Words and photos by Olivia Minnier

After entering through the doorway at the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities, past the photo of smiling children and the reception area on the first floor, visitors might hear the whizz of a powered wheelchair. They might see a streak of brightly colored hair tied up in space buns or hear a boisterous laugh echoing from a corner office. If so, that can only mean one thing: the Outreach Advocate is in the office.

Courtney Hines, 29, DCBDD’s Outreach Advocate, said she originally aspired to be a receptionist after graduating from Rutherford B. Hayes High School.

After holding receptionist jobs at her former high school and with The Alpha Group, she came to DCBDD originally just seeking more hours.

“I started to realize I was capable of a lot more than even what I thought I was,” she said.

After being a receptionist for a few years with DCBDD and once the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, she realized she was truly done with being a receptionist.

Then, Courtney applied for DCBDD’s Outreach Advocate position in 2021, thinking the position would give her the ability to grow.

“As I started to do more in the role and get my feet wet, I realized I could go to school and get my degree and become a social worker and help people with disabilities more in-depth,” she said.

Growing up in Delaware with her parents and older sister, Courtney said she never felt like she could not achieve whatever she wanted to do in life.

“I give my family a lot of credit because they never treated me any differently than anybody else. They said ‘You’re going to do this, you’re going to get a job and live your life as typically as possible.’”

She also said she gives the people that she worked with at Rutherford B. Hayes High School a lot of credit for giving her tangible job experience and encouraging her to do volunteer work while still a high school student.

“I worked in the school office, so I got to get a lot of experience,” she said.

As a student, Courtney said she was very included in the community all the way through school and never felt different. She has positive memories of hanging out with her friends and being Homecoming Queen.

“I enjoyed my high school experience, but unfortunately, a lot of people with disabilities don’t always have that and that makes me sad. Everyone deserves a good high school experience,” she said.

Courtney said it hasn’t always been incredibly easy and there have been times in the past where she wishes she could be more typical. Courtney said both these positive and negative experiences have been what motivates her to help others as she continues forward in her career and life. Additionally, she said the Outreach Advocate position has made her realize her own power and agency.

“The Outreach Advocate position kind of forced me to realize I could do a lot more,” she said.

Courtney is putting that power to use and is currently in college working on a bachelor’s degree in social work at Ohio State Marion while working in her advocacy role at DCBDD. She said after graduation she wants to work for DCBDD as a full-time Service and Support Administrator.

She also wants to live life with a partner one day, get married, and have children.

“I have a disability but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want what everybody else wants.”