Weekly Focus - February 26, 2016

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities sent this bulletin at 02/26/2016 04:05 PM EST

An update and information report for doctors who provide consultative exams for OOD’s Division of Disability Determination

The mission of the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Agency is to ensure individuals with disabilities achieve quality employment, independence and disability determination outcomes.

What's Inside:

Provider Scorecards Now Available
Save the Date: State of the State
OMJ Center Operators to Receive Disability Awareness and Etiquette Training
Did you know? Annual Disability Statistics Compendium Now Available
OOD by the Numbers

Provider Scorecards Now Available

To provide transparency, accountability and informed choice, OOD has rolled out our provider search tool. This online tool allows staff and vocational rehabilitation (VR) participants to research available providers in their area. Searches can be targeted by county, city, address, provider type (i.e. Employment First), provider name, or a specific VR service.

The OOD Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) Scorecards are now included as part of the provider search tool. The scorecards enable participants, VR staff, and CRP participants to review demographic information on who the provider serves in terms of disability type, geographic area, etc. If a CRP provides job development services, there is also information about placements (top occupations and average time to place an individual in a job). Scorecards are updated twice a year, with scorecards for new providers added during these updates.

Save the Date: State of the State

Photo by Art Smith

Governor John Kasich will deliver his State of the State address at the People's Bank Theatre in Marietta, Ohio on April 6th. OOD, along with all cabinet level agencies, will be traveling to Marietta to highlight the positive impact our work is having in the community. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting day for Ohio’s first city.

OMJ Center Operators to Receive Disability Awareness and Etiquette Training

One of the recommendations of the Work Force Integration Task Force (WIT) was to increase disability awareness and training for those involved in the recruitment, hiring, and retaining of individuals with disabilities in Ohio. This included human resources staff in both the private sector and in state government (see the January 15 Weekly Focus). A multi-agency working group involved in implementing the WIT recommendations realized that, given their central role in Ohio workforce development, OhioMeansJobs (OMJ) centers should also be included in this training.

With that in mind, all OMJ comprehensive center operators must now attend Windmills and Disability Etiquette training offered by OOD to satisfy their certification requirements. The training will be focused on reducing barriers during the application and employment process for people with disabilities; and helping the centers provide true accessibility and high quality services to individuals with disabilities.

We appreciate the help of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services in assisting us with the training venues and those serving as the host entities for the trainings.

Did you know? Annual Disability Statistics Compendium Now Available

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC) has released the 2015 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium; a web-based tool that pools disability statistics published by various federal agencies together in one place. When working on matters relating to persons with disabilities, the Compendium makes finding and using disability statistics easier. You can download the Compendium, and its companion annual report, online at http://www.disabilitycompendium.org/.