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As part
of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), states are
required to submit a unified or combined workforce plan to the U.S. Department
of Labor (USDOL) and the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE).
On June
24th, Ohio received notice from USDOL and USDOE that Ohio’s 4-year Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act Combined State Plan was substantially approved,
subject to plan modifications. Today, Ohio is releasing the WIOA Combined State
Plan draft modifications for a 7-day public review and comment period.
To view
the Combined State Plan modifications, click here, use the “find” feature and type
in the key words from the list of modifications. Public comments can be
submitted via the on-line portal. The portal will close on Wednesday, August 17th
at 5 p.m.
Together,
we are making progress toward a better coordinated workforce system. We hope
you will take the time to review the Combined State Plan modifications and take
advantage of the public comment process.
Eighty
years ago this summer, passage of the Randolph-Sheppard
Act established a federal program for employing blind vendors at stands in the
lobbies of federal office buildings. The Ohio Commission for the Blind was designated as the state's
Randolph-Sheppard licensing agency, a function still retained today through
OOD’s Business Enterprise (BE) program.
Business
Enterprise operators from around the country meet annually at two conferences -
the Sagebrush meeting affiliated with The American Council of the Blind (ACB) and
the Business
Leadership and Superior Training (BLAST) affiliated with the
National Federation of the Blind (NFB).
OOD
Business Enterprise Program Administrator Vicky Smith attended BLAST this
spring and answered some questions about her experience.
Were there many state level BE administrators there, and if so, how
was the networking?
Thirty-five state licensing agencies were
represented. There were various networking prospects, which provided insight
into the many ways individual programs manage day-to-day business and seek
opportunities. It was a powerful reminder that Ohio has one of the most robust
Randolph-Sheppard programs in the country.
What were the major themes/issues addressed at BLAST?
The themes included business building,
maximizing Randolph-Sheppard priority opportunities, customer service, security
and leadership.
What did you discover, such as new technology, opportunities, training,
etc.?
There were several outstanding training
modules such as the Disney Customer Service training. One important theme from this
training was to over manage your business to ensure outstanding customer
service.
Additionally, we enjoyed presentations on
cashless payment systems, healthy vending programs and commissary systems. A
state licensing agency roundtable discussion gave us new insight into the
status of business in other states on Department of Veteran's Affairs and Department of
Defense properties.
The National Association of Blind Merchants
honored former Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly with the Champion Award for her
work on behalf of blind entrepreneurs. Her proposal to grant priority to blind
vendors to operate vending machines at interstate rest areas resulted in the
Kennelly Amendments to the Surface Transportation Act.
For
more on NFB’s National Association of Blind Merchants and BLAST, go to www.blindmerchants.org
For
more on ACB's Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America and Sagebrush, go to www.randolph-sheppard.org
 Vendor Ken Shipman and his wife Deb Shipman with Director Miller enjoyed the cookout on Wednesday.
Our Division
of Disability Determination’s new blind vending operator, Ken Shipman, hosted a
cookout on Wednesday, August 10th. The menu included hot dogs,
brats, burgers, baked beans, chips and cookies. The cookout was popular with
staff and provided a welcomed alternative for staff to purchase lunch without
having to leave the premises. In January, Shipman will celebrate his 50th
anniversary as a blind vending operator in the Business Enterprise Program. His
expertise as a business man has resulted in increased quality and service provided to the OOD building located at 400 Campus View Boulevard.
The OOD Commissioners
are happy to announce the 2016 winners of the commissioner's awards.
Eric
Hibinger of Cleveland is the recipient of the 2016 Ben Bonanno Disability
Advocate Award. Hibinger is an employment specialist for OakLeaf Partners, a
Center of Excellence for Adults at United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland.
The Ben
Bonanno Disability Advocate Award honors outstanding advocacy accomplishments
by non-employees of OOD. It is awarded to a person whose advocacy efforts have
significantly improved the employment possibilities of Ohioans with
disabilities in a manner that is consistent with OOD's mission.
Keith
Chatfield of Lucasville was selected for the Denise Joanne Weisenborn Service
Award. Chatfield heads up the Mobile, Partnership, Action, !MPACT Team for
STAR, Inc., which operates the Scioto County Board of Developmental
Disabilities’ Community Employment Program.
The
Denise Joanne Weisenborn Service Award honors non-employees of OOD who provide
outstanding services to Ohioans with disabilities to make their participation
in society more meaningful. This award has been established in memory of Denise
Weisenborn, who served as a commissioner from 1997 to 2006.
Both
recipients will be invited to the November 15th OOD Commission
meeting to receive their awards. Congratulations to them both and thank you for
your service.
OOD has
hosted the statewide Combined Charitable Campaign (CCC) coordinator training
for the last few years as the campaign transitions to e-pledge. On Wednesday
and Thursday, CCC coordinators met at OOD’s Learning Center to get hands-on
training about the e-pledge process and recent campaign updates. I challenged
them to find ways to make the campaign fun and personal for their staff and
thanked them for their hard work.
The CCC
is an annual initiative for State of Ohio employees to consider donating to one
or more of nearly 1,600 charitable organizations at the local, regional and
international levels. The 2016 CCC campaign begins August 31st. Stay tuned for
additional information.
Our
Workforce Initiative of Ohio (WIO), focusing on business engagement, has had 7
consecutive months of more than 100 individuals in interview/application
status. Currently, there are 141 individuals in application/interview status.
Additionally, there were 30 placements in the month of July which brings total
placements to 311 or 113% of the program’s goal of 275 for this fiscal year.
Vocational Rehabilitation
Current
FFY2016
Individuals in Job Ready
Status:
3,064
5,585
(For county level
information
& map visit our
website)
Individuals Employed:
2,095
5,806
(Employed, not yet
successfully closed)
Successful Closures:
5,743
(Employed for over 90
days,
case closed
successfully)
Disability Determination
(FFY2016
as of 08/5/2016 – Week 45)
Applications Received:
170,198
Determinations:
171,218
Productivity Per Work
Year (PPWY) 369.6
(Total number of cases
processed divided
by the number of work
years funded)
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