The Association of Cuyahoga County Employees for Special Students (ACCESS) has selected Anne Marie Trepanier to serve as its media spokesperson during its ongoing bargaining crisis with the CuyahogaCounty Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD). Anne Marie has worked as a physical Therapist with CCBDD for 23 years. She has been the guardian for a family member served by CCBDD and her parents were active in the development of the initial Parent Groups within CCBDD.

Trepanier said, “I am very proud to do what I do every day. I live and work in this county. I am
wholeheartedly invested in our mission to support individuals with developmental disabilities and their families and caregivers to live their best lives. I believe our professional voices need to be heard in order to ensure that innovative and quality services for people with developmental disabilities reach individuals with developmental disabilities from infancy to senior years.”

ACCESS has been negotiating with the county board since September 2022, and its contract expired on December 31. ACCESS members have continued to advocate for policies that a.) retain and build staff to fully support the individuals in the county, b.) promote a work environment that allows the professionals to spend the necessary time with individuals and families and help them thrive, and c.) allow members the ability to use their expertise and experience to best serve the residents of Cuyahoga County. The county board’s human resources department and its general counsel have responded to ACCESS’s forward looking vision with either silence or proposals that would actually erode ACCESS members’ ability to serve their individuals and families. Trepanier said, “The ACCESS bargaining team has presented many innovative proposals and efforts to secure a fair contract that would provide a framework to deliver quality services for individuals and families. We are hopeful for and committed to bargaining a fair contract that will allow us to make a positive difference for individuals with disabilities, their families and caregivers, and to be a valuable resource in our community.”