Disability support,
without the maze.
Plain answers about services, real providers in one place, and the right questions for your Service Coordinator.
For the people who make every day work.
Parents, siblings, grandparents, guardians, friends, and adults who direct their own services. If you are trying to figure out what comes next, you are in the right place.
You should not need a case manager to understand your options.
The path, in five steps
For waiver funded services, the official path runs through your county team. Tap a step to see what happens and what to ask.
Step 4 of 5
Choose providers
You can choose any qualified and willing provider. This is where this site helps: learn what each service means, shortlist a few providers, and print your meeting sheet.
We found these providers. Can you help us set up interviews?
Open my meeting sheet →Every kind of help, explained
Each page covers what the service is, who usually pays, the questions to ask, and who offers it.
Everyday life
- Adult Day ProgramsDaytime programs for adults to build skills, connect, and stay active.29
- Homemaker and Personal CareStaff who help at home with daily routines and personal care.35
- TransportationRides to work, day programs, appointments, and the community.19
- RespiteShort breaks for family caregivers.15
Health, home and money
- Therapy ProvidersSpeech, occupational, physical, and behavior therapy.25
- HousingAccessible and supported housing options.3
- Money Management and Payee SupportHelp with benefits, bills, budgets, and representative payees.3
- Guardianship and Decision SupportGuardianship, and less restrictive options to explore first.4
Find help close to home
See the providers closest to your city or Columbus neighborhood, sorted by distance.
Walk into your meeting prepared.
Shortlist providers, pick your questions, and print one page to bring to your Service Coordinator. It saves on your device only. Nothing is sent anywhere.
- Side by side provider details
- Your questions, in your words
- A clear opener: we found these providers, can we talk about them?
Short reads that clear things up
How choosing a provider works in Franklin County
Your rights, your Service Coordinator's role, and the steps from plan to first visit.
Read the guideSSA means two different things. Here is which is which.
Your Service and Support Administrator is not the Social Security office.
Read the guideGetting ready for your first plan meeting
What to bring, what to ask, and what to expect.
What families ask first
Short, plain answers. Each kind of help has its own questions too.
How do I start disability services in Franklin County, Ohio?
Contact the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities (FCBDD) intake office. FCBDD decides eligibility, assigns a Service and Support Administrator (also called a Service Coordinator), and builds an Individual Service Plan with your family. You then choose providers for the services in the plan.
Can the county recommend a provider for my family?
No. Under Ohio's Free Choice of Provider rule, people with a waiver and their guardians can choose any qualified and willing provider, and county staff cannot promote one provider over another. Your Service Coordinator can point you to the Ohio DODD provider search and help set up interviews with providers you pick.
What is an SSA in Franklin County?
At the county board, SSA means Service and Support Administrator, often called a Service Coordinator. It is different from the Social Security Administration, which handles SSI, SSDI, and representative payees.
What Ohio DODD waivers are there?
Ohio's developmental disability waivers include Individual Options, Level One, and SELF. A waiver pays for services such as adult day programs, homemaker and personal care, transportation, and respite once they are in the person's plan.
Is Franklin County Family Supports free, and is it run by the county?
It is free for families. It is an independent guide and is not run by, endorsed by, or connected to FCBDD or Ohio DODD. Listings are never ranked, and basic provider listings are free.
We list. We never rank.
In Ohio, people with a waiver and their guardians can choose any qualified and willing provider, and county staff cannot promote one over another. This site follows the same spirit. No provider can pay to be ranked higher. Providers: basic listings are free, always.