Ohio DD Talks

Five Years of Awesome: A Reunion and Reflection Episode

• produced by 23 East Group

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In this special reunion episode of Ohio DD Talks, we celebrate five incredible years of the podcast and the closing of the Ohio DD Council’s five-year state plan. Host Shari Cooper is joined by DD Council legends and former hosts—Nate Turner, Michael Denlinger, and Marci Straughter—as they reflect on the podcast’s origins, their personal journeys, and what makes this show so special.

In Part 2, Shari chats with current DD Council Chair Jennifer Kucera, who highlights some of the most impactful grant projects from the last five years, including Dollars and Sense, DB101 Ohio, and the FLAP program. They also discuss the Council’s unique Ambassador Program, which gives self-advocates the platform to share their stories and spotlight community experiences across Ohio.

Whether you're a longtime listener or new to the show, this episode is full of energy, insight, and appreciation for the power of storytelling in the disability community.


Host: Shari Cooper, Ohio Developmental Disability Council Ambassador

Guests: Nate Turner, Michael Denlinger, Marci Straughter, Jennifer Kucera 


Key Topics

The Evolution of DD Talks
A look back at how the podcast began, its purpose, and how it has grown over five years.

Passing the Mic: Reflections from Former Hosts
Former hosts Nate Turner, Michael Denlinger, and Marci Straughter share how they shaped the podcast and what made their hosting styles unique.

Spotlight on DD Council-Funded Projects
Jennifer Kucera highlights impactful grants such as Dollars and Sense, DB101 Ohio, and the FLAP program that supported self-determination, financial literacy, and policy advocacy.

Ambassador Program Successes
Shari and Jennifer discuss the Council’s innovative Ambassador Program, which empowers self-advocates to share stories from their local communities.

Hopes for the Future of the Podcast
Guests reflect on what they want DD Talks to become—from growing the audience to reaching national platforms.


Why It Matters

This episode honors five years of disability-led storytelling, leadership, and impact. It shows how people with developmental disabilities are not just participants but creators, organizers, and innovators. From celebrating self-advocate-led media to highlighting systemic changes made possible through DD Council grants, this reunion captures the value of community-driven narratives. It reminds us that when disabled people have platforms to speak, teach, and lead—entire systems become more inclusive, more responsive, and more human.


Resources and Links:

Do you have a story to share? The Ohio DD Council is always looking for individuals to feature on Ohio DD Talks. Submit your story!


Thanks for listening—don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode!

[Instrumental country rock instrumental music begins]

[Shari Cooper]
Hey everybody, it's your girl Shari Cooper. Boy, do I got a good one today! We are celebrating the 5th anniversary of this podcast, DD Talks.

As the Ohio City Council's 5-Year State Plan comes to an end, it's the perfect time to reflect on our achievements. Our guests today are DD Council legends, including our three former podcast hosts. We have the notable Nate Turner, the magnificent Michael Denlinger

and the marvelous Marci Straughter. In Part 1 of this episode, we'll talk with these former hosts about the evolution of the podcast, how it started, how they added their own style, and what their hopes are for the future of the podcast. And in Part 2 of this episode, we will talk with Jennifer Kuchera, the Council's current board chair, about some of the most impactful grants the DD Council has funded over the last five years.

So let's get into it, because this episode is fire! 

[Instrumental country rock instrumental music fades out]

I'm going to ask everybody to introduce themselves, so I'm going to start with Nate. Nate, can you tell the world who you are?

[Nate Turner]
Absolutely, Shari. Thank you so much for having me. My name is Nathan (Nate) Turner, and right now I work with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities as an Outreach and Education Coordinator.

I also am a veteran of the Ohio DD Talks podcast, and glad to be back on my second experience as a guest.

[Shari Cooper]
Michael, tell the world who you are.

