OOD held its 3rd annual Columbus Job
Fair on Wednesday, where OOD job ready candidates met with local employers who
are hiring. The Job Fair featured 162 OOD job seekers with disabilities
and 50 area employers. “Watching this interaction first-hand is a powerful
reminder that matching qualified candidates with employers is at the heart of
OOD," said OOD Director Kevin Miller. “The job seekers interacting
with employers looking for job opportunities had a very positive impact.”
Employers participating in the Job Fair included CVS, iQor, Office
Depot, OfficeMax, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Tailored Management, Turner,
Scioto Services, UPS, Cintas, Ohio Health, Anthem and many others.
 Pictured above are job seeker Cat Banks (left) and OOD Counselor Mary Massie.
Eager job seekers connected with great employers to
discuss potential job opportunities. Cat Banks, with her OOD Counselor Mary
Massie, attended the Job Fair and was hired on the spot by iQor for a customer
service job. “I’m so excited,” said Banks. “I can’t believe it! This is HUGE
with a capital H! I never thought in a million years that I’d come here and go
home with a job.”
Massie worked with
Banks to update her office job skills. “She attended classes at Functional
Training Services and updated her computer, clerical and customer service
skills,” said Massie.
Pictured above are job seeker Ymani Russell and Patrick Kennedy from Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Employers were just as eager to meet people who
are interested in jobs and to discuss opportunities and job openings. Human
Resource Representative Patrick Kennedy of Nationwide Children’s Hospital said,
"This is a great location and I am glad we are here to participate. We have over 500 openings and these candidates are job ready.”
Ymani
Russell, an OOD job seeker said, “There are so many job opportunities. Employers are very communicative and are
willing to hire people."
OOD continues to have a great partnership with the Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) and the Department of Job and Family Services (DJFS). We were pleased to have DODD Director John Martin and DJFS Director Cynthia Dungey attend the Job Fair to help link employers with job seekers.
DODD Director John Martin (pictured above, left) joined OOD Director Kevin Miller to tour the Job Fair.
ODJFS Director Cynthia Dungey (pictured above) saw the success of the OOD Columbus Job Fair. OOD Director Kevin Miller (left) and OOD Assistant Director Bill Bishilany welcomed her to the hiring event.
Both job seekers and employers continue to provide
positive feedback about the Job Fairs.
 OOD Director Kevin Miller (left) presented CVS Health Regional Learning Center Manager, Workforce Initiatives John White (center) and Workforce Initiatives Manager Duane Rohr with the Champion of Opportunity Award.
Recognizing the outstanding
work of companies who are leading the change in disability inclusion and hiring
of individuals with disabilities is the hallmark of the OOD Opportunity Awards.
This past week a Champion of Opportunity Award was presented to CVS Health in Twinsburg, Ohio.
The Champion of Opportunity
Award honors companies that have gone above and beyond in their commitment
and who serve as statewide examples of what it means to provide quality
employment opportunities and increased independence for individuals with disabilities.
This award represents the highest award that OOD presents to a business partner.
At the presentation, OOD
Director Kevin Miller said, “CVS is leading the way for the industry
and has put disability inclusion into their culture of success. There are many
stores that offer similar products, but I always go to my local CVS because I
know of the good work they are doing to create opportunities. These jobs help
people become independent, give them a sense of pride, and help them move out
of the shadows."
In accepting the award, CVS
Health’s Workforce Initiatives Manager Duane Rohr said, “Disability inclusion is
a priority at CVS. We don’t do it to receive awards, we do it because it’s the
right thing to do and it’s good for business. All of our employees help make
CVS a great place to work.” He also thanked OOD for being a great partner in
bringing talented individuals to CVS Health.
OOD congratulates CVS Health on receiving this award and for their commitment to integrate
individuals with disabilities into the workforce.
For more information about
OOD's Opportunity Awards, visit ood.ohio.gov/Employers/Opportunity-Awards.
 Pictured above are Valerie Wald (standing), from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, introducing commercial driver’s license panelists (seated, left to right) Michael Wise from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Katie Scheetz from OOD, Jeff Wittington from Roadmaster, and Karen Wilson from Deaf Services.
About 30 teachers and
administrators from trucking schools around Ohio recently gathered at the
Department of Public Safety (DPS) for a continuing education workshop.
Discussions included a two-hour panel presentation on the recent waiver
applicable to applicants who are deaf. In
order to test for a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), applicants must pass a
Department of Transportation (DOT) physical, which includes a hearing test.
This requirement precluded many deaf and hard of hearing individuals from
considering truck driving as a career. In 2013, the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA) began issuing hearing exemptions to some
individuals who did not meet the hearing requirements on the DOT physical.
Truck driving is an in-demand occupation, with nearly 3,000 openings each year
in Ohio. To meet the needs of both the deaf and hard of hearing communities, along with
the business community, OOD and DPS began collaborating on a project to develop
testing procedures for hearing exemption candidates, working with trucking schools,
and preparing businesses to hire qualified drivers who are deaf.
This meeting was the first opportunity several of these
training schools have had to ask specific questions about the new waiver
program. The reaction from Friday’s attendees ranged from skepticism and
concern to understanding and support. OOD’s Katie Scheetz shared statistics and
articles about the clean record most truck drivers enjoy who have appropriate
training. Roadmaster shared how they have opened their doors to OOD consumers. Trainers
spoke about the positive experiences they have had with their hearing impaired
trainees, and said that innovation and flexibility are important.
Since spring,
OOD has assisted seven would-be truck drivers with appropriate accommodations
for training and testing with two additional students currently in training. Every new CDL driver has successfully been employed, sometimes with
multiple job offers.
For
more information, visit www.bmv.ohio.gov/dl-cdl-hearing-exemption.aspx.
The
Social Security Administration will host a conference call about services for
veterans on November 9th at 2:00 p.m. The conference call will focus
on collaborations with veteran’s service organizations to educate veterans on
their Social Security benefits.
For
more information, visit www.ssa.gov/thirdparty/whatsnew.html
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Vocational Rehabilitation
Current FFY2017
Individuals in Job Ready Status: 2,941 629
(For county level information
& map, visit our website)
Individuals Employed: 2,421 579
(Employed, not yet
successfully closed)
Successful Closures: 611
(Employed for over 90 days,
case closed successfully)
Disability Determination
(FFY 2017 as of 10/28/2016 – Week 4)
Applications Received: 14,126
Determinations: 14,795
Productivity Per Work Year (PPWY) 354.5
(Total number of cases processed divided
by the number of work years funded)
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