The Ohio State University Nisonger Center

“My sister in law with developmental disabilities has almost no community engagement. She works in an ARC enclave doing custodial work 4 hours a day Mon-Fri. Every Saturday she looks forward to reading and visiting with her other friends with disabilities at Next Chapter Book Club. Jillian Ober runs the program and has been wonderful and professional administering everything. Jillian helps them read, helps them choose books, sets up meeting places, and leads discussions about the books and their lives. This Nisonger Center program is continuing adult education for both reading ability and social skills.”
-Sibling of a Next Chapter Book Club member

Next Chapter Book Club (NCBC) is a book club for anyone 18 years old and over, no matter your reading ability. If you are under the age of 18, we make exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Book clubs include up to 8 adults with disabilities and 2 trained volunteers who help as much as needed. Club members meet weekly for one hour to get to know each other and take turns reading a book they’ve chosen. There is no cost to join! Each Next Chapter Book Club meets weekly, on the same day, at the same time, at the same place. Meeting places include bookstores, cafés, and public libraries throughout Franklin County, OH.

As an NCBC Member, you can:
• Vote for the book you want to read (there are 200+ books in the NCBC Library!)
• Continue learning after you leave school
• Meet new people and make friends
• Hang out in fun places like bookstores, cafés, and libraries

To learn how to join or volunteer with Next Chapter Book Club, please visit our website: https://nisonger.osu.edu/adolescent/adolescent-clinics-services/next-chapter-book-club-2/?utm_campaign=med_marketing-activity_fy26&utm_content=1780545605&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

The Ohio State University Nisonger Center (https://bit.ly/4lRVLnu) has been in existence since 1966 and was established among the first group of federally funded University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). The Nisonger Center boasts an enviable reputation for its interdisciplinary education and training, clinical and community-based services, research, and dissemination activities. We have a strong and dynamic team of 120 clinicians, teachers, researchers, staff, and trainees from more than a dozen professional disciplines who work together to empower and support all people with developmental disabilities and their families through interdisciplinary training, service, and research.

“We never thought our son would have the opportunity to experience college, given his intellectual disability. The TOPS Program is giving him that chance. He has been able to audit classes, practice independent living, and access job training. It has been a very valuable service for our family.”
-Mother of a TOPS student

The TOPS Program is a 2- and 4-year Workforce Development Certificate program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities that focuses on 4 transition areas: Academics, Career Development, Independent Living, and Self-Determination. The TOPS program is not a degree-granting program but a catalyst for employment and/or a bridge to degree-granting programs. For more information about the TOPS program, visit: https://nisonger.osu.edu/adult/adult-clinics-services/tops/?utm_campaign=med_marketing-activity_fy26&utm_content=1780417621&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

The Ohio State University Nisonger Center (https://bit.ly/4lRVLnu) has been in existence since 1966 and was established among the first group of federally funded University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). The Nisonger Center boasts an enviable reputation for its interdisciplinary education and training, clinical and community-based services, research, and dissemination activities. We have a strong and dynamic team of 120 clinicians, teachers, researchers, staff, and trainees from more than a dozen professional disciplines who work together to empower and support all people with developmental disabilities and their families through interdisciplinary training, service, and research.

The U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), authorized under the Developmental Disabilities and Bill of Rights Act, funds the Nisonger Center to support its mission of serving/supporting individuals with developmental disabilities and their families through a federal grant to UCEDDs. The Nisonger Center has successfully leveraged its ACL UCEDD annual grant to compete for more than $13 million in additional funding from gifts, foundation, industry, county, state, and federal sources. These funds enable us to deliver essential clinical services, education, and training, as well as conduct life-enhancing research. Through these clinical services, educational and training activities, and interdisciplinary research, we serve each year more than 36,000 individuals with developmental disabilities, their families, students, and professionals from across all 88 Ohio counties in 2024-2025.