September’s Employee Spotlight of the Month: SSA Cassie Ring Murray

Join us as we pay tribute to our incredible staff through “The Employee Spotlight of the Month!” Every month, we will spotlight a new employee so that we can share with the community the wonderful things our employees are doing every day!

Congratulations to Cassie Ring Murray, our Employee Spotlight for the month of September!

Cassie’s interest in serving the developmental disability population began with her Peace Corps service after graduate school.

“I served in the Federated States of Micronesia as a teacher-trainer for the College of Micronesia,” Cassie said. “A wondrous opportunity that landed me in the middle of the North Pacific, I lived on two small islands during my time there, and had the opportunity to work with Micronesian teachers, live with a Micronesian family, and travel to Indonesia. Upon my return to the US, I worked with adults with developmental disabilities in Bloomington, IN. Next and most importantly, my husband and I embarked upon the journey of becoming parents.”

When Cassie’s oldest child entered kindergarten in 2005, she said she thought, “This will be so wonderful! He’ll love it – he’s so bright and ahead of the curve!” But, early on, Cassie and her husband were asked to join a school meeting to learn about Asperger Syndrome where she said many things fell into place in regard to her child.

“My child had a remarkable memory, high verbal ability, challenges with transitions, and sensory issues,” Cassie said. “As parents, the journey had begun – an autism diagnosis followed. An ideal school setting was not easy to come by. A second child of three children was also diagnosed on the autism spectrum and a third with ADHD. All are twice exceptional. The next twelve years included homeschooling and working in education. I applied my knowledge of autism and twice exceptional children to work not only for my own children but at three private schools along the way.”

Once my Cassie’s children graduated from high school, she began her career with the BCBDD. Cassie has worked at the BCBDD for over three years on the Transition Team and says it has been great fit for her and a privilege working with families, children, and teens/young adults.

“My favorite part of being an SSA on the Transition Team is working side-by-side with young people, parents and teams,” Cassie said. “When there is a tricky issue, for example, with solving a need at school, finding a provider, or figuring out a resource, there is a great sense of community that comes from working together to find creative solutions. I remember very well being a young parent of two children on the spectrum: I did not know where to go to find resources. Today, there are many resources available in Butler County and I love connecting parents. Another aspect of the job that is absolutely fantastic is what it teaches me: Every week, I learn from the individuals on my caseload. Here at the board our goal is to amplify the voice of the individual with the developmental disability. We want to learn from their unique perspectives. As SSA’s, our goal is to learn how neurodiversity enriches the classroom, the workplace, the community – it is not to pressure the neurodiverse to fit into the so-called ‘norms’ of the neurotypical world.” 

Community Connection Coordinator, Lynn Goodwin said Cassie goes above and beyond for the individuals on her caseload.

“Cassie is kind and compassionate and you can tell she truly loves what she does every day,” Lynn said. “The individuals and families on her caseload along with all of us at Butler County DD are blessed to have her!”

Lynn said Cassie was a vital part of the BCBDD Holiday program last year and a huge champion in referring individuals on her caseload for many community experiences that were funded through the ARPA grants the BCBDD received earlier this year.

“Cassie ensured that individuals that needed help at Christmas time were not only referred to the program, but she also delivered the gifts to them,” Lynn said. “She was very intune to the items they needed and wanted. Cassie has also been a huge supporter of the ARPA funds we were granted this year. She made sure that the individuals she serves were able to take advantage of things like going to the Butler County Fair, the Dayton Dragons game, and concerts at the Riverbend Music Center.”

According to Lynn, Cassie goes above and beyond for the individuals on her caseload on and off the clock.

“My co-workers and I had a table set up at Project Search’s graduation when we saw Cassie come in who took time out of her evening to watch one of the individuals on her caseload graduate,” Lynn said. “It meant so much to that individual and Cassie has truly made a difference in that individual’s life. Cassie is also very engaged and a great listener. She listens to individuals during their time together and helps create social opportunities for them by referring them to the Best Buddies Program as well as the Speak Up advocacy program. Lastly, Cassie is always willing to step up and volunteer at various community events when needed.”

Cassie says being an SSA is very vital to the DD community because an SSA is an individual or family’s link to other services in the community including mental health, educational, residential, employment services, and social opportunities.

“In the case of the Transition Team, a family may choose to invite me to all school planning and IEP meetings,” Cassie said. “It’s very individualized. We will also link to Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) for employment planning. When they are ready for employment, the OOD counselor and the SSA work together. Project Life/Search is another Butler County opportunity for young people, which is a deferred-diploma, multi-year, transition program geared toward learning job skills. The SSA and the Project Life/Search staff work together throughout the school year to track and support a student’s progress toward employment and goals for adult independence. An SSA is able to work one-on-one with the individual or family to problem-solve and connect with services; the SSA is also there as a team-builder with supporting agencies.” 

Despite setbacks, chronic stress, financial hardship and other challenges, Cassie said the families that she serves are resilient.

“Others should absolutely consider going into this field because there are myriad opportunities for careers that make a direct impact on the lives of others: Technology is currently hugely impacting the ability of individuals to live independently in their homes,” Cassie said. “Therapies from music to art therapy, hippo therapy, trauma-informed specialties, mental health therapists and agencies, occupational and speech therapy, direct service providers, and county board professionals are all very much needed and expanding professions.”

Beth Risner, BCBDD Transition SSA Supervisor, says Cassie is an extortionary SSA, and she consistently hears the same message from every family that she interacts with.

“Cassie exceeds their expectations by working hard to understand and address each child’s she works with needs,” Beth said. “There are two cases recently where Cassie took difficult situations and turned them into success stories. The first was one was a 14-year-old girl in need of residential placement. Cassie was able to collaborate with Children’s Hospital and find an HPC provider that could provide the care she needed as well as housing in a stable nurturing environment. The second was a 17-year-old boy with an unstable living situation. Cassie was able to use her knowledge of community resources and effective communication with Children’s Services and the school district to ensure that he remained enrolled in school and obtained the medical care that he so desperately needed. Cassie is a true asset to the board, and I hope to continue working with her to help others in need for years to come.”

Success stories like Beth mentioned Cassie says is what always keeps her going.

“I’ve watched transition students navigate Project Search on the Miami University campus and thrive there when they were initially extremely nervous,” Cassie said. “I’ve worked with a team of teaching and SLP professionals at Ross High School to not only integrate a student who had been out of school for many years but watched him quickly become adept with a new communication device; and most recently, a 14-year-old individual with a history of hospitalizations, behavioral and communication difficulties have achieved a stable and warm relationship with her direct service providers. She is enjoying outings in the community again. It is incredibly rewarding to watch a local business, and its employees learn how their workplace is enhanced by employing neuro-diverse individuals. These are all examples of the strength and resilience of the individuals with whom I work with.”

Is there someone from the BDBDD that has changed you and your family’s lives? Submissions for October’s Employee Spotlight of the Month are due by Friday, October 4!