#AdvocacyMatters: Who we are.
March 14, 2025 / #AdvocacyMatters
Our advocacy and resources are only effective when they reach those who need them. Communities throughout Ohio still face barriers when attempting to fully participate in the world around them. Lack of awareness and understanding of the disability service system and our role as Ohio’s protection and advocacy system can create a gap between people and the advocacy they need.
For more than a year, our team has been meeting with underserved communities all across Ohio. Every one of these listening sessions were hosted alongside a community partner, and the focus of each was clear: Understanding the specific needs of that community and the best way to reach them. After meeting with Ukrainian refugees in Cleveland, a Spanish-speaking parent group, and Somalian families and community leaders in Columbus – as well as engaging with advocates in other underserved communities – work began to create a new way to introduce ourselves.
“Our mission – to advocate for an equitable Ohio for people with disabilities – can only be achieved if we are connecting to those who face the greatest barriers to accessing supports,” DRO President and CEO Kerstin Sjoberg reflected. “These listening sessions brought us closer to understanding some of the barriers and seeded meaningful partnerships to help overcome them.”
The information learned in these listening sessions was used to create an introductory video about our organization and the types of things we can help with. Aligned with our goal of meeting people where they are, the narration in this video was both translated and recorded by native speakers in six languages – Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Nepali, Somali, Spanish, and Ukrainian – alongside English and American Sign Language.
Earlier this week each version of this video was added to the homepage of our website, and distribution on our Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube channels is underway. With the videos complete and uploaded, we’re also working with community partners to help amplify this message to those that need to hear it.
We invite you to support this outreach and help us in sharing these videos far and wide, because #AdvocacyMatters.