Dr. Gabbe talks about the Nisonger Center and the launching of the Ohio STEM Ability Alliance.
Hi! This week I want to highlight the dedicated, innovative work being done at our very own Nisonger Center. The Ohio State University Nisonger Center is the arm of our organization dedicated to those with developmental disabilities in our community.
Tonight, on February 23, the Nisonger Center, in conjunction with the College of Biological, Mathematical and Physical Sciences and the College of Engineering, will host a reception in honor of the launch of the Ohio STEM Ability Alliance. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This important achievement came as a result of the recent award given by the National Science Foundation to recruit and support students with disabilities majoring in STEM disciplines. This new Alliance coordinates student services to aide those with developmental disabilities as they transition from high school through college to employment.
Congratulations to The Ohio State University Medical Center teams involved with that effort, and thank you for a phenomenal cross-disciplinary example of how we work together to be One University.
The Nisonger Center has been a part of our organization since 1966. Just this past year, it served about 140,000 members of our community who have developmental disabilities. It is the Center’s mission to work with communities to help them support people with disabilities of all types. It provides their involvement in education, health, employment and community activities.
How does the Nisonger Center do this?
It offers clinics and services, such as autism evaluations, clinical psychology and speech pathology services, and support group sessions. It emphasizes inter-disciplinary training for its staff, and offers two graduate-level programs and numerous other training programs that enhance much-needed educational services in our community. The Center also provides special education and transition services from Early Childhood Education through high school and college. Our team at the Nisonger Center supports those with developmental disabilities, and their families, including special programs for siblings of people with developmental disabilities. These programs provide support from the very beginning, giving them the tools and resources they need to succeed.
As we all know, as part of The Ohio State University Medical Center’s mission, we strive to pursue new and effective ways to better the experiences of our patients through research. Currently, the Nisonger Center faculty is focusing its research on three themes: behavior disorders and their management; improving achievement and transition outcomes for students with disabilities; and medication and behavior therapies for children with autism.
We take great pride in the stellar work of our team members at The Nisonger Center and the strides they’ve made over the past 40-plus years. We thank them for their contributions to the community, and we congratulate them on this recent achievement as they celebrate tonight.
Once again, this is just another example of how we work together as One University to serve our community.
To all – have a great week.