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Support our neighbors at Ohio’s developmental centers

April 24, 2020

White Woman in Wheelchair Painting

For more than a month, residents of Ohio’s eight developmental centers (DCs) have not been able to have visitors or take part in group activities. Although this action is necessary to limit the spread of COVID-19, it’s difficult to be so isolated — especially if your disability makes it hard to understand why you can’t go out or see your friends and loved ones.

The Adult Advocacy Centers reached out to the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and the DCs to see if we could put together Wish Lists for them, as we did for the state psychiatric hospitals. Two DCs took us up on our offer: Gallipolis and Mount Vernon. Working with the staff at each facility, we assembled Amazon Wish Lists full of movies, games, puzzles, crafts and other activities. Links to each DC’s wish list can be found below, and detailed step-by-step instructions for using Amazon Wish Lists are at the bottom of this page. Items from the Wish Lists will be automatically shipped directly to the DC’s staff contact person after purchase, for disbursement to residents. You must have an Amazon account to participate.

Gallipolis Developmental Center
Approximately 58 residents
Wish List: https://a.co/8PeTDlZ

Mount Vernon Developmental Center
Approximately 65 residents
Wish List: https://a.co/9sdqMip

Please consider donating from these lists. We hope that this project helps the individuals living in both facilities feel a little less alone. We’re all in this together, Ohio.

Step-By-Step Instructions for Using Amazon Wish Lists

  1. Click on a Wish List link above, then add items to your Amazon cart. You can only send items to one location at a time, so orders for each DC and your own personal Amazon orders must be made separately. You must have an Amazon account to participate.
  2. When you’re ready, click the “Proceed to checkout” button.
  3. Under “Choose a shipping address,” select the DC’s staff contact person, who should be listed first under “Other Addresses.”
  4. Click the “Use this address” button.
  5. Under “Choose gift options,” you can write a gift message for each item if you like. Make sure to keep your message positive and only use your first name if you choose to sign it.
  6. Click the “Save gift options and continue” button.
  7. Under “Choose a payment method,” select the way you want to pay for your order.
  8. Click the “Use this payment method” button.
  9. Under “Review items and shipping,” choose your shipping preferences.
  10. Review your order to be sure everything looks correct. Double check that the shipping address is to the DC’s staff contact person.
  11. When you’re ready, click the “Place your order button.”
  12. You did it! Thank you for your support!