Category: Safeguards

John Winnenberg on Building Community in Rural America

Local initiatives in Perry County, where some leaders of Ohio Safeguards lived and worked, provided many practical lessons in making values real. Residential, Inc a small agency, pioneered re-purposing group home resources as individualized supports. Sunday Creek Associates supported a variety of local community development efforts. John Winnenberg tells thestory of nearly 50 years of […]

Jack Pealer on How PASS workshops raised consciousness and offered people new ways to see, think, and act

PASS workshops were the foundation for Ohio Safeguards efforts to raise consciousness and mobilize action. Over five days these workshops combined a lectures on the principle of normalization with intensive small group work to create a detailed de-scription of the quality of a cooperating service program. (Learn more about PASS and the principle of normalization.)

Jack Pealer on How Ohio Safeguards Developed as an Agent of Positive Change

For nearly five decades, Jack Pealer and the late Sandy Landis co-edited a collection of ‘letters’ that were intended to mobilize and support Ohio citizens committed to creating full lives for citizens with mental disabilities in the community. The Collected Letters follow – but this is the back story.

The Community Living Broadsheet

The Community Living Paper

Promoting Life in Community for Ohio’s Citizens A remarkable policy proposal developedby Safeguards in 1992. They advocated for a “Life in the Community” for persons with developmental disabilities. Their Vision is even more relevant today.

The Safeguards Letters – Complete Collection (1986-2021)

Beginning in 1986 – Jack Pealer, Sandy Landis and colleagues created a newsletter to support their network to create better futures for Ohio citizens with developmental disabilities. These letters have been scanned and made available below. They are a treasure chest of the journey towards inclusion and community.