#AdvocacyMatters: A Human Connection

April 16, 2021 / #AdvocacyMatters

Throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our team has worked hard to create new procedures and adopt new processes to ensure the advocacy, resources, and support that so many depend on remained accessible. Our Investigations and Monitoring team quickly adapted to performing visits remotely, our Special Education team consistently updated resources and guidance to help families cope with the realities of closed or virtual-only schools, and our advocates went to work to fight for fair access to healthcare and vaccines for people with disabilities among the crisis. Perhaps most impressive of all, our Intake and Operations teams created a new intake workflow to accommodate DRO’s rapid transition to working from home with near-seamlessness.

In this new workflow, callers to DRO’s intake line were prompted to leave a message which was quickly returned by one of our intake specialists. Even with all the challenges that came along with these changes, our intake team fielded an astonishing 6,839 calls for service last year. While this new system obviously worked, we knew we could do better.

Recently, we began transitioning our intake system to return to live specialists answering the phones instead of the voicemail prompt. We understand that so often an individual, family member, or advocate reaching out to us for assistance has already encountered roadblocks and closed doors. A live voice on the other end of the line can offer more than just a faster answer: That conversation can provide a bit of hope and a dose of motivation to keep pushing, keep advocating, and keep fighting. So when you call us at 614-466-7264 or 1-800-282-9181 during our intake hours of Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., you’ll find a live person on the other end of the phone. Because #AdvocacyMatters, our team is here to answer the call… now and always.