$521K grant will make New Philadelphia more accessible to people with disabilities
NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ The Tuscarawas County Board of Developmental Disabilities has received a $521,000 grant from the state which will be used to upgrade the playground at Starlight School, expand services to the Latino community, install adult changing tables at Tuscora Park and build a soccer field for people with disabilities.
"We asked for a total of $521,000. We had no idea what they would say. I'm really excited that they said yes," said Nate Kamban, superintendent of the county board. "Grant money is wonderful because we can try new things without burdening our local tax population."
The funding is part of $14.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money that will be distributed across 67 counties to better support Ohioans with developmental disabilities and their families.
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Playground improvements
Of the local grant money, $425,000 will be used to revamp the playground at Starlight School in New Philadelphia, doing such things as putting down rubberized mulch and adding play structures that are sensory friendly for kids with autism, Kamban said.
For years, the school had served children who were medically fragile. Those numbers have dwindled, and the school has now switched to serving children with developmental disabilities who also have behavioral needs. The school is being fully utilized for the first time in years, he said.
The county board will be using $25,000 from the grant to teach its staff members to speak Spanish. Kamban noted that between 2010 and 2020, the Latino population in Tuscarawas County has increased by 125%.
"We're starting to see more kids at our school from that background, because disability obviously impacts that community just like any other. But based on their background, their awareness of services is limited," Kamban said.
Some of the money will also be used for a pilot project where four Latino interns will work with two adult service providers for additional translation services, apps for translation, transportation for Latino residents to get to jobs and translating documents.
Changing station at Tuscora Park
Around $30,000 will be used for two universal changing stations for children and adults at Tuscora Park. "If you're at the park and you have an adult with disabilities who requires changing, we've heard from families that say they have to change their child in their car or take them home," he said.
Between $15,000 and $20,000 will be used to develop a soccer field in an area between the board's Service and Support Center and the Community Hospice Truman House on the southside of New Philadelphia.
The remainder of the money will be used by the board's intervention team to develop a lending library so parents can try out things such as a physical therapy walking device or some other technology, instead of purchasing the items on their own.
Other grants received
In recent months, the board has received several other grants:
$280,000 in ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) funds to develop an afterschool and weekend respite program for families. The money was also used to partner with OhioGuidestone provide a full-time mental health professional at Starlight School every day.
$52,000 innovative technology grant which will allow the board to partner with Starlight Enterprises to launch an Airbnb-style home in Dover where families can try out new assistive technology designed to help people with disabilities live on their own. "So, it's really opening up the possibilities for the folks that we work with to live independently without staff members coming in and out of your house," Kamban said.
Two grants through Ohio's Keeping Families Together funding. One, for $20,000, will continue to pay for OhioGuidestone to provide mental health services at Starlight School once the ESSER grant expires in July. The other, for $113,000, will be used to help fund two houses, one in Dover and one in New Philadelphia, to provide residential services to children with intense needs. Currently, some children are receiving services at places as far away as Florida.
Projects funded by the $521,000 state grant have to be completed in the next 12 months.
"In just 12 months our community will be that much more accessible to people with disabilities," said Kerri Silverthorn, community relations/special projects director for the county board. "It's just such a cool thought and the fact that counties all across the state will also be so much more accessible in just 12 months. There's going to be a lot of change. It's going to be amazing."
Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: $521K ARPA grant will help make New Philadelphia more accessible
