Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities shares incredible success story

Butler County, Ohio – Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities Employment Navigator, Elizabeth Grove, couldn’t wait to share a success story that has been several years in the making. Greg Nelson, a Wright State University graduate, a homeowner, and a Cincinnati sports team enthusiast received news this week, that Elizabeth says, will not only change Greg’s life, but will also give him the opportunity to thrive in the workforce!

“Greg has a great sense of humor, an infectious smile, a tremendous amount of patience, and the best natural support system anyone could ever dream to have,” Elizabeth said. “The biggest challenge in life Greg must endure is having quadriplegic cerebral palsy. He is non-verbal and must have 24/7 staffing to care for his physical needs. Greg articulately communicates through assistive technology in which he uses his chin to type out sentences on his iPad. It can take up to 5 minutes for him to answer a simple question. His bright intellect is often stifled by the vast majority because they see his disability first and fail to practice person-first thinking.”

For 4 years, Greg worked for Ken Anderson Alliance managing their social medial platforms, but due to budget cuts, Greg lost his job in February of 2024. In hopes that he could find some help looking for employment, Greg reached out to SSA Lead, Kent Price.

“As a team Kent and I connected Greg to a rehabilitation engineering technologist to learn if there was any equipment available for Greg to enhance his typing skills,” Elizabeth said. “Greg tested adaptive computer hardware and software, worked with Control Bionics to test out the Neuronode 3.0 switch and controller, and a sip/puff pneumatic switch from Origin Instruments. After many attempts and months, it was determined technology was not yet advanced enough to meet Greg’s needs. At that point, his case was closed with the rehabilitation engineering technologist in January of 2025. Although Greg did not share his thoughts to the team at the closure meeting, his facial expression spoke a thousand words.”

Elizabeth, Kent, and Greg did not give up despite receiving the news his case was closed. Instead, Elizabeth and Kent assured Greg they were not going anywhere and were going to help him find something of value to stimulate his mind and highlight his skills.

“Kent and I shared many conversations behind the scenes brainstorming volunteering opportunities and jobs,” Elizabeth said. “We reached out to the different chambers of commerce in Butler County, the Lakota East school district where Greg was a student, and Wright State’s office of disability services. The possibilities were endless we just needed to find someone with person-first thinking.”

Things finally seemed to align for Greg when Kent took a tour of The Lodge Activity Center with another client and while there Celena Parker, The Lodge Activity Center’s owner, causally mentioned her need to hire someone to manage their Facebook account. Without missing a beat, Kent told Celena he knew just the guy.

“Fast forward to now, Greg has officially accepted the position of Social Media Content Manager for the Lodge Activity Center and this week he met his new boss and co-workers,” Elizabeth said. “Kent and I are over the moon excited for Greg’s new adventure and will be frequently visiting the Lodge’s Facebook page. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Greg and applaud Kent for always keeping his clients on the forefront of his mind. Without his light bulb moment, Greg would have missed out on this incredible job opportunity!”

About the The Lodge Activity Center

Republished with the encouragement of the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

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About the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities

The Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities supports 4,207 Butler County Residents. Supports and services are available life-long through contracts with partner agencies or directly provided by our Board.

Founded in 1967, the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities supports 4,207 people. Supports and services are available life-long through partner agencies or directly provided by our Board.

Much of our services go beyond the walls of our facilities and take place in the community. The Board’s supports are geared toward the philosophy of person-centered thinking, which places the individual at the center of decisions made about the services they receive. We are committed to helping people determine their dreams and helping to make those dreams come true.

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