Next week I will be
traveling to Marietta for events surrounding Governor John Kasich’s State of
the State Address. While in the region, OOD staff, along with other
cabinet-level agencies, will be hosting a variety of events highlighting the
work we do with partners and individuals with disabilities. OOD’s focus
this year is on the different pathways available to help
individuals with disabilities achieve quality employment and increased
independence.
The planned events
include:
- A disability awareness and
etiquette workshop for employers in the Marietta area that will
include an overview of the employer toolkit OOD developed in partnership
with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services;
- Recognition of Washington State
Community College (WSCC) for the critical role they play in workforce
development in Marietta and the surrounding area along with employees,
vendors, and students connected to the college who have been served by
OOD;
- A tour of The Career Center of
Washington County and discussion of our Ohio Transition Services
Partnership with the Ohio Department of Education;
- A visit to the local Kroger to
recognize the success of our Employment First partnership with the Ohio
Department of Developmental Disabilities.
We are excited about
visiting Marietta to showcase the great work we are doing in the region while
acknowledging the important work of our partners.
That evening, Governor
Kasich will offer his State of the State address and highlight the progress
Ohio has made over the last 12 months and the important work that
remains. Look for reports on these exciting events in next week’s Focus.
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What follows is a success story from OOD caseload assistant Anna Freitag
One of the first individuals I worked
with in OOD’s Independent Living/Older Blind (IL/OB) program was a man with a
degree of life-long vision loss. His recent retinal detachments had left
him with only light perception in both eyes. In our first interview, it
was obvious that he felt very discouraged. He spoke a lot about his
career in security, which he had to give up. It was
evident that he needed training on the activities of daily living, along
with assistance with orientation & mobility in order to stay alone and
travel independently.
When we met, he had to rely on
“guessing” to get through the day; in order to prepare meals and complete
household tasks. In many instances he became disoriented, running into
walls and getting lost in his own home. Recently, he had gone outside to take
out the trash and walk the family dog, but he became lost in the cul-de-sac
where he lives and had to call his wife for help getting home.
Through IL/OB, we were able to provide
training in orientation & mobility and the activities of daily
living. By the end of his training, this individual was able to meet all
of his goals related to indoor cane skills such as room familiarization,
obstacle detection, and stair skills. He also learned to load and operate
the dishwasher, reheat meals in the microwave using tactual labeling, pour
liquids using a liquid level indicator, safely remove and transfer foods and
use a talking timer to assist with cooking food. He learned how to
label items in the home with a Pen Friend, tell time using talking timepieces,
manipulate a telephone and keep track of appointments on a calendar with visual
adaptations. He was also able to use adaptive money skills and set timing
and temperature on the washer and dryer. All of this meant he could now
be independent and safer. Equally important to him, is that he
can contribute toward household tasks while his wife is at work.
We were also able to offer training on
using his white cane in residential areas with intermittent traffic. This
training has given him the confidence to consider pursuing employment through
OOD’s Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired. This important
decision was not even an option prior to his training and preparation.
For many of us, it is easy to take the
ability to live and work independently for granted. We move freely and
relatively easily through our day. This case was a reminder of the
powerful impact of independent living training and services. It is gratifying
to help someone gain a level of independence and freedom of movement.
It truly makes a difference.
April is Autism Awareness
Month and this Saturday, April 2nd, is the 8th annual
World Autism Awareness Day. On Saturday,
and throughout the month, Autism organizations and participants from around the
world will come together to raise awareness and increase understanding for
Autism.
Join us on Saturday, and all
month, to take a moment to think of the individuals in your family and community
who possess the unique skills and talents of persons with autism.
Vocational Rehabilitation
Current
FFY2016
Individuals in Job Ready
Status: 3,449 3,456
(For
county level information
&
map visit our
website)
Individuals Employed: 1,744 3,194
(Employed,
not yet
successfully
closed)
Successful Closures:
3,518
(Employed
for over 90 days,
case
closed successfully)
Disability Determination
(FFY2016 as of 03/25/2016 – Week 26)
Applications Received:
97,521
Determinations:
100,431
Productivity Per Work
Year (PPWY) 375.3
(Total number of cases
processed divided
by the number of work years funded)
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