[Michael Denlinger]
I am in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I live, and I served on the Ohio DD Council from February of 2018 through June of 2024, and I was chair of the Council from 2021 through 2023. And I currently work with my own advocacy group, which I started with a couple of friends, called the Disability Advocates Network, or DAN for short.

[Shari Cooper]
Hey, that's cool! Marci?

[Marci Straughter]
I'm from Franklin County, which is Columbus, Ohio, and I am vice president of Franklin County Board of DD. I'm an Ohio Tech Ambassador. I help other individuals with disabilities learn about technology and create their flavor.

I'm also on the OSDA Board. I am on the Ohio Statewide Independent Living Council, and I'm on a lot of other boards, too. And I'm also on the OACB Board of Trustees, which I just became a member on there.

[Shari Cooper]
Thank you, Marci. And Jennifer?

[Jennifer Kuchera]
Hi, everybody.

My name is Jennifer Kuchera. A lot of you may know me. I wear a lot of different hats in the state of Ohio.

I am a person with a disability. I was born with spinal muscular atrophy. I've been an advocate all my life, but now I do a lot of systems advocacy work.

And I took over Michael Denlinger's job as chair of DD Council right when he left. So I am the current chair of DD Council. So I'm just really glad to be here today to talk with all of you.

[Shari Cooper]
Thank you all for the introduction. So, Marci, Nate, and Michael, this is a question for you. You have all been on Ohio DD Talks podcast as the host in the past, but tell us what's new with you now?

Marci, what are you up to now?

[Marci Straughter]
What am I up to now, Shari? I'm still keeping it cooking and keeping it rolling! But I miss you.

You bring on the sizzle! But I am speaking across the state with Project Stir and stirring it up and keeping it cooking! I've been a world traveler.

I've been zooming in the state, across the state, and been traveling across the state too.

[Shari Cooper]
Boy, you are busy, Marci.

[Marci Straughter]
They call me the Energizer Bunny [Marci and Shari chuckle]

[Shari Cooper]
I'm sure they do! Nate, what's up with you, Nate? 

[Nate Turner]
I've very much stayed busy since my time as host of the podcast. I think viewers may recall that I left to join the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities in 2022.

And at that time, I was, just prior to joining the department, I was also supporting DD Council on an initiative called the Ohio Advocacy Task Force, in addition to being an Ohio Tech Ambassador and also being on the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities. I got to take all of that lived experience, including my podcast experience as host of DD Talks, and take that to a unique role at the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. And so, as I said, I'm an Outreach and Education Coordinator.

And what that functionally means is that I get to connect people and organizations to DODD. I answer a lot of questions for people, and I also provide a variety of information and resources, all of which are underpinned with the Charting the Life Course framework. And for people who don't know who that is, it is a tool to help anybody solve all kinds of problems and think about what resources they have available to them to get what they want and need.

And as a part of that, my work at the department as well, I also support the County Board Governance Initiative. Let me start over. There were changes in the law at the beginning of the 2024 biennium that mandated every county board ask to have a person living with a disability serving on that county board.

And as part of that, the county boards had to work with their county commissioners and probate judges to essentially add people living with disabilities as voting members on county boards. And so I continue to provide a lot of education and support for that area as well.

[Shari Cooper]
And Nate, don't you have a podcast for your job? Give a shout out to your podcast.

[Nate Turner]
I definitely should do that! So also as part of my job, and I really do appreciate the nudge, I do so much that I was going to miss something in my intro.

But yes, another big piece of my job is supporting DODD with communication. And I work on a podcast and a newsletter on a monthly basis to share information and resources to folks. And I appreciate that Ohio DD Talks gave me an outlet to grow in that space and really hone my skills as a podcaster because I think people with disabilities have awesome stories and it's my privilege to help tell them.

[Shari Cooper]
That's cool. And Michael, what have you been up to?

[Michael Denlinger]
Well, and don't worry, Nate, I left out something in my intro too! I also currently serve as a board member for APSI with an I, which is the guardianship organization for people with disabilities in Ohio.

