Never Fade Away: Untold Stories of Developmental Disability

Meet David and Susan, who have decades of experience between then leading LADD, one of the most innovative and revolutionary disability services organizations in the USA.   How do you move from institutions and segregation to true community inclusion? In this special episode of Never Fade Away , host Kate Siahaan-Rigg interviews former LADD Executive Director David Robinson and current CEO Susan B...

Lynne survived things most people cannot imagine. In this episode of Never Fade Away , Lynne shares her firsthand memories of living with an undiagnosed developmental disability inside the infamous Orient State Institute, where residents were identified by numbers instead of names, forced into labor, and denied dignity and family connection. But this is not only a story about institutionalization....

In this episode of Never Fade Away , host Kate Siahaan-Rigg speaks with Phyllis, a direct support professional and coordinator at LADD in Cincinnati who has spent more than four decades working alongside people with developmental disabilities. Through Phyllis’s story, we hear not only the evolution of a career—but the evolution of an entire field. She shares vivid stories from the field—moments of...

In this episode, we meet Edwina, who shares a powerful and deeply personal account of her childhood, beginning when she was taken from her home at the age of nine or ten and placed in the Columbus State School, where she lived for twelve years.  Some of these recollections are difficult, emotional and candid so listeners should be prepared for her unvarnished truth.  Edwina recalls being transport...

In this week's episode, I am talking to Tim, an avid sports fan and a popular employee at LADD. Currently living on his own, he’s the winner of the Spirit of Independence Award. Tim shares insights into life as a person with cerebral palsy, discussing growing up with a service dog, education with and without the assistance of aides in the classroom, and challenges like moving out for the firs...