Walk into Manahan's intermediate care facility, and you'll immediately notice something different. The 33 full-time residents are active participants in shaping their own lives. A nonprofit organization serving individuals with developmental disabilities, at Manahan, residents thrive, lead, and teach an entire community what true growth really means. From choosing their employment and what activities they want to try, to deciding what's for dinner, personal agency is celebrated.
"Person-centeredness isn't just a buzzword for us," explains Steve Maenle, executive director. "It's woven into everything we do." This philosophy extends beyond daily choices to structured opportunities for residents to be heard through regular resident council meetings, where their voices directly influence how the facility operates.
The day facility furthers this commitment, providing a space where individuals can develop skills, pursue interests and contribute meaningfully to their community. It's all part of Manahan's focus: being "a place to grow."
Manahan started with parents Fred and Judith Fleischer, founders of Manahan, who had two developmentally disabled sons and a vision that extended beyond their own family.
Toledo itself provided fertile ground for this vision. The city has a rich history of disability advocacy, creating a community already primed to support innovative approaches to care and inclusion. But it was ongoing conversations with Josina Lott that provided the final push the Fleischers needed.
"If you don't do it, who is going to?" Lott asked them.
That simple question sparked the creation of Manahan: a place where their sons and others in the developmentally disabled community could not just live, but thrive.
The future at Manahan is as ambitious as its founding vision. Plans are underway for an ICF expansion that will include private bedrooms, giving residents even greater independence and dignity. A proposed bridge will make their current property more physically connected, but symbolically, it represents something much larger: the bridging of communities, perspectives and possibilities.
Perhaps most exciting is Manahan's vision to focus on a disability-centric cultural community center, teach usable life skills through art and other hobbies that are accessible to all. The goal is bold and beautiful in its simplicity: to make Manahan "the best place to be" for anyone in the community.
This vision of inclusion and universal accessibility has the potential to transform not just how Toledo thinks about disability, but how it approaches community building altogether.
None of this would be possible without the support of forward-thinking donors who understand the transformative power of Manahan's work, channeled through the generosity of Zepha Manahan, a trailblazer in her own right as the first woman in the United States to own her own trucking company.
In challenging us to think about growth in new and novel ways, Manahan is changing hearts, minds and communities. The residents aren't the only ones growing: the staff, volunteers and broader community are all part of a growing ecosystem that strives to be better than it was yesterday. They offer a powerful reminder that our differences aren't obstacles to overcome but opportunities to learn, grow and build something better together.
To learn more or support Manahan's vision, visit: https://www.manahanlife.org/