And I really enjoy serving there because I like that they really take into consideration the needs and the wants of the people that they serve. And that they don't necessarily try to take control first. In fact, APSI uses that as a last resort where they take the opinion of what the person with the disability wants into account.

And I think that is amazing. And I'm happy to be part of that. And as I mentioned in my intro, I'm currently running my own advocacy group with a couple of friends of mine called the Disability Advocates Network, or DAN for short.

We've been operating essentially since I got off council and had more time to devote to it. And we essentially work to help bridge the gap between helping people with DD and their families find services they need that maybe they don't know how to access. You know, because we've all been there where you need to get connected with services, but there's a lot of red tape to cut through and you just don't know where to go.

Well, we help them try to figure out where to go. And we also try to help people with disabilities and their families to do fun things if they want to. Like we helped a family see the Minecraft movie earlier this year because they didn't have the money to do that.

And through some donations, we were able to help make that happen.

[Shari Cooper]
That's so cool.

[Michael Denlinger]
Thank you.

And so that's been what's keeping me busy. And I would have to say that it's been very rewarding in getting to be a part of Ohio DD Talks, especially while I was on Council. And hosting that for its first year was amazing.

And I went and traded for the world and I enjoyed that I got to speak with and work with people from across the state and even had a couple of you on the show with me throughout the time there. So that was amazing. So Michael, I'm going to come back to you and ask you, how did DD Talks get started?

Well, when DD Talks started, the discussions about it came, I believe, around the end of my second year on Council, which was around the end of 2019. And in 2020, the Council decided to pull the trigger and make it happen because there was a lot of talk around technology and around giving people with disabilities a voice. And Council just decided, well, since that's what we support, why don't we spearhead that?

And my involvement in the show came about because I... actually, my first episode was the second episode of the show in which I came on as a guest with Marci. And then after that, I got the call to be the host of the show. And I hosted it.

I hosted it for the next year until I became the chair of DD Council and had to step away.

[Shari Cooper]
That is so cool to know how it was born. I really appreciate knowing that. So Nate, I'm going to go to you.

What was the original goal of the podcast? And do you think that your goal has been achieved?

[Nate Turner]
So I'm happy to talk a little bit about my origins and what I saw the goals as a podcast from my perspective. Thank you for that question, Shari. So I remember you and I got asked by Michael to appear on a podcast and talk about self-advocacy fundamentals.

And I think that was right around the time that Michael was transitioning into the role of council chair. They wanted to do something a little bit different and also give Michael some additional time to focus on his duties as council chair. So I agreed to kind of come on the podcast at the time.

Yet I had no clue what I was doing or any real training in education. So I had to learn from experience, the school of hard knocks, if you will. And I think that's no different than a lot of people living with disabilities have to learn things.

We've got to learn through our experiences and I think help elevate the voices of people living with disabilities in the podcast format. They're short, they're digestible. People listen to them on a variety of different devices and in different environments.

And so it was a flexible way to communicate important pieces of information. And I remember my first podcast was with Bill Darling, and he's the director at AT Ohio. And let's just say there were a few bloopers.

And I greatly appreciated everybody's patience as I learned along the way. You know, I messed up so many times, but I laughed at myself and I got a little bit better. And so from there, I learned how to really think about what I wanted to say and how I wanted to facilitate a conversation and tell the guest story.

So it was a really important lesson. But I think the most important piece there is just the value of people living with disabilities and elevating our voices and our stories and our impact. Because disability doesn't discriminate.

I know lifelong disabilities is a really small piece of the larger disability community. But one in two of us either have a disability or know someone who has one. And we need to normalize these conversations.

Disability isn't something that's necessarily an extraordinary thing. It's a part of everyday life. And as such, people living with disabilities want to do just that with their lives and have the same experiences as anybody without a disability would want to have.

[Shari Cooper]
I totally agree. Thank you for that, Nate. Nate, while I've got you here, can I ask you, what was your flavor as a host? How did you get the crowd on your side?

