A publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Ohio State Resources

Complete update · 10/2007
Partial update · 3/4/2008

The offices listed on this state sheet are primarily state-level offices. Even if an office is not close to your home, they can usually put you in touch with resources in your community, as well as provide you with information and assistance about disability issues in your state. If you find that an address or number has changed or is incorrect, please e-mail us at nichcy@aed.org and let us know.

State Agencies and Organizations

Age of Eligibility

Each state sets eligibility ages for services to children and youth with disabilities. For current information concerning this state, please contact the office listed under Department of Education: Special Education.

United States Senators
Honorable George V. Voinovich (R)
524 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3353
(202) 228-1382 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://voinovich.senate.gov/contact/index.htm
Web: http://voinovich.senate.gov

Honorable Sherrod Brown (D)
455 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-2315
(202) 224-6519 (Fax)
E-mail: http://brown.senate.gov/contact/
Web: http://brown.senate.gov/

United States Representatives
To find the contact information for your representative in the House of the U.S. Congress, visit the House’s Web site at: www.house.gov, or call: (202) 225-3121; (202) 225-1904 (TTY).

Governor
Honorable Ted Strickland
77 S. High Street, 30th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-6108
(614) 466-3555
E-mail Web Form: http://apps.das.ohio.gov/govpublic/contact.aspx
Web: http://governor.ohio.gov/

Official State Web Site
Web: http://ohio.gov/

State Department of Education: Special Education
Greg Maloney, Director
Office for Exceptional Children
Ohio Department of Education
25 S. Front Street, 2nd Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 466-2650
E-mail: greg.maloney@ode.state.oh.us
Web: www.ode.state.oh.us

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Office for Exceptional Children
Ohio Department of Education
25 S. Front Street, 2nd Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 466-2650
Web: www.ode.state.oh.us

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2
Debra Wright, Bureau Chief of Early Intervention Services
Bureau of Early Intervention Services
Ohio Department of Health
246 N. High Street, 5th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 644-8453
E-mail: debbie.wright@odh.ohio.gov
Web: www.ohiohelpmegrow.org

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5
Sandra Miller, Director
Office of Early Learning and School Readiness
Ohio Department of Education
25 S. Front Street, Mail Stop 305
Columbus, OH 43215-4183
(614) 466-0224; (877) 644-6338
E-mail: sandy.miller@ode.state.oh.us
Web: www.ode.state.oh.us

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
John M. Connelly, Executive Director
Rehabilitation Services Commission
400 E. Campus View Boulevard, SW3
Columbus, OH 43235-4604
(614) 438-1210 (V/TTY)
E-mail: john.connelly@rsc.state.oh.us
Web: www.state.oh.us/rsc

Coordinator for Transition Services
Lawrence Dennis, Assistant Director
Program Monitoring and Services
Ohio Department of Education
Office for Exceptional Children
25 S. Front Street, Mail Stop 204
Columbus, OH 43215-4183
(614) 466-2650
E-mail: lawrence.dennis@ode.state.oh.us
Web: www.ode.state.oh.us

Office of State Coordinator of Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities
Lawrence Dennis, Assistant Director
Program Monitoring and Services
Ohio Department of Education
Office for Exceptional Children
25 S. Front Street, Mail Stop 204
Columbus, OH 43215-4183
(614) 466-2650
E-mail: lawrence.dennis@ode.state.oh.us
Web: www.ode.state.oh.us

State Mental Health Agency
Michael F. Hogan, Ph.D., Director
Ohio Department of Mental Health
30 E. Broad Street, 8th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-3430
(614) 466-2596
E-mail: hoganm@mh.state.oh.us
Web: www.mh.state.oh.us

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth
Kay Rietz, Assistant Deputy Director
Office of Children’s Services and Prevention
Ohio Department of Mental Health
30 E. Broad Street, 8th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-3430
(614) 466-1984
E-mail: rietzk@mh.state.oh.us
Web: www.mh.state.oh.us

Programs for People with Developmental Disabilities
Kenneth W. Ritchey, Director
Ohio Department of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities
1810 Sullivant Avenue
Columbus, OH 43223-1239
(614) 466-5214
Web: www.state.oh.us/dmr

Councils on Developmental Disabilities
David Zwyer, Executive Director
Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council
8 E. Long Street, Atlas Building, 12th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 466-5205
E-mail: david.zwyer@dmr.state.oh.us
Web: www.ddc.ohio.gov

Protection and Advocacy Agency
Michael Kirkman, Executive Director
Ohio Legal Rights Service
50 W. Broad Street, Suite 1400
Columbus, OH 43215-5923
(614) 466-7264; (614) 728-2553 (TTY)
(800) 282-9181 (in OH); (800) 858-3542 (TTY in OH)
E-mail: WebMaster@olrs.state.oh.us
Web: http://olrs.ohio.gov

