About Us

WHO WE ARE

Here to serve you

As a member of our community, you’re important to us. Live your best life! We’re here to advise and guide you along the journey.

Our Mission

The mission of our agency is to empower people with developmental disabilities to explore possibilities for their lives by maximizing independence, community participation, employment, and economic self-sufficiency in their daily life experiences.

OUR HISTORY

Darke DD has been serving our community for more than 50 years. We were founded in 1967, when Ohio Senate Bill 169 established county boards to serve people with a developmental disability.

For years, Anthony Wayne School served children with a disability. In the 1980s, Wayne Industries provided employment and day services for adults. In 1992, Federal law revolutionized DD services by mandating that students be transitioned into classrooms with their peers.

Since then, independence and community involvement have been the cornerstones of our approach. Our mission is focused on empowerment and involvement. We work with individuals and families to bring those with developmental disabilities fully into our community.

The

0s

The 1960's

County boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities established by Senate Bill 169 with authority to request local tax levies through the county commissioners
Anthony Wayne School established to meet education needs of eligible individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities through high school graduation

The

0s

The 1970's

Programs and services continue to evolve to address needs of eligible individuals and families

The

0s

The 1980's

Local programs designed to address the needs of adults after high school are enhanced including establishing day service and sheltered workshop space
Locally, Wayne Industries (sheltered workshop), is built on Jaysville-St. John’s Road

The

0s

The 1990's

School-age individuals with developmental disabilities are educated in the least restrictive environment with their peers, not a separate school for people with developmental disabilities
Supports are expanded to provide opportunities for individuals to live independently in their community including the introduction of Medicaid waiver funding

The

0s

To Present

The 2000's

The State of Ohio shifts funding for educational services away from Boards of DD to local education authorities to support education of preschool and school-age students
Growing funding source for DD Boards is Medicaid as local County Boards of DD become ‘Medicaid Local Administrative Authorities’
Medicaid waiver funding increases in Darke County funding less than 60 waivers in the 1990’s to 134 waivers in 2015
Preschool funding shifts from unit funding to per pupil funding – DD Board no longer receives State preschool funding for services
Community Employment becomes the preferred outcome for individuals eligible for DD services in Ohio
Integrated community-based services are required for individuals served rather than facility-based services
County Boards of DD must follow conflict-free case management requirement for person-centered plan development and service delivery

READ OUR ANNUAL REPORT

Invested into our community

Our work focuses on serving residents with developmental disabilities—but it doesn’t stop there. We partner with local employers, schools, and businesses to involve and enrich all of Darke County. In return, our neighbors generously support our services to help offset shortfalls in state funding.

Read our annual report to learn more. Thank you for your continued investment in our mission. Together, we’re making a difference in our community work with individuals and families to bring those with developmental disabilities fully into our community.

DOWNLOAD REPORT

DARKE DD PLANNING

Planning for the future

At Darke DD, we’re proud of what we do. But every year, we look at how we can do better. We create a list of priorities and a specific plan of action to achieve them. We closely monitor progress and generate reports to measure outcomes. Review our past reports to see our success in action.

DARKE DD STRATEGIC PLAN