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BULLETIN
FALL/WINTER 2009-10
Features
2009 Culture for Service Alumni Award Recipient
jodi h. beyeler
making peace: With government
John Martin ’74
Columbus, Ohio Director of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (dodd.ohio.gov)
J
ohn Martin’s two years at Goshen College served as a precursor to a lifetime of service to his family, the state of Ohio and to people with disabilities. Martin completed his bachelor’s degree in special education at Illinois State University and earned a master’s degree in community psychology at Temple University. Throughout his career he has been a tireless advocate for the disabled, serving as a special education teacher, as director of Sunshine Inc., an Ohio Mennonite agency serving individuals with disabilities, and since 2007, as director of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. With Martin as executive director, Sunshine Inc. gained a statewide reputation as a religious-based agency that offered the highest quality services. “His choices and decision-making reflect a mindfulness of the need to not only profess faith in God, but to put that faith in action,” said friend and board member of Sunshine, Inc., Karen Rich Ruth ’76. “Those around him could sense Martin’s fairness, respect and acceptance of people no matter who they were.” During Martin’s 23 years there, Sunshine grew
tremendously, adding 17 group homes and a variety of programs including a spiritual life program and a Fair Trade coffee shop staffed by persons with disabilities. Martin helped to resolve conflicts between the state of Ohio, service providers, and county boards and advocated with the Ohio state legislature on behalf of individuals with developmental disabilities. His reputation as a peacemaker drew the attention of the Ohio governor. In 2007, he was appointed to the cabinet-level position of director of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. At the state level, said Ruth, Martin “has helped to resolve some longstanding conflicts … and sought input during this time of fiscal crisis. His Christian faith is the foundation of all he does.” The Martin family came to know the issues of people with disabilities in a personal way when their second child, Joel, was born. He was diagnosed at nine months of age with cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder and developmental disabilities. Joel lived with his parents until he was an adult. – By Julie Weirich