How did you make your podcast flow?

[Nate Turner]
So I don't know that I have a truly concrete answer to that question, but it's a good question and I'll do the best I can. I think for me, I put a lot of preparation into researching the topic and thinking about the questions I'm going to ask and the run of show and sharing that with the person at a time so that we can kind of think about what we want to say. But I try not to stick to it too closely.

It's mostly just some bullets so that I can kind of stay on track with the points that I want to make in the conversation because I really want to focus on connecting with the guests and highlighting their story and their impact. Because everybody comes on to the podcast for a reason and has something to share and contribute, and I really think it's my honor to help tell them stories. But I think my style really focuses on listening and facilitating and just trying to drive the conversation in a way that highlights the guest's strengths and the story that they want to tell.

[Shari Cooper]
Thank you. What about you, Michael? What was your flavor?

How did you get the podcast? How did you make yours flow?

[Michael Denlinger]
Well, this seems to be a bit of a running theme here between me and Nate, but I actually had kind of the same ideas as Nate, and I just tried to be kind of a conduit for the guests and kind of a facilitator. That's a better word. I tried to be kind of a facilitator for the guests and kind of try to make sure that their story was highlighted and they were the importance of the show.

And I may be showing my age just a little bit here, but in my mind, I always try to be a little bit like Montel Williams, if anybody's ever seen his show back in the day. He always seemed to really value listening to his guests and really kind of giving them the spotlight and really making them the important factor on the show. And so in my mind, at least, that's what I was doing is I was borrowing something from him and making that really a positive thing for people with disabilities.

[Shari Cooper]
And of course, I remember Montel Williams because he's a babe. So of course, I remember who he was. So Marci, what was your flavor?

How did you host the DD podcast? How did you make it flow?

[Marci Straughter]
How did I make it flow? Well, I listened to what the people that were getting interviewed did. And then I went along with my flavor, and kept it cooking and kept it spicy and put all the flavors in it and got to know the guests that I was interviewing and understanding them. And I knew about some of the programming before they came. So it's good to do your research also.

[Shari Cooper]
And you did keep it cooking, Marci. You really did.

[Marci Straughter]
Shari, you was my sidekick.

[Shari Cooper]
Oh yeah! I was the sizzle. So Marci, one more question for you. What are your hopes for the podcast in the future?

What do you hope the podcast will accomplish?

[Marci Straughter]
I hope it still has their successes and those success stories that's going to help people with disabilities and have people with disabilities on there telling their story and people learning from them and just connecting and having that audience. And for people to get what we're talking about and how important it is and how it's going to help the disability community and others. And maybe those people that want to be public speakers or be a part of an organization or something.

It will open another person up to an opportunity.

[Shari Cooper]
Oh, that's great. Thank you, Marci. Nate, I'm going to come back to you.

What are your hopes for the DD podcast in the future?

[Nate Turner]
I think my hopes are that the podcast continues to be a robust platform for people living with disabilities to connect with other people to initiate strong conversations and also for guests within the broader disability community to come on, meet with the facilitators of podcasts and have really rich discussions. I think podcasts are a really great way to share all kinds of information and experiences. And I just hope that it continues to grow, the audience continues to build, and that people with disabilities have continued opportunities to elevate their voices.

[Shari Cooper]
And Michael, what are your hopes for the podcast in the future?

[Michael Denlinger]
I want to see DD Talks, the podcast, continue to thrive and continue to showcase people with disabilities and get vital and necessary information out there for things we need, such as voting, medical information, new durable medical equipment that might be out there or anything that would be vital to people with disabilities. And I would like to see DD Talks get even bigger than it was when any of us were hosting the show. And I would like to see it go further and maybe someday even be national.

[Shari Cooper]
Wow, I like that. Thank you, Michael. So now I'm going to switch gears and go to Jennifer.

Hi, Jennifer.

[Jennifer Kuchera]
Hello, hello, Sherry.

