The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) has committed to increase the use of supportive technology for Ohioans with developmental disabilities, which helps promote independence and connect people with their communities.
The state’s journey to incorporate supportive technology to benefit Ohioans with disabilities began in 2012, when DODD began supplementing behavioral health care funding via telepsychiatry video conferencing. This supported people with developmental disabilities with a co-occurring mental health diagnosis, who also lived in remote areas of the state without access to needed psychiatric care. A person could talk to their psychiatrist over a video feed at a place close to their job or home, promoting consistency of care and eliminating stressful office visits, often far away from a person’s community.
The telepsychiatry project successfully linked hundreds of Ohioans to this health care service, becoming a catalyst for DODD to continue studying ways to expand supportive technology services. In 2013, Ohio then became one of the first states in the nation to get approval from the federal government to add Remote Support services to its home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers.
DODD’s main aim included addressing the growing direct support professional staffing shortage by offering technology services that would provide people with an alternative way to receive in-home care. That would allow fewer providers to serve multiple people with disabilities at the same time from a remote location through video and sensor technologies. This lead to three years of experimentation and modest growth, with a small number of service providers giving technology a try.
During this time, providers started to see the opportunities from incorporating technology into their businesses and began to experiment with the boundaries of modern service delivery. Those early innovators and creators helped DODD understand how technology could streamline service delivery and increase profits. And, importantly, DODD began hearing success stories of people being less reliant on staffing, leading to more independence in their homes.
Starting in 2016, DODD decided to investigate what would be needed to dramatically expand supportive technology in Ohio. In the spring of that year, a joint venture between the department and the Ohio State University Nisonger Center began researching the kinds of technology available to Ohioans, as well as the barriers preventing expansion.
With the Nisonger Center’s nationwide review of existing and emerging technologies, and the expertise of a statewide stakeholder team, the department gained a better understanding of the types of technology available to support Ohioans with disabilities, the advancements in the sector, and where in Ohio technology was flourishing or lacking.
Through this partnership, DODD learned that people enjoyed the freedom that Remote Support and assistive technology provided (Assistive Technology later became an HCBS waiver service in 2019). This created a pivot point for Ohio as Remote Support services transitioned from a cost-savings measure to a gateway toward independence where people live, work, and play.
-Kyle Corbin, Services Development Manager, Ohio Technology Project, Division of Policy and Strategic Direction, Ohio DODD
