United Cerebal Palsy aims to expand, provide transitional support

Janet Gora, who serves as acting executive director at United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati, says she fell into her current line of work by accident. 

“My degree is in recreation management—I played a lot of sports and thought I’d run a YMCA or something like that,” Gora says. “I was hired as a recreation specialist back in 1988 for people with pretty severe disabilities, and I’ve been in the field ever since.” 

Gora says she stayed in the field because of the genuineness of the people with whom she serves. 

“They’re funny and they’re very—they don’t play games. What you see is what you get,” Gora says. “They have no filter, and I like working with people like that. I see a chance to kind of advocate for people who have been put on the back burner for many years.” 

UCP provides individuals in their post-high school years with access to academies that allow them to hone skills and explore their various interests, but Gora’s vision for the nonprofit is that it becomes a place in Cincinnati that fills a void in assisting families with children approaching adulthood. 

“We’re really looking at how to help students in that transitional age—14 and above—to help families figure out, ‘When this kid’s 21, what’s going to happen?’ Gora says. “There’s a whole new set of rules, so families need a lot of help and support during this transition, and that’s our future looking forward.” 

Do Good: 

• Make a six-month committment to serve as a mentor within UCP's Academy of Literacy. 

• Sign up to volunteer with UCP.

• Support UCP by donating. 

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at both the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.