Lucinda Bihari breaks barriers with appointment to Tuscarawas DD board

NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ Lucinda Bihari has gone from an orphanage in west Africa to being a trailblazer in Tuscarawas County.

The New Philadelphia resident is the first person with developmental disabilities to be appointed to the Tuscarawas County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Commissioners made the appointment earlier this month.

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"I'm excited and kind of nervous about it at the same time, but I'm definitely excited about it," Bihari said.

She agreed to join the board because it will give her the chance to meet new people and have her voice be heard.

Her mother Rita Bihari is happy that she will have the opportunity.

"It's important to her to feel like she's giving back to the community, and this is a way that she can feel like she's doing that," she said.

Who is Lucinda Bihari?

Bihari, 25, was born in Sierra Leone and spent eight years of her life in an orphanage in the capital, Freetown.

"In the orphanage, we always had to be for ourselves and work for ourselves," she recalled. "I didn't know how to cook, but they always wanted me to be in the kitchen. But I never really wanted to be in the kitchen."

She was nearly 13 when Rita Bihari adopted her and brought her to America in May 2010. She attended New Philadelphia High School and the Buckeye Career Center, graduating in 2017.

At times, living in the United States has been a challenge.

"America has not always been easy for me, to be honest. I've had some ups and downs, but I always make it through," she said. Her family has helped her see the beauty of this country. "I'm really happy to be here in America."

She works at CVS in Dover. She enjoys drawing, singing, dancing and hanging out with her friends.

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'Lucinda is just an incredible person to serve in this role.'

Nate Kamban, superintendent of the Tuscarawas County Board of Developmental Disabilities, said he is excited to have Bihari on the board.

"Lucinda is just an incredible person to serve in this role, really the first time we've ever done this in Tuscarawas County," he said. "And I can't think of a better person to start what I think is a really important legacy for our community. We have parents on our board, and they bring a particular perspective, but never have we had somebody who actually received services. So I think to have that first-person experience, to talk about the pros and the cons and the needs, I think will only drive this community further."

He noted that transportation can often be a problem for people with developmental disabilities.

"I don't understand that. I haven't experienced it myself but yet Lucinda has," he said. "To be able to share that with the other board members and help to guide the big picture decisions for our county, I think this is 100% the best thing to do.

"I really hope this continues, not just in Tuscarawas County but across the state of Ohio. People with disabilities should absolutely be on the board. I'm sad that it's taken this long for Ohio to recognize that, but this is a perfect first step and I hope it is the catalyst to keep it continuing for many, many years."

How many other people with developmental disabilities are on boards in Ohio?

As of April, 19 individuals with developmental disabilities were serving on boards in Ohio, said Lora Morrison of the Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities. In recent years, a total of 24 counties have had someone with a disability serving on their board, and four counties had two individuals.

In September, the organization's board of trustees passed a resolution in support of counties having at least one person with developmental disabilities on their board by 2027, she said.

Bihari has received a variety of services from the county board, including help in finding a job and providing transportation back and forth from work. Her former service and support administrator, Beth Starkey, also arranged for someone to come to Bihari's apartment to help her take her medicine.

"I just think Lucinda being one of the board members is going to bring a new perspective to things," Starkey said. "Lucinda is a very hard worker, and I think that, along with her perspective on how she overcame her obstacles, is going to be a great benefit to being on our board."

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Lucinda Bihari appointed to Tuscarawas County DD board