From Every Corner of Ohio: Meet Your DD Council

In this episode of Ohio DD Talks, host Shari Cooper sits down with four current members of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council for a candid conversation about what it really means to serve — and why it matters. Noriko Kantake, Jennifer Kucera, Madge George, and Morgan Deavers share their personal stories, break down how the Council works, and make the case for why more people with disabilities and their families should get involved.

Host: Shari Cooper Guests: Noriko Kantake, Jennifer Kucera, Madge George, Morgan Deavers

Key Topics

The Council's Origins: Jennifer traces the Ohio DD Council back to the Kennedy administration, when people with disabilities began demanding the right to speak for themselves. That push led to the federal DD Act, which established councils in every state and gave people with disabilities and their families real power over how DD funding is spent.

How the Council Works: Council members hear project proposals, vote on funding, and serve as an advisory body to the governor. Nearly all members are appointed by the governor, and at least 60% must be people with DD or their family members — including one member who has lived in an institution, a role Jennifer fills based on her own experience.

Projects Making a Difference: Council members highlight funded initiatives from across the state, including Athens On Demand Transit, which provides door-to-door transportation for people with disabilities — not just for medical appointments, but for everyday life. Noriko shares a memorable moment watching an elderly couple arrive at a movie theater thanks to the service.

Why Representation Matters: Morgan and Noriko both emphasize that Council members represent all 88 counties of Ohio, and that the lived experience people bring from their home regions — rural or urban — shapes the decisions the Council makes. How one county operates is not how all counties operate.

What It's Like to Join: Madge, one of the newer members, talks about how her SSAs encouraged her to apply and how the Council gave her a way to use her voice without backlash. Jennifer and Morgan, who joined around the same time in 2022, describe it as a welcoming space for people at any stage of their advocacy journey.

Advice for Prospective Members: Just do it. Whether you are brand new to advocacy or have been doing this work for years, the Council is a place to learn, connect, and make a real difference — not just for today, but for generations to come.

How to Get Involved: Council meetings are hybrid and open to the public. They take place in February, April, June, August, and October. You can attend virtually or in person in Columbus. The Ohio DD Council is currently accepting applications for board membership.

Why It Matters

The Ohio DD Council was built on the idea that the people most affected by disability policy should have a hand in shaping it. This episode is a warm, honest, and inspiring look at what that principle looks like in practice — told by four people living it.

Resources and Links

• Ohio DD Council Website — Find meeting links, agendas, and the board member application on the homepage