Client Assistance Program
Michael Kirkman, Executive Director
Ohio Legal Rights Service
50 W. Broad Street, Suite 1400
Columbus, OH 43215-5923
(614) 466-7264; (614) 728-2553 (TTY)
(800) 282-9181 (in OH); (800) 858-3542 (TTY in OH)
E-mail: WebMaster@olrs.state.oh.us
Web: http://olrs.ohio.gov

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
James Bryant, M.D., Chief
Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps
Ohio Department of Health
246 N. High Street
P.O. Box 118
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 466-1549; (800) 755-4769 (parents only)
E-mail: james.bryant@odh.ohio.gov
Web: www.odh.state.oh.us

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
Healthy Start Healthy Families
(800) 324-8680; (800) 292-3572 (TTY) Consumer Hotline
Web: http://jfs.ohio.gov/ohp/bcps/hshf/index.stm

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired, Deaf or Hard of Hearing, or Deaf-Blind
John Connelly, Executive Director
Rehabilitation Services Commission
400 E. Campus View Boulevard
Columbus, OH 43235-4604
(614) 438-1200; (800) 282-4536 (in OH)
Web: www.state.oh.us/rsc

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 750-0750 (V)
(216) 476-6001 (V/TTY); 711 (TTY)
(877) 750-9097 (Speech to Speech)

State Education Agency Rural Representative
Greg Maloney, Director
Office for Exceptional Children
Ohio Department of Education
25 S. Front Street, 2nd Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 466-2650
E-mail: greg.maloney@ode.state.oh.us
Web: www.ode.state.oh.us

Regional ADA Technical Assistance Center
Robin Jones, Director
DBTAC - Great Lakes ADA Center
University of Illinois/Chicago
Department on Disability & Human Development
1640 W. Roosevelt Road, Room 405
Chicago, IL 60608
(312) 413-1407 (V/TTY); (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY)
E-mail: gldbtac@uic.edu
Web: www.adagreatlakes.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
David Schonfeld, M.D., Director
Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
3333 Burnet Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45229-3939
(513) 636-8383
E-mail: david.schonfeld@cchmc.org
Web: www.cincinnatichildrens.org/svc/dept-div/disabilities/default.htm

The Ohio State University
University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
357 McCampbell Hall
1581 Dodd Drive
Columbus, OH 43210
(614) 292-2390
Web: http://nisonger.osu.edu

Technology-Related Assistance
Bill Darling, Director
Assistive Technology of Ohio
445 E. Dublin-Granville Road, Building L
Worthington, OH 43085
(614) 293-9134; (800) 784-3425 (V/TTY, in OH)
E-mail: atohio@osu.edu
Web: www.atohio.org

State Mediation System
Chrissy Kline, Coordinator
Office for Exceptional Children
Ohio Department of Education
25 S. Front Street, 2nd Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 752-1679
E-mail: chrissy.kline@ode.state.oh.us
Web: www.ode.state.oh.us

Special Format Library
Donna Foust, Librarian
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
800 Vine Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202-2071
(513) 369-6999; (800) 582-0335
(513) 369-3372 (TTY)
E-mail: lb@cincinnatilibrary.org
Web: www.cincinnatilibrary.org/main/lb.asp

Disability-Specific Organizations

Attention Deficit Disorder
To identify an ADD group in your state or locality, contact either:

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
8181 Professional Place, Suite 150
Landover, MD 20785
(301) 306-7070
(800) 233-4050 (Voice mail to request information packet)
Web: www.chadd.org

Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
P.O. Box 543
Pottstown, PA 19464-0543
(484) 945-2101
Web: www.add.org

Autism
To identify an autism group in your state, contact:
Autism Society of America
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 300
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 657-0881; (800) 3-AUTISM
Web: www.autism-society.org

Blind/Visual Impairments
Jaclyn Packer, Ph.D., Director of Information Center
American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
(212) 502-7600; (800) 232-5463
E-mail: afbinfo@afb.net
Web: www.afb.org

Brain Injury
Suzanne Minnich, Executive Director
Brain Injury Association of Ohio
855 Grandview Avenue, Suite 225
Columbus, OH 43215-1123
(614) 481-7100; (866) 644-6242 (in OH)
E-mail: help@biaoh.org
Web: www.biaoh.org

Cerebral Palsy
Beverly Johnson, Executive Director
Cerebral Palsy Association of Ohio
995 Goodale Boulevard
Columbus, OH 43212
(614) 228-8300; (800) 796-8498
E-mail: cpohio@midohio.twcbc.com

Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio
2879 Johnstown Road
Columbus, OH 43219
(614) 342-5757
E-mail: office@dsaco.net
Web: www.dsaco.net

Epilepsy
Kelley Needham, Executive Director
Epilepsy Association
2831 Prospect Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44115
(216) 579-1330; (800) 653-4300
E-mail: info@epilepsyinfo.org
Web: www.epilepsyinfo.org

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Gary Tonks, Executive Director
The Arc of Ohio
1335 Dublin Road, Suite 205-C
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 487-4720; (800) 875-2723
E-mail: arcohio@rrohio.com
Web: www.thearcofohio.org

Mental Health
Suzanne Robinson, Director of Programs
NAMI Ohio
747 E. Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43205
(614) 224-2700; (800) 686-2646
(866) 924-1478 (TTY)
E-mail: suzanner@amiohio.org
Web: www.namiohio.org

Speech, Language, and Hearing
Nancy Bailey, Executive Director
Ohio Speech-Language-Hearing Association
P.O. Box 309
Germantown, OH 45327
(800) 866-6742
E-mail: OSLHAoffice@donet.com
Web: www.ohioslha.org

Tourette Syndrome
Tourette Syndrome Association of Ohio
P.O. Box 28345
Columbus, OH 43228
(614) 539-1795; (800) 543-2675 (in OH)
E-mail: admin@tsaohio.org
Web: www.tsaohio.org

Organizations Especially for Parents

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI)
Margaret Burley, Executive Director
Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities
165 W. Center Street, Suite 302
Marion, OH 43302-3741
(740) 382-5452; (800) 374-2806
E-mail: ocecd@gte.net
Web: www.ocecd.org

Community Parent Resource Center
Aimee Gilman, Executive Director
Special Education Services
27900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44132
(216) 289-4332
E-mail: agilman@idealaw.org
Web: www.idealaw.org

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Sue Owen, Executive Director
Ohio Congress of Parents and Teachers
40 Northwoods Boulevard
Columbus, OH 43235
(614) 781-6344
E-mail: oh_office@pta.org
Web: www.ohiopta.org

Other Parent Organization
Cathy Heizman, Director
Educational Advocacy Services Memorial Inc.
1607 Mansfield Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513) 621-3032
E-mail: cheizman@memorialinc.org
Web: www.memorialinc.org

Other Disability Organizations

Sheila M. Dunn, President/CEO
Easter Seals Northern Ohio
1909 N. Ridge Road, Suite 6
Lorain, OH 44055
(440) 277-7337
E-mail: sdunn@noh.easterseals.com
Web: www.noh.easterseals.com

Karen Zuckerman, CEO
Easter Seals Central and Southeast Ohio
565 Children's Drive West
P.O. Box 7166
Columbus, OH 43205
(614) 228-5523
Web: www.eastersealscentralohio.org

Dr. John Opperman, Communications Officer
Ohio Association of Pupil Services Administrators (OAPSA)
3880 Ridge Road
Medina, OH 44256
(330) 239-1901, ext. 1226
E-mail: opperman@highlandschools.org
Web: www.highlandschools.org/oapsa

Angela Sausser Short, Director
Ohio Family and Children First
30 E. Broad Street, 8th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 752-4044
E-mail: info@ohiofcf.org
Web: www.ohiofcf.org

Kimberly Murray, Executive Director
VSA arts of Ohio
77 S. High Street, 2nd Floor
Riffe Center for Government and the Arts
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 241-5325
E-mail: info@vsao.org
Web: www.vsao.org

Independent Living

To find out the contact information for the Statewide
Independent Living Council (SILC) in your state, contact:
Independent Living Research Utilization Project
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research
2323 South Sheppard, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 520-0232 (V); (713) 520-5136 (TTY)
E-mail: ilru@ilru.org
Web: www.ilru.org

To find out the contact information for centers for
independent living (CILs) in your state, contact:
National Council on Independent Living
1710 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 207-0034 (V); (202) 207-0340 (TTY)
E-mail: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org

This information is copyright free. Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY).
NICHCY State Resources are listings of selected state-wide organizations that can refer people to organizations in their area. We update our state resources continuously; however, the addresses and telephone numbers of these selected groups are constantly changing. If you find that an address or number has changed or is incorrect, please e-mail us at nichcy@aed.org and let us know.
Publication of this document is made possible through a Cooperative Agreement between the Academy for Educational Development and the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.	NICHCY P.O. Box 1492 Washington, DC 20013 (800) 695-0285 · v/tty (202) 884-8441 · fax e-mail: nichcy@aed.org web: www.nichcy.org