On April 4th,
in anticipation of Governor’s Kasich’s State of the State address that evening,
cabinet directors and staff spent the day in Sandusky highlighting the positive
impact state agencies are making in Northwest Ohio.
OOD enjoyed a great day
of events highlighting the variety of ways we seek to accomplish our mission of
quality employment and increased independence for individuals with
disabilities. The events illustrated the many different ways OOD impacts the
community. A few examples include:
- The Ohio Transition
Support Partnership (OTSP) with the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE),
the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and the Governor’s Office of Workforce
Transformation (OWT) at EHOVE Career Center.
- A business engagement
and disability awareness training for more than 20 local businesses held at
Great Wolf Lodge. We partnered with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS)
and OWT to recognize employers for hiring individuals with disabilities.
- The Employment First
partnership in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) met at Sawmill
Creek Resort and Steak ‘n Shake. We
recognized Ability Works for their great partnership and assisting individuals
with disabilities find employment at the restaurant.
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At EHOVE are
(left to right) OOD Director Kevin Miller, EHOVE Career Center Superintendent
Sharon Mastroianni, ODHE Chancellor John Carey, Representative Richard Stein,
Ken Hughes (an OOD client that found successful employment as
an English as a second language teacher), and OWT Director Ryan Burgess. To see a video,
visit https://youtu.be/pyNIb7fsuTQ.
At Great Wolf Lodge are Erie
County employers who were recognized for their commitment to hiring individuals with disabilities, (center)
OOD Director Kevin Miller, ODJFS Director Cynthia Dungey and OWT Director Ryan Burgess.
To see a video, visit https://youtu.be/PbosyfzYbKU.
At Sawmill Creek Resort are (right) OOD Director Kevin Miller with
DODD Director John Martin talking to employees as they toured the laundry room where they work. Sawmill Creek Resort was recognized for hiring individuals with disabilities. To see a video, visit https://youtu.be/VeTjs8qr9GM.
At Steak
‘n Shake are (far left) DODD Director John Martin and (far right) OOD Director
Kevin Miller with several Steak ‘n Shake employees, along with staff from
Ability Works.
For more information about our State of the State events, Connect
to OOD on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube or to see all State of the State events use #OHSotS.
OOD’s Bureau
of Services for the Visually Impaired (BSVI) and the Ohio Department of Higher
Education’s (ODHE) ABLE program are working together to provide literacy
training for adults with visual impairments. This assistance will help them prepare for employment
and further their education.
ODHE’s ABLE
program will fund grants to OOD’s BSVI to recruit students into basic Braille literacy classes that lead to
high school diplomas and certifications. The goal this year is to have trained
Braille literacy instructors to recruit students and teach Braille basics
courses regionally.
Additionally, this
spring, a pilot program will be launched at the Cleveland Sight Center to
further this important mission. The Cleveland Sight Center has been providing
Braille instruction throughout its 110-year history to children, adolescents
and adults who are blind or visually impaired. The ABLE teachers work alongside
the Braille instructor to help the students meet their education and employment
goals.
“Education is
important to every citizen,” said OOD Director Kevin Miller. “From the passage
of the Workforce Integration Task Force (WIT) and implementation of the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, OOD has focused on
creating access points for individuals with disabilities. We’re diligent in
seeking ways to implement WIT recommendations to make the programs and training
services more readily available to individuals who are blind, deaf and
deafblind.”
For more
information, visit http://www.ood.ohio.gov/Portals/0/Press%20Release%20-%20Pilot%20Program%20Offers%20Literacy%20Training%20for%20Individuals%20with%20Visual%20Impairments.pdf.
Business Enterprise Operator Jim Lutz loading snacks in the vending machine at the Riffe Center.
When Jim Lutz received his master’s degree in economics
from the University of Akron, he envisioned having a job that would allow him
to utilize his degree. Due to his visual impairment, he realized this was
easier said than done. “It’s hard for a blind person to get comparable jobs,”
said Jim.
