ODP Deputy Secretary Kristin Ahrens caught up with Paul Smith of Lycoming County after a summer bocce ball tournament. Paul, a Special Olympics Pennsylvania athlete, saw an ad in the paper and joined the program roughly two years ago. Since then, Paul, with the help of coach Lester Loner and the Athlete
August 6, 2024 between 10 AM and 2 PM ODP and the Temple Institute on Disabilities invites you to join a free event aimed at teaching participants about different types of Assistive Technology (AT). Assistive Technology refers to products, equipment, and systems that enhance learning, working, and daily living for individuals with
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) celebrated Sports & Fitness Month with Erie Athletics, Erie's adult Special Olympics chapter. In May, ODP joined Erie Athletics team members Dion, Mary Ellen, Roy, Nicole, and their coach, Natalie, for track and field practice where they worked on javelin, shotput, standing long jump, and distance
June 25 - July 1, 2024 This week is marked annually in honor of leading humanitarian Helen Keller's birthday on June 27. Being deaf and blind herself, Keller's work made a big difference in the lives of DeafBlind people. What is DeafBlindness? DeafBlindness is a combination of visual and auditory impairments. It
The Pennsylvania Lifesharing Coalition invites you to save the date for the 12th Annual Lifesharing Conference on October 28 and 29, 2024. The conference will be held at the Eden Resort in Lancaster, PA. Building Connections, Building Community, Building a Life... For a Lifetime! The Pennsylvania Lifesharing Conference will feature family friendly
Each Summer the Office of Developmental Programs hosts a Regional Employment Symposium, inviting current and future employers, local education specialists, intermediate units, ODP employment/community participation supports, residential providers, supports coordinators, transition counselors and OVR business liaisons. At the symposium, a panel of employers, job coaches and self-advocates are compiled to share why
Register today for the second annual PA Human Relations Commission Disability Conference! This hybrid conference will take place on July 9, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Harrisburg Hilton and online, and will offer engaging sessions on a variety of topics about how individuals with disabilities navigate various conflict
This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services rule (Access Rule). The Access Rule will strengthen the home and community-based services (HCBS) that make community living possible for millions of people. It includes important new requirements related to the direct care workforce, health and
The Pennsylvania ASERT collaborative invites individuals with intellectual disabilities and/or autism to join its Project Reassure e-learning courses. Project Reassure is a an online course that helps individuals with ID/A develop their resilience skills for understanding trauma. Click here to access project reassure.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has released its newly developed Integrated Transportation Guide as a resource to assist individuals in developing reliable transportation routes. Transportation continues to be a barrier to people finding and maintaining competitive-integrated employment. In response, ODP's Employment Innovation Area Work Group developed the guide, which utilizes the
