Stop Stacey Maleckar from Joining the Arc of Ohio's Board

I am signing this petition to express my utter disgust upon learning that Stacey Maleckar, the Superintendent of the Medina County Board of DD and a member of the Ohio Association of County Boards of DD, has been selected to join the Arc of Board of Trustees, with her term set to commence in early 2024. My signature on this petition serves as an emphatic objection to her appointment, grounded in her brazen actions that directly contradict the values upheld by the Arc of Ohio.

One of the core values of the Arc of Ohio is the belief that society should support families providing care for loved ones with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Regrettably, Ms. Maleckar has demonstrated a stark misalignment with this principle. She is wholly unsuitable to represent Ohio's disabled citizens and their families on the Arc's board, and it is imperative that she be removed from consideration promptly, to be replaced with a candidate better aligned with the organization's values.

On May 3, 2023, Stacey Maleckar lobbied the Ohio Department of Medicaid and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities to ban certain family caregivers from being paid for the life-sustaining labor they provide. What is particularly troubling is her utilization of false data and biased stereotypes in support of her cruel policy position. In her letter, she raised financial concerns and falsely asserted that over 40,000 Ohio children would be eligible to have their parents work as Medicaid HCBS waiver providers, despite the actual count being around 3,000 children. Furthermore, she perpetuated the harmful stereotype that parents of disabled children are greedy bottom-feeders, insinuating that parents who become paid caregivers would selfishly keep their children "isolated at home" solely for personal financial gain. Such egregious actions, based on fabricated data and reinforcing classist stereotypes, demonstrate Ms. Maleckar's absolute unsuitability for a role on the Arc's board.

The Arc of Ohio currently operates an umbrella agency program that hires parental caregivers as Medicaid HCBS waiver providers for their loved ones. The contradiction between Ms. Maleckar's craven goal to ban parental caregivers and the Arc's program makes it impossible for her to serve in good faith on the Board of Trustees. Further, Ohio’s many thousands of family caregivers have little to no representation in any negotiations regarding the development of public policies that govern virtually every moment of our lives. It is critical that we can depend on The Arc of Ohio, one of the few organizations with a seat at the table, to represent us when it comes to public policy development. The Arc cannot fulfill this sacred obligation with a person such as Stacey Maleckar on its board.

I appreciate your attention to this matter, which I consider urgent and deserving of careful consideration. I respectfully request the disqualification of Stacey Maleckar, along with all co-authors of the May 3, 2023, letter, from consideration for service on the Arc of Board of Trustees.