </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">service. After nearly a decade fighting for disadvantaged and marginalized communities across Ohio, Rep. Jarrells is </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">committed to advancing commonsense legislation to make Ohio a better place to live, work, go to school, start a </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">business, and raise a family. During his first term in office, Rep. Jarrells passed legislation to eliminate discriminatory </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">covenants from deeds during property transfers, remove derogatory language within the state’s code, designate </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">January 11th as Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and brought millions back into the district and Franklin County. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Rep. Jarrells is committed to building an Ohio we all deserve. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">State Representative Scott Lipps is currently serving his fourth term in the Ohio House </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">of Representatives. He represents the 55th Ohio House District, which includes northern, eastern, and southern </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">portions of Warren County. A native of Southwest Ohio, Rep. Lipps was raised in Miamisburg, Ohio. After graduating </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">from Miamisburg High School, Rep. Lipps attended the College of Wooster. After his time at Wooster, Rep. Lipps </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">pursued a graduate degree at DePaul University in Chicago, Ill. Rep Lipps has been involved in philanthropy (Masons </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">and Shriners), professional organizations (NFIB State Board, Optimists and Rotary Club, Farm Bureau, among others) </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Rep. Lipps has also been in public service, including to the disability communities across Ohio. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">A person in a suit and tie</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Doug Crandell has worked for decades in employment and disability supports. He’s an </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">advocate for a sibling with disabilities. In Twenty-Two Cents an Hour, he focused on how the Disability Industrial </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Complex is often impenetrable, mired in deficit-thinking, and controlled by the lobbying of trade groups that do little </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">for people with disabilities. Doug has published eight books with publishers including Penguin-Random House, </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Chicago Review Press. Virgin Books, and Cornell University Press. His essays on labor, mental health, and disability </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">appear regularly in the SUN magazine </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="https://www.thesunmagazine.org/contributors/doug-crandell"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#467886" FACE="Aptos">https://www.thesunmagazine.org/contributors/doug-crandell</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">He directs the </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">training and technical assistance center at the University of Georgia known as </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="http://www.advancingemployment.com"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#467886" FACE="Aptos">www.advancingemployment.com</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Additional information is available at </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="http://www.dougcrandell.com"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#467886" FACE="Aptos">www.dougcrandell.com</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">and </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="http://www.abolish14c.com"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#467886" FACE="Aptos">www.abolish14c.com</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">,</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="https://abolish14c.com/podcasts%2C-papers%2C-videos"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#467886" FACE="Aptos">https://abolish14c.com/podcasts%2C-papers%2C-videos</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">A person wearing a hat and glasses</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Dr. Schroeder is the past President of the World Blind Union (WBU). The WBU represents </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">the interests of the estimated 253 million blind and partially sighted people around the world. It works to expand </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">access to education, employment, and social integration for blind and partially sighted people. Professionally, Dr. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Schroeder worked for more than 20 years as a research professor with the San Diego State University Research </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Foundation. He is a nationally recognized expert in disability employment policy and lead training in leadership and </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">public policy for senior level executives of state vocational rehabilitation programs. President Clinton appointed Dr. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Schroeder commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Education. As </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">commissioner, Dr. Schroeder ended the practice of state vocational rehabilitation agencies placing individuals with </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">disabilities in segregated subminimum wage employment. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Fredric Schroeder</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Kimberly Tissot proudly serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Able SC where she guides the staff in applying the philosophy of independent living to real situations. Kimberly </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">believes in the value of individualized and community-based empowerment as she wants people to recognize their </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">full potential. Under Kimberly’s leadership, Able SC has experienced years of growth, success and has become a </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">nationally recognized Center for Independent Living. Kimberly’s road to disability rights began at an early age, after </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">having her leg amputated from a rare childhood cancer, Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Kimberly began deciding her </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">style of mobility, becoming the first soccer player with a disability in her town, and speaking up anytime she was </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">treated differently. Kimberly has over 20 years of experience advocating for disability inclusion on a local, state, and </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">federal level, and internationally! Kimberly led the efforts in the passing of progressive legislation in South Carolina, </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">“Persons with Disabilities Right to Parent Act” and in 2018, and in 2022, ending subminimum wage in South </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Carolina. Kimberly mentors other Centers for Independent Living across the nation due to her marked success in the </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">field. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">A person smiling at camera</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Brady Bartley is an experienced warehouse worker that has been a lead, and team </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">member. Brady works at a manufacturing company, making parts for open heart surgery all the way to dynamite. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">His new job accommodates his needs. They don’t mind if you need a break and go chill out for a while. His current </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">job pays a competitive wage, something he hasn’t gotten at other jobs. When he was 18 and fresh out of high </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">school, he was getting about $4.00 an hour until he could take a productivity test to find out how much he was </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">worth. That number often fell well below minimum wage, most of the time. Brady said his hands were tied in that </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">situation, he needed to make money to eat, so he had to work. Brady said the people there are one of the few </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">people that go into work because they want to be there. But that doesn’t change the fact that you can take </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">advantage of them and pay them less than what our minimum standard is. Brady believes that you can’t exclude a </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">group of people just because we think they’re worth less. In his free time, Brady spends time parenting his dog and </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">paying video games. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Brady Bartley</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Gary Tonks is the President/Chief Executive Officer of The Arc of Ohio. Gary has served in </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Ohio since 1997. Prior to that, he was The Arc’s Executive Director in California and Alabama. He also served as a </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">local chapter Executive Director in Pennsylvania. Gary has been a teacher, case manager, direct service staff person, </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">a program director, a community residential director and advocate. He was one of the authors of Ohio’s Medicaid </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Redesign legislation, HB 94, and represents individuals and their families in all negotiations related to Ohio’s current </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">developmental disabilities system. He has been recognized in Ohio and nationally for his professional achievement </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">as an Advocate and leader within the disability community most recently with a national lifetime achievement award. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Gary initially joined The Arc as a member of Youth ARC and has been an active member of The Arc for over 49 </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">years. Gary has a master’s degree in special education Supervision. </FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">John Pekar retired from the developmental disabilities field in 2022 after fifty years. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Starting his career as a residential assistant at the first group home in Akron in 1973, John served as the CEO of </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Siffrin, Inc., a not-for-profit organization in northeast Ohio. He also served as deputy director of the Ohio </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Department of Developmental Disabilities, and spent the last half of his career as the Superintendent/CEO of the </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Fairfield County Board of DD and the Vinton County Board of DD. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">A person in a suit and tie</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Description automatically generated</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Julie J. Christensen, MSW, PhD, is the Executive Director and Director of Policy & </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Advocacy at the </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE).</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">She also currently serves as the Senior </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Disability Policy Advisor for the Harkin Institute at Drake University. Prior to joining APSE, Dr. Christensen was the </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Director of Iowa’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at the University of Iowa, </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">where she held a research faculty appointment in the Carver College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. Dr. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Christensen received her undergraduate degrees in advertising and music from Syracuse University, and a master’s </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">in social work from Roberts Wesleyan College and her Ph.D. in Health Practice Research at the University of </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Rochester. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">A person smiling for a selfie</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Aptos">Description automatically generated</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Arial">Richard Payne, President</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Arial">National Federation of the Blind of Ohio</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Arial">937/829/3368</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="mailto:Rchpay7@gmail.com"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U></U></SPAN><U><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#0563C1" SIZE=5 FACE="Times New Roman">Rchpay7@gmail.com</FONT></SPAN></U><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Arial">The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You ca</FONT><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Arial">n live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
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