He learned about the Business Enterprise Program (BEP)
through OOD’s Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired (BSVI). This opportunity enables Ohioans who are legally blind to have
entrepreneurial careers in food service management.
Jim applied for services and became a certified BEP operator at the
Akron courthouse in the late 90s. He later moved to Columbus and worked in the
cafeteria in the Rhodes Tower downtown. In 2006, he began operating the vending
machines on the 19th floor of the Riffe Center. Jim currently
operates nine vending machines, and a snack counter that serves Starbucks, as well as two machines on the
Governor’s floor in the Riffe Center. He owns the operation and is responsible
for all aspects of the business. Due to his disability, he uses Uber to get
downtown so he can manage his machines and coffee shop.
“For a blind person, there’s no better job than this. If you’re
not afraid to put in the work, you can’t fail,” Jim.
The goals of the Business Enterprise Program are to
establish employment for people who have a visual disability, demonstrate the
capabilities and competence of individuals who are legally blind, and provide
quality food and vending services throughout Ohio. For more information, visit http://www.ood.ohio.gov/Programs/Business-Enterprise.
April is Autism
Awareness Month and a time to raise awareness around the differences of those
on the autism spectrum. It is also to support people with the disorder and their families,
and educate the public on autism. OOD works all year long to provide services to
individuals (beginning at age 14) who are on this spectrum, to assist them in
finding and maintaining a job, and live independently in all 88 Ohio counties.
For more information about how OOD can help you or someone you know who has a
disability find a job or maintain a job, visit http://oodworks.com/.
Connect to OOD on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to see items like this
post about Director Miller supporting Panera’s Pieces of Hope cookie campaign
in honor of Autism Awareness Month.
 Pictured above are OOD Director Kevin Miller, DDD Deputy Director Erik Williamson, Disability Claims Specialist Christian Mateos, Disability Claims Supervisor Julie Keel and SSA’s Chicago Regional Disability Program Administrator Jim Jamison.
Three OOD Division of Disability Determination (DDD)
employees were recently honored by the Social Security Administration (SSA). On
Thursday, April 6th, SSA’s Chicago Region Disability Program
Administrator Jim Jamison traveled to Columbus to personally recognize DDD Deputy
Director Erik Williamson, Disability Claims Supervisor Julie Keel and Disability
Claims Specialist Christian Mateos for their exemplary work.
Williamson received the Disability Program Leadership Award
for his long-term commitment to the Social Security Disability Program and
displaying outstanding leadership. Keel was recognized with the 2016 Office of
Disability Associate Commissioner Honor Award (in recognition for her
outstanding contribution to the limited English proficiency workgroup) and the 2016
Office of Disability Determination’s Associate Commissioner Honor Award (in
recognition for her hard work, leadership, professionalism and pride in serving
the citizens of Ohio). Mateos received the Social Security Commissioner’s
Citation, in recognition of her contributions to excellent customer service as
a bilingual disability claims specialist.
 OOD Rehabilitation Program Specialist Mike Kinney works with a group of providers and OOD staff to revise reporting templates.
OOD hosted a number of representatives from our provider
community along with OOD field staff to assist in updating report templates
required under the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Fee Schedule. Proposed
changes in VR fee structures will allow for streamlining templates with
attention given to progress and outcomes of service, rather than documentation
of billable hours and miles driven. These reports will ultimately be entered or uploaded
directly into the VR Provider Portal, which ties into the requirements of the development
process.
OOD’s policy and training unit facilitated small groups of
provider and staff to review existing templates and identify opportunities
to eliminate items that were not required and did not add value. The
revisions are expected to significantly reduce the administrative time for providers to
complete required documentation. This will allow for an increased allocation of
time for staff to work directly with individuals referred for services. The
efficiencies will also reduce OOD's time for review and approval while cutting down on billing rejections.
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