 At the Statehouse for Blindness and Low Vision Awareness Day, OOD Director Kevin Miller (second from left) met with (from left to right) Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired CEO John Mitchell, Sight Center of NW Ohio Executive Director Stacey Miller and Cleveland Sight Center President and Executive Director Larry Benders.
On Wednesday, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
(OOD) Director Kevin Miller spoke at the Sight Centers of Ohio Day of Advocacy at
the Statehouse. Activities included meetings with legislators, hands-on events
for legislators, interactive simulation goggles for common vision problems,
how to use a white cane, demonstration of assistive technology products, and
activities focusing on daily tasks that are challenging for individuals with
vision loss.
Director Miller stated the importance of individuals with
visual impairments having the resources they need. He said, “OOD and the Sight
Centers' partnership is an important piece in making sure these individuals get
the services they need. Those that have visual impairments need to have every
opportunity as those with sight.”
Cleveland Sight Center President and Executive Director
Larry Benders expressed the importance of the partnership between the Sight
Centers of Ohio and OOD. He said, “We’re a system. If we can do more together,
OOD can do more for people with low vision.”
For more information about OOD’s services for the visually
impaired, visit http://ood.ohio.gov/Core-Services/BSVI.
 Reggie Jones cooking at Denny’s Flying J Travel Plaza.
Reggie
Jones was tired of staying home without much to do. He had not worked since
2001. This all changed after he contacted OOD last summer and was connected
with Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Dawn Coleman. Reggie wanted to try
working as a dishwasher, so Coleman set up a community based assessment at
Denny’s Flying J Travel Plaza.
During
the assessment, Reggie did very well. He picked up the tasks quickly and was
even able to try out the cook position. The managers were impressed with his
work and on the third day of the assessment, he was asked to complete an
application for a full-time cook position.
Denny’s
Flying J General Manager Blake Fitch said, “Reggie has prevailed and has cooked
26-27 tickets in an hour. That’s impressive for any cook! He’s definitely one
of our best cooks here.”
Reggie
said, “I haven’t missed any days. The managers are all happy.” Reggie got a 50 cent
raise and was able to move to a new home closer to his work. He was very
appreciative of the assistance provided by OOD. “You guys have done a lot to
help me out. Thanks a lot!” said Reggie.
For more
information about how OOD can help you find or retain a job, visit http://oodworks.com/.
As we strive to improve outreach and efficiencies in the
communication efforts of OOD, we want to inform you of the changes that are
coming to the Weekly Focus e-newsletter and our social media pages. With the
need to get information out more quickly, we will be embarking on a
multi-pronged approach to interact with businesses, partners, employees and
those we serve.
There will now be a variety of options to find out what’s
going on at OOD. For example: the Weekly Focus
e-newsletter will become a monthly publication and will feature stories of
employment successes, job opportunities, statewide partnerships, advocacy and
policy efforts, and much more. You will see a more robust effort on social
media that will highlight up-to-the-minute items with links and videos on
Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.
OOD Director Kevin Miller feels these enhancements will
help OOD meet the expectations of those who are interested in the agency and
hopefully introduce OOD to those that don’t know us. “When I started at OOD six
years ago, the Focus e-newsletter was designed as a weekly publication to
inform people how the agency was quickly changing. As OOD has evolved, so has
the way we need to communicate. These new efforts will provide the opportunity
to get more in-depth information or brief, timely updates about what’s going on
at OOD.”
Connect To OOD by subscribing to our new monthly Focus
e-newsletter by going to our website and
follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Connect To OOD on Facebook and Twitter to see
how individuals with disabilities are finding successful employment and other
related information. This post on our Facebook page highlights OOD Director Kevin
Miller participating in the DODD #MyEmploymentFirst campaign to celebrate the five year anniversary of Employment First. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
The
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have approved amendments to
the Level One, Self-Empowered Life Funding (SELF), and Individual Options (IO)
Medicaid Waivers. For additional details and frequently asked questions, visit
http://dodd.ohio.gov/IndividualFamilies/ServiceFunding/Pages/WaiverTypes.aspx.
Vocational
Rehabilitation
Current
FFY2017
Individuals in Job Ready Status: 3,179 3,147
For county level information
& map, visit our website.
Individuals Employed:
1,971
2,611
Employed, not yet
successfully closed
Successful Closures:
2,898
Employed for over 90 days,
case closed successfully
Disability Determination
(FFY
2017 as of 3/10/2017 – Week 23)
Applications Received: 74,264
Determinations: 79,691
Productivity Per Work Year (PPWY) 355.1
Total number of cases processed
divided
by the number of
work years funded
Please share this publication and encourage others to
subscribe to the OOD Focus E-newsletter on our website. Also be sure to join us on Twitter and Facebook.
|
