New tool helps people with disabilities communicate with first responders

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) has come out with a new resource to help people with communication barriers and first responders communicate.

“We think they’ve been really successful and helpful to people and we want to continue to grow them in various areas around the state,” DODD Acting Director Lindsay Nash said.

The resource is a communication board, one of 25 that the DODD has created. They have pictures and symbols so people with communication barriers can point and have an easier time telling others what they need. They cover a variety of topics and scenarios from everyday life to specific events. Just last year, DODD partnered with the Ohio State Fair on a fair-specific board.

“Sometimes crowds can be overwhelming, particularly for people with communication barriers, so we’re hoping this is helpful to them and their families as they navigate the fair,” Nash said.

The DODD’s newest board is the First Responder Communication Board. Nash said the idea was brought to them by a first responder. She said the goal is for first responders to carry printouts of the board with them, but people with developmental disabilities can, too.

“Any time you can have something to point to when the words may not be possible to say out loud or may not come to you automatically, it’s great to have that,” ElevateDD President and CEO Kari Jones said. ElevateDD is a non-profit that advocates for people with developmental disabilities.

She has a brother who has Down syndrome and a daughter with autism. 

“Any time we can equip first responders with a tool to communicate and to be a comfort to the developmental disability community, it’s significant,” Jones said. “It can save someone’s life.”

All of the DODD’s communication boards can be found here.