By Dawn Hatfield

DailyAdvocate.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council (DD Council) Matt Harrison of Darke County was recently reappointed to DD Council by Governor Mike DeWine. He is the first member from Darke County and is currently serving his second/final three-year term on the council.

Last week, Harrison traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Disability Policy Seminar. Disabilitypolicyseminar.org describes the Disability Policy Seminar as an annual federal legislative conference that works to “strengthen our federal advocacy efforts by providing training, learning opportunities, and updates, and opportunities to visit their Members of Congress. The Disability Policy Seminar promotes unity, movement building, and amplifies the concerns of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) before Congress.”

Attendees in 2023 were able to take advantage of the start of a new Congress, deepen their knowledge about a wide array of policy issues affecting people with disabilities, hear predictions about the upcoming Congress, and gain valuable insights from policy experts.

On Monday, April 24, the Virtual Policy Programming and Training session included training on the most effective practices to advocate for individuals’ priorities during their meetings with members of Congress.

Fly-In Hill Day on Thursday, April 27 offered participants meetings with members of Congress on Capitol Hill to share priorities for people with disabilities. An opportunity to speak directly with their state’s Congressional delegation about the high-priority issues affecting people with IDD made Fly-In Hill Day especially meaningful. Critical programs like Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, home and community-based services, Supplemental Security Income, and Social Security were just some of the issues of concern in 2023.

Through visits with Congressional leaders, Harrison and other participants help to ensure critical programs and the civil rights of all people with IDD are protected.

Harrison is now a family man, having married his wife, Ruby, three years ago. They have a daughter, Alexa, and are expecting a son in July. His personal experience of losing monetary support through the “marriage penalty” has made him a strong advocate for eliminating what he and many others deem unfair policies. According the the 2023 Fact Sheet, a top priority should be elimination of marriage penalties, reporting, “Married people who get SSI must follow unfair rules. These rules often force people to choose between having money to pay for what they need and marrying people they love. We need to end these marriage penalties.”

Harrison and other individuals with IDD ask that citizens and members of Congress support bills when reintroduced in this Congress, such as The Marriage Equality for Disabled Adults Act, which would eliminate marriage penalties for Social Security disability beneficiaries who receive benefits based on their parent’s records.

Harrison, who also recently completed 18 additional hours of Project STIR Training, has become an excellent self-advocate and advocate for all people with IDD. On May 23, Harrison will speak at Ohio DD Council in Columbus on “Supporting People to Develop/Maintain Intimate Relationships.”

Upon completion of his final term as DD Council member, Harrison is contemplating a future goal of running for City Council to continue advancing civil rights and equality for individuals with IDD.

For more information on Ohio DD Council, visit ddc.ohio.gov.

Fact sheets on Community Living, Criminal Legal System, Social Security, and Disability Funding are available at disabilitypolicyseminar.org/fact-sheets.

Reach Daily Advocate Reporter Dawn Hatfield at [email protected] or 937-569-0066.