League Of Women Voters, Clermont County, Ohio

Biography of Sue Radabaugh
2009 Nominee - Orpha Gatch Citizenship Award

Sue Radabaugh is the Executive Director of Stepping Stones Center for children and adults with disabilities that have locations in Indian Hill and Camp Allyn in Clermont County. Sue’s personal and professional accomplishments are inextricably woven together with volunteerism continuing her passion to serve persons with disabilities. Her list of involvement and accomplishments is quite extensive.

Sue is the founding member and chair of the Disabilities Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati; she is a member and a former chair of the Leadership Council of Human Services Executives; she serves on the Regional Autism Advisory Council; she is a member of the Board of the Linden Grove School and NARHA, the North American Riding of the Handicapped Association. Over the past 20 years, she has been actively involved with the United Way, providing leadership on many different committees. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Cincinnati.

In 1984, Sue co-founded Cincinnati Riding for the Handicapped now known as Cincinnati Therapeutic Riding and Horsemanship, Cincinnati’s first therapeutic riding program and was Board President for 21 years and a certified volunteer instructor. She started and led the first Brownie Troop for young girls with disabilities at The Condon School.

In 2003, when advocates, educators and therapists gathered to discuss gaps in autism services, the dearth of programs for teens loomed large. Sue’s response was the groundbreaking Step-Up program at Stepping Stones Center that remains the region’s only alternative education program for students with autism whose severe behaviors make it impossible to remain in a traditional school setting. This program has shown incredible results, allowing many participants to experience success for the first time in their academic careers.

Bobbi Theis, who co-founded Cincinnati Therapeutic Riding and Horsemanship with Radabaugh says this about her colleague, “Sue couples faith with hard work and nothing stops her. Sue not only has a vision but she has the persuasive powers to see the abilities in each of us that we don’t see. She challenges us to step up and serve.”

Updated: 07-Aug-2009