Ability Center of Greater Toledo - Ottawa Satellite

The Ability Center is a non-profit independent living center in Northwest Ohio. The Center serves seven Ohio counties: Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Williams and Wood; with satellite offices in Defiance and Ottawa counties.

Our mission is to assist people with disabilities to live their lives as independently as possible. We do this by providing several core services:

-Advocacy Services
-Community Living and Information Services
-Recreation Inclusion Services
-Youth and Independent Living Skills Services

The Center also provides adaptive cooking classes, basic budgeting classes, instruction on navigating local public transportation, ability loans, minor disability-related bathroom modifications and constructs access ramps for homes. The Center also provides information and referral to local, state and national disability and independent living resources.

The Ability Center assists in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process for children with disabilities in local schools and provides leadership training and opportunities for adolescents with disabilities. The Center links individuals with disabilities to local recreation activities, as well as running Camp Cricket -- a summer day camp for children with and without disabilities. Several day camps for rural children as well.

The Ability Center also works on system advocacy issues such as access to transportation, housing and personal attendant care. If you need assistance with a disability or independent living issue, please contact the Center.

*Housing
-Information on making a house accessible
-Providing a ramp for a house
-Information on accessible housing in Ottawa, Lucas, Henry and Wood counties.
-Information on building/updating a house and universal design.
*Advocacy
-Provide advocacy for people with disabilites
-Assist with securing legal counsel
-Assist in legal advocacy issues
-Assisting consumers with educational and community access issues to secure necessary goods and services.
-Working for policy changes that benefit all individuals with disabilities in the community.
*Independent living skills training
-Providing assistance to people with disabilities in areas such as personal attendant services, transportation, budgeting and leisure skills.
-Peer support
-Support groups
-Workshop on disability related issues
*Accessible equipment
-Ramps
-Providing resources to get accessible equipment
-Providing advocacy to get equipment
-Equipment loans
-Financial assistance with application fee for the Starkey Hearing Aid program
*Community inclusion
-How to make an ADA complaint
-Compliance with ADA requirements
-Making public entities accessible for people with disabilities
-Understanding one's rights as a person with a disability in the community
-Accessible recreation/recreation activities
*Information and referral
-Accessing information on disability related issues
-Supplying linkage to community resources
-Referring services not provided by our center
*Scholarship for people with disabilities