Transcript

0:08

[Shari Cooper] What's up everybody, it's your girl Shari Cooper and you're listening to another great episode of Ohio DD Talks. From every corner of Ohio, the Ohio Developmental Disability Council brings together board members whose ideas and lived experience are shaping a better state for people with disabilities. Because the best way to make an impact is to make your voice heard.[Noriko Kantake] Well, my name is Noriko Kantake. I live in Athens County. And I have a 26-year-old son with very severe autism and profound intellectual disabilities.[Shari Cooper] Thank you, Noriko.[Jennifer Kucera] Hi, everybody. My name is Jennifer Kuchera.[Shari Cooper] Thank you, Jennifer. And Madge, would you like to introduce yourself?[Madge George] My name is Madge George, and I am one of the newer Council members.[Shari Cooper] Okay. Thank you, Madge.[Morgan Deavers] Well, hello, everyone. My name is Morgan Deavers, and I am a current council member from Perry County, Ohio. I live in southeastern rural Ohio.[Shari Cooper] Thank you so much, Morgan. So the first question, I'll go to you, Jennifer. And can you tell us how and why the Ohio Developmental Disability Council got started?[Jennifer Kucera] Okay. So it actually started back during the years of John F. Kennedy, when he was president, more and more, he was hearing from more and more people with disabilities that wanted to speak for themselves and have more control over the state.[Shari Cooper] Very informational. Thank you, Jennifer. Madge, I'm coming to you. As a new member,[Madge George] Well, all my SSAs always told me about the council. And I've been a big voice in my community.[Shari Cooper] Very good. Thank you, Madge. Morgan I'm going to you, what are the main responsibilities of a council member?[Madge George] Well, as you probably know, the DD Council has funding that's allocated to it by the government. And with some of that funding, what we do is we fund different initiatives and projects throughout the state of Ohio that benefit people with developmental disabilities. And as a council member, what I often do is I will hear these different projects that come through.[Shari Cooper] Thank you, Morgan. You actually segued for me right into the next question for Jennifer. Talk to us about how decisions are made and what does that process look like from start to finish?[Jennifer Kucera] So council members actually get to make all the decisions for Council. We have an executive director for DD Council, but the executive director operates as Council directs them to. So, for example, as my position as chair, I meet quite frequently with our executive director and I bring the Council wishes and desires to him.[Shari Cooper] That's a good answer. Very exciting too. I can't wait to see what Council comes up with next.[Noriko Kantake] So it is actually a very lengthy process. Every five years, Council discusses the higher level priority areas, which could be housing or services or transportation, whatever the area, Council decides several priority areas we need to focus on. Because Council's role is finding holes in the current service system, and we decide priorities based on our experiences of, like, holes in the system.[Shari Cooper] That sounds like a long process, but it sounds like a very important process. So we're glad the council members take all the time to look at all the grants and see which one benefits Ohio best. So my next question is for all, or whoever wants to answer.[Morgan Deavers] I think the council, honestly, all of the projects that the council funds, I'm very thrilled with and we're thrilled to see what they're doing. A personal favorite, personally for me, would be one called the Improveneer Method.[Shari Cooper] That sounds like a great project. And it sounds like a lot of fun. Thank you, Morgan.[Madge George] Honestly, not yet, because I like them all.[Shari Cooper] Okay, that's a good project, the storytelling project.[Jennifer Kucera] Yeah, but before I mentioned that, I do want to, when Morgan talked about the Improvineer method, the Improvineer people were actually at the Synergy Conference. They did a lot.[Shari Cooper] Jennifer, before I move on, can you define what SSI and SSDI is?[Jennifer Kucera] Yes, I'm so sorry. Yes, I'm so used to using those abbreviations. So, SSI stands for Supplemental Security Income.[Shari Cooper] Thank you. Noriko, you want to answer too?[Noriko Kantake] I would say Athens On Demand Transit, that gives door-to-door transportation services to people with disabilities, and many are actually elderly people too, because they have a disability as well.[Shari Cooper] Community integration.[Noriko Kantake] Yeah.[Shari Cooper] That's great.[Morgan Deavers] Well, to me, serving is important because one of the unique things with Council is that all of us are from different regions of Ohio. And we, in a way, represent, ideally, all 88 counties of Ohio. And as a representative, the experience that we bring to the council is our experience of our local regions, our peers in that county, and the struggles they may have with the DD system or things for accessibility, for example.[Shari Cooper] Thank you, Morgan. Madge, I'm coming back to you. Why is serving as a board member important to you?[Madge George] Well, I get to talk and serve people like myself because I think we all have a voice, and being able to get what we need when we need it. As a council member, I have already responded to a lot of stuff that I didn't think I would because of the restrictions with Medicaid and all that. So I'm really big on that, myself.[Shari Cooper] That's great. Noriko, I'm coming to you now. Why is serving as a council member important to you?[Noriko Kantake] Well, just like Morgan said, council members represent all regions of Ohio. And I applied for council because I wanted to bring rural voices. Because, you know, as Morgan, we have two, but Southeast Ohio tends to be underrepresented.[Shari Cooper] That's great. And lastly, but not least, Jennifer, why is serving as a council member important to you?[Jennifer Kucera] I think I bring, I hope I bring a unique perspective as I have a lot of connections with the Centers for Independent Living. So I bring that independent living philosophy with me wherever I go. I'm an advocate through and through.[Shari Cooper] Great answer. Great answer to all around. Thank you.[Madge George] I just wanted to add, this is just my first step.[Shari Cooper] I plan to keep going after I leave Council, because I think there's a lot of work to be done even after Council is over for me. So this is a big step for me.[Shari Cooper] I totally agree, thank you for that add on, Madge. So my last question for all is what advice would you give to someone who is considering joining the Council?[Morgan Deavers] I would say to anyone who's considering joining Council, you really should because the impact that you could make in the state of Ohio will be beyond what you can imagine because council members actually do not serve indefinite terms. We do have term limits to our ability to serve on Council, but that's for a reason, to give everyone the chance to make a difference. Our challenge has always been, you know, in life and humanity that we're to, in a way, help leave it better than where we found it.[Shari Cooper] Love it. Anybody else?[Madge George] I would just say do it.[Shari Cooper] I like it. (laughs)[Jennifer Kucera] And if I could add one word, it's really a good space, whether you're a brand new beginner in self-advocacy or advocacy work, or you're a seasoned advocate, it doesn't matter where you start. It's a good space to learn about other things that are going on in Ohio and to meet other people that maybe you wouldn't meet in any other situation.[Shari Cooper] You are so right. It opened so many doors for me. I'm so thankful to Council. Thank you, Jennifer. Noriko, would you like to add?[Noriko Kantake] Well, actually, everyone put it pretty clearly how welcome DD Council is for any of us and how impactful the DD Council is to the community, disability communities in Ohio. So just you can bring lots of ideas, but just bring an open idea, open mind.[Shari Cooper] Thank you, Noriko. So before we get up out of here, is there anything else you would like to add? Morgan, Noriko, Jennifer, or Madge?[Jennifer Kucera] I think one of the last things that I would like to say is to remind people that our meetings are hybrid and they're open to the public. So if you're thinking about joining Council but want to kind of see us in action first, you can do that.[Shari Cooper] Okay, thank you. Morgan?[Morgan Deavers] One thing that I will say with Council is we're very approachable. We're very open and we're very available.[Shari Cooper] Thank you, Morgan. Okay, well, you heard it straight from Council there. So this has been a wonderful episode, very informational.