Our Lady Of The Wayside's Story & MRDD

Over forty years ago a local family began to foster children with mental retardation and other disabilities. As this family grew, Our Lady of the Wayside was established and has grown into a fourteen million dollar agency providing services to 182 residents, occupying 37 homes in 24 communities in Lorain and Cuyahoga Counties. Residential Services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Individuals served by The Wayside have a variety of developmental disabilities including, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, behavioral issues, and significant physical disabilities. Many of the children who grew up in the original Wayside Home have since moved into their own homes in the community with other friends from The Wayside.

Although Our Lady of the Wayside began with a family and three group homes in Avon, Ohio, the agency has grown significantly over the last decade. The Wayside has focused its future on the inclusion of individuals with MR/DD in the community and away from institutional settings. A home environment has encouraged our residents to build greater self-esteem and improve their independent life style, increasing their quality of life.
Current services are accessed through collaboration with Lorain and Cuyahoga County Boards of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities with Medicaid, Residential Facility Waiver, and Individual Options Waiver funding. Staff provides assistance as outlined in an Individual Service Plan that is developed for each individual. These services may include assistance with personal care, community activities, meal planning/grocery shopping, medical appointments, and other activities of daily living.
In all programs, parents, guardians and friends are a part of service planning. In addition, all family members are welcome to join in a wide variety of ongoing activities and events organized by The Wayside.

Our Lady of the Wayside has grown from a small community based agency to an agency that serves twice as many families and individuals as it did six years ago. We collaborate with many agencies in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties. Through an aggressive public relations/fundraising campaign, The Wayside has become well recognized across Northern Ohio. Our strength in service delivery is our expertise in the area of developmental disabilities, commitment to clients, and dependability.