BVR Assistant Deputy Director Kristen Helling presenting at the APSE national conference this week
Ohio hosted the 2016 National Association for People
Supporting Employment First (APSE) Conference this week in downtown Cincinnati.
More than 1,000 supported employment professionals, employers and advocates
from all 50 states and several countries attended the three-day conference to
learn state-of-the-art practices in integrated employment. Topical breakout
sessions, panels and lightning discussions focused on several areas, including
innovative practices, leadership, public policy and funding, transition from
school to work, family and self-advocacy and more.
On Tuesday morning, BVR Assistant Deputy Director Kristen
Helling and Amy Szymanski from the Ohio Department of Education presented on
the Ohio Transition Support Partnership in a session titled “Improving
Employing Outcomes for Students with Disabilities.” On Wednesday afternoon,
Julie Hance, supervisor of the BVR Supported Employment and Transition Unit along
with Tom Hess from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, presented
about the Employment First Partnership, in conjunction with a panel of
Employment First counselors, county board representatives and provider
staff.
Congratulations to the Ohio APSE Chapter for a
well-organized event.
One of the agency accomplishments I am most proud of is the way OOD has been on the forefront of operationalizing Lean Six Sigma within state government. I was asked by the Ohio Department of Administrative Services Director Robert Blair to participate on a panel discussion about Lean in State Government this morning. The panel is part of the National Association of State Chief Administrators’ (NASCA) Programs Committee, offering of a one-day lean journey roundtable for their state members. This involved LeanOhio and the State of Washington's Lean Transformation Services coming together to share best practices and lessons learned from their Lean journey. I was able to share how OOD has embraced Lean Six Sigma, the challenges we faced and the improvements we have seen in many key areas as a result.
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In April of this year, representatives from the State of Washington’s Lean Transformation – Enterprise Services Office, hosted by the LeanOhio team, visited OOD’s Performance and Innovation Center (PIC). They observed yellow belt training for OOD supervisors, learned more about Ohio’s experience with Lean and shared their own experience.
Opened last year, the PIC is a newly created space designed to enhance collaboration in the problem-solving process and host Kaizen events and other Lean-powered improvement projects. OOD has a growing network of employees who have participated in trainings sponsored by LeanOhio and is proud to make this unique resource available to other agencies and organizations from across the country.
The mission of LeanOhio is to make government services in Ohio simpler, faster, better and less costly. This is accomplished by applying continuous improvement methods such as Lean and Six Sigma. Ohio's state agencies are cutting red tape, removing inefficiencies, improving customer service and achieving measurable results.
June 20th marked the 80th anniversary
of the signing of the Randolph-Sheppard Act by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1936. The Vending Facility program authorized by the Randolph-Sheppard Act
provides persons who are blind with remunerative employment and self-support,
through the operation of vending facilities on federal property. In addition, states have replicated the Act to ensure the same priority at state, county, municipal, and private locations as well.
The act authorizes a blind individual
licensed by the state licensing agency to conduct specified activities in
vending facilities through permits or contracts. [Source]
OOD is the state
licensing agency in Ohio and operates the Business Enterprise Program. Currently, OOD licenses 94 operators across the state.
Vocational Rehabilitation
Current
FFY2016
Individuals in Job Ready
Status: 3,313 4,905
(For county level
information
& map visit our website)
Individuals Employed:
1,964 4,753
(Employed, not yet
successfully closed)
Successful Closures: 4,828
(Employed for over 90
days,
case closed
successfully)
Disability Determination
(FFY2016 as of 06/17/2016 – Week 38)
Applications Received:
144,784
Determinations:
146,746
Productivity Per Work
Year (PPWY) 375.4
(Total number of cases
processed divided
by the number of work
years funded)
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