[Shari Cooper]
So my question for you is, you are the current board chair for the Ohio DD Council.

And since this is a reunion episode, we want to highlight some of the grant projects the council has supported through a five-year state plan. But first, can you tell us what exactly is the Ohio DD Council and what do you do?

[Jennifer Kuchera]
Sure, Shari. I love being part of DD Council. Actually, when I first put in my application for them, it had been a dream for me to be a part of DD Council.

So I'm so glad, first of all, I achieved the dream of being on council. It is really an amazing organization. We fund over 20 projects each year that provide either education, training, or engagement with actually thousands of Ohioans with developmental disabilities, their family members, and professionals.

We actually don't provide any direct services to people with IDD, but we're charged with creating grants to improve the way that services are delivered to individuals with developmental disabilities and their family members. We also provide opportunities for individuals with IDD and their family members to have input into all the design of the services and supports. We're actually, like you mentioned, we're guided by the five-year state plan that we send out and we survey folks from across Ohio to see what kind of things that they would like us to do with the grant money that we have.

So we are all about giving grants to either existing organizations or new organizations to develop programs that will assist people with IDD and their family members. So it's really an exciting place to be. And as a small plug, we are currently looking for new council members.

So please, if you're out here in podcast land and you would love to be a part of DD Council, you can find the application for us on the DD Council website.

[Shari Cooper]
And that will be in our podcast notes, have a link to DD Council so you can apply to be a member.

[Michael Denlinger]
Well, and if I can cut in for a second just to help out for anyone who may not look in the description section, that's ddc.ohio.gov.

[Shari Cooper]
Thank you, Michael. Thank you. And I love that saying "podcast land." I'll be using that.

So Jennifer, coming back to you, can you name three projects that stood out to you over the last past five years?

[Jennifer Kuchera]
Yeah, absolutely, Shari. There have been so many of them. There's so many of them.

So narrowing it down to three was really difficult for me. I've seen a lot of great work coming out of DD Council in the last five years, every year, really. But the top three to me that I was most impressed with, one of them is called Dollars and Sense.

DD Council really learned that people understanding their money and their benefits was really a big barrier for people with IDD and their family members to really live the life that they wanted to live and be as independent as possible. And we know that a lot of financial literacy programs are really not at all geared towards the unique needs of people with IDD. The People for the Dollars and Sense grant, they created a training program to teach people different things.

So people were able to learn about how to create a budget, opening up a savings and checking account. They learned about debit and credit cards. And I think there were like 10 or 12 different topics that people were able to learn about during this Dollars and Sense program that went on.

So we really did reach a lot of people through that training program, and it was pretty exciting. Another one of the programs that was also connected to just financial literacy or just learning about finances is called DB 101 Ohio. And it's a website that still exists.

Again, it's DB 101 Ohio. If you Google that, you'll be able to find the website. And this is the one that we partnered with the World Institute on Disability.

They created a website, and I can say it out loud, it's oh.db101.org. So ohio.db101.org, or O-R-G. And this website, actually, you can punch in your information, and it's learning how working can affect your benefits, including Social Security, like SSDI or SSI.

And, along with the Ohio Medicaid for Workers application and information. So it provides tools and information to help individuals plan and navigate for the complexities of working while also receiving disability benefits. 

And they also, the World Institute on Disability, also was able to provide training to professionals and other people across our state on employment first messaging and also how to use this website. 

So those of you out in the audience don't know that Ohio is an employment first state. And what that means is that community employment is prioritized as the first and preferred option for individuals with disabilities rather than segregated or non-inclusive employment settings.

So we definitely believe in community integrated employment in Ohio and DB 101 helped to push forward that narrative.

[Shari Cooper]
Just to interject, we did a podcast on a disability one-on-one with the World Institute. So if the audience would like to go back and listen to that interview, we did a podcast on that. I think it was maybe three months ago.

So make sure you go back and listen to that podcast. Okay. Thank you.

