Milestones Plays Crucial Role in Implementing OhioISP Statewide
Posted on 02/26/25 in About Us by Milestones Autism Resources
Milestones Autism Resources is proud to be playing a major role in the implementation of the new Ohio Individual Service Plan (OhioISP) template through the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.
The OhioISP was designed with the goal of standardizing all DD service plans throughout the state, creating greater ease for transition of services from county to county. But it also raises the bar for service providers by creating a more person-centered approach to care.
Since the plan launched in 2020, the initiative has gained substantial momentum throughout the state, thanks in part to training outreach from three key providers: DoDD, the Nisonger Center at Ohio State University, and Milestones Autism Resources.
Bradley Wyner is the Director of Education for Milestones, and heads up the organization’s training program.
“This needed to happen,” Wyner says.
Milestones’ role has been primarily with training for Intermediate Care Facilities, or ICFs, which are residential settings that provide all-encompassing services for people who often need more significant support. Wyner has an extensive background working with individuals with complex needs, often at the intersections of developmental disabilities, mental health, and trauma.
That’s one of the reasons he joined the work group that helped to plan OhioISP.
“Being on the work group was a tremendous honor and tremendous challenge. We knew that making the OhioISP work for people with intense needs was going to take a good amount of training. To finally be a part of this training feels like making good on a promise that we made four years ago.”
Wyner has spent the early months of 2025 traveling for these ICF training sessions, from Toledo, to Dayton, to Columbus, and back to Northeast Ohio. He has seen the struggle first hand.
“When people have complex needs, such as autism with an accompanying intellectual disability, alongside mental health needs, and physical or medical challenges, it can be very daunting for their professionals to create plans that put quality of life at the front and center,” he explains.
That’s where Wyner’s expertise comes into play, training providers on how to use a person-centered approach. Instead of focusing on the individual’s deficits, this approach starts by looking at what the individual wants for a happy, healthy life, and what supports are needed to make that happen.
Wyner says the concept is really that simple.
“Even if you struggle with complex behaviors, even if you need nursing or medical services every week, your professional services can still focus on what makes your heart smile, what makes you happy, and what you want to contribute to the world.”
Thanks to Milestones’ training contract with the Ohio DoDD, every case manager in Ohio ICFs will be getting training from Wyner this year.
To sign up for ICF training, or for more information on Milestones and OhioISP, visit Milestones.org/OhioISP.
