OOD kicked off National Disability Employment Awareness
Month (NDEAM) with a job fair in Cincinnati on Friday, October 2nd. This week we hosted two more job fairs, with
Columbus on Wednesday and Toledo on Thursday.
Both events featured hundreds of job seekers interacting with dozens of
area employers actively looking to fill vacant positions.
Watching this interaction first hand is a powerful reminder
that matching qualified candidates with employers is at the heart of NDEAM and
OOD. Assisting individuals with
disabilities in achieving quality employment and increased independence is the
mission of the vocational rehabilitation program.
For job seekers, seeing these connections happen in person
can have a big impact. As with
Cincinnati, we received very positive feedback from the job fair participants
in Columbus and Toledo. Reno Neely, who works for a temporary service and
was impressed with both the job seekers and the employers he interacted with,
had this to say:
“I was overwhelmed by how many
people with disabilities were here. And I was surprised how many jobs were
available that were above minimum wage for people with disabilities. I was able to connect with some companies
that were hiring immediately for permanent jobs and offering better wages than
I am making now.”
James Gerding, who attended his first job fair in Toledo,
noted that it is an important step towards employment:
“I liked the job fair because it
gets you out of your comfort zone and allows you to see the different agencies
out there and the different jobs. It allows you to get out there into the
working world.“
From an employer’s perspective, John White, Regional
Learning Center Manager, Workforce Initiatives CVS Health, had this to say
about his positive experience with the job fairs:
“I was lucky enough to
attend the Job Fairs in Toledo, Columbus, and Cincinnati over the last couple
of weeks. And all three were wonderfully
planned out to give the job seekers the best possible chance to visit with
potential employers and to express their desire to find a position. I found that all of the participants were
highly engaged and eager to find a job.
They had great questions and were very prepared for the event. Also their job coaches were very encouraging
and very eager to learn about what we had to offer.”
Like other NDEAM events across the country, the job fairs
not only provide individuals with an opportunity to connect with employers, but
they also help raise awareness with employers about the benefits of hiring
individuals with disabilities. Each of
the four regional job fairs feature an educational workshop aimed at helping
Ohio businesses recruit a diverse workforce.
Thanks to JobsOhio for their continued support and to our
staff who have worked so hard to make these events a success.
For more photos from these events please visit our Facebook
page.
Our final regional job
fair will be held in Independence on Monday, October 26th.
As noted in last week’s Focus,
the Disability Determination Division (DDD) exceeded all of its goals for
Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2015.
Recognizing the hard work of Ohio and other Disability Determination
Service (DDS) across the country, Nancy A. Berryhill, Deputy Commissioner for
Operations at the Social Security Administration, expressed her thanks:
“I want to begin by extending my
heartfelt gratitude for your continued dedication and commitment to public
service. Reflecting on FY 2015, it was
amazing to see what we accomplished working together as a team. Our achievements ensured that our customers
received more efficient and effective service, and this was all due to
everything you do each and every day. Thank you.
Let’s continue to build on this
progress during FY 2016. Our DCO
Operating Plan remains as our guide to ensure that we focus on our operational
priorities. We must also stay committed
to training our employees, emphasizing quality in everything we do, and
fostering positive working relationships.”
DDD joins with Deputy Commissioner Berryhill in seeking to
build on the success of 2015 and achieving even more in 2016.
Individuals in Job Ready Status* Statewide: 3,856
(For larger map and county details please visit our website)
*Job Ready Status: Have received Vocational Rehabilitation
services and are ready and seeking employment.
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