[Jennifer Kuchera]
Yeah, so that's awesome about DB 101. That's very cool. So the third one is called a FLAP grant, F-L-A-P.

And that one has been going on for the last so many years. This year, it is put on by the OSILC, which is our Ohio Center for Independent Living, the statewide independent living center. And the FLAP program actually trains people.

And then it culminates or ends with a trip to Washington, DC to talk with our legislators and advocate for programs and different things for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. So currently right now, we're going through the process of learning how to talk with state and federal legislators. And then in, I believe it's September, it's either August or September, there's a group of people that will be leaving Ohio and going to DC to learn how to, and talk with the legislators in DC.

And that has been going on for a few years. It's been, I guess, overseen by a few different organizations, but that is one that's really near and dear to my heart. I've been able to go with that group for the last couple of years.

So that's another great reason to get involved with DD Council, because you get to experience things like that as well.

[Shari Cooper]
Sounds like a lot of great programs.

[Marci Straughter]
I'll be going to that in September!

[Shari Cooper]
Okay.

[Jennifer Kuchera]
Awesome.

[Shari Cooper]
So Jennifer, I'm going to flip to the next question, because you already told us how the project impacted communities. But I want to talk about one specific project. I want to talk about the Ambassador Program.

I have been one of two ambassadors so far. The purpose of the program has been to engage self-advocates to tell their stories about our community, both the good and not so good. So can you talk to us about the development of the program and how you think it's grown so far?

[Jennifer Kuchera]
I really enjoy that program as well. And Shari, I didn't get to see all of the information that you gave us when you were an ambassador, but I did get to see some of it, and it was really amazing.

You did get out into the community. You videotaped and recorded everything. And it gives the ambassadors, we try to find ambassadors from all across Ohio or in different areas as well.

In Ohio, we have a lot of rural areas, and we have a lot of just different settings that we have in Ohio. So I think that that program is really great because it gives different people the opportunity to talk about disability wherever they live and wherever they stay. And it's very creative because just like you, Shari, you were able to figure out what you wanted to do and what you wanted to say and where you wanted to do that at.

So you had a lot of creativity and a lot of input that you were able to add because we support the ambassadors. We support the work that they want to do, but it's up to each ambassador to kind of create the scenarios where they wanna talk and what they wanna say. So hopefully we'll be able to continue that project well into the future.

I think it is going really well. And as always, you can always reach out to either me or somebody on DD Council if you have interest in becoming an ambassador.

[Shari Cooper]
We will probably put that in the podcast notes as well. Well, my good people, our time has come to an end. This has been a great podcast.

I'd like to thank my guests, Nate, Marci, Michael, and Jennifer. And I would like to celebrate our five years as DD podcast hosts, and the DD Podcast itself. I would like to thank you for letting me step in and be your podcast host.

And I'm looking forward to doing more podcasts in the future, and also opening doors for other hosts to come in and host the show themselves. So with that, I say, everybody have a good day and spread the news about DD Talks because we are rockin'! And everybody finish enjoying their summer. Thank you all.

Peace out.

[Michael Denlinger]
Thank you.

[Nate Turner]
Thanks, Shari.

You're truly the hostess with the "most-ess."

[Marci Straughter]
Yeah, thank you, Shari.

[Nate Turner]
You did such a great job.

[Shari Cooper]
Thank you. Peace out. 

[Instrumental country rock instrumental music begins]


Well, wasn't that a treat?

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ohio DD Talks. How awesome was it to hear from all of these DD's Council legends? I know I enjoyed hearing from them.

And to all you listeners, we want to hear from you. Do you have a story to share with us? You can find the survey in the description of this episode.

And if you fill it out, you might get a chance to be featured on the podcast. For more information, visit ddc.ohio.gov. I've been your host, Shari Cooper. And you know I'm your girl!

I'll catch you next time on the flipside.

[Instrumental country rock instrumental music fades out]