Easterseals of Northeast Ohio met 2025’s challenges and achieved several accomplishments. This year it will celebrate its 75th anniversary.
The organization, established in 1951 and headquartered in Youngstown, Ohio, advances access and opportunities for people with disabilities. It employs 60 people and its mission is to empower individuals of all ages through services that promote independence, wellness and meaningful participation in their communities, according to CEO Jody Klase.
Programs include speech therapy, autism diagnostic services, adult day care, deaf focused services, school-based mental health, home-delivered meals and transportation.
Like many organizations in healthcare and human services, 2025 brought challenges to Easterseals.
“Funding constraints, particularly for deaf focused services, required us to be strategic and creative in sustaining programs that are culturally competent and essential to the community,” Klase says.
But 2025 also saw accomplishments. Easterseals opened an Autism Diagnostic Clinic, expanding timely access to evaluations and early intervention for children and families, the CEO says.
It also changed its name to Easterseals of Northeast Ohio, reflecting its expansion from three counties to nine. And the organization earned accreditation and licensure to provide behavioral health services, positioning it for long-term growth.
In 2025, Easterseals expanded its partnership with Alta Care Group to house five Head Start classrooms at its Youngstown site, creating a more integrated service model for families.
In 2026, Easterseals of Northeast Ohio will celebrate its 75th anniversary of service in the Mahoning Valley.
Easterseals will also place increased emphasis on building adult day care services, she adds.
