 Watch a video from the 2017 Youth Leadership Forum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylradJuA82I
Forty-five
young adults with disabilities from across the state took part in a five-day leadership and advocacy training
program. The high school juniors and seniors participated in OOD’s annual Youth
Leadership Forum (YLF) from July 30th - August 3rd where they learned how to
continue their journey of independence into adulthood.
Forum
delegates took part in various activities that taught them about choosing a
career, the history of disability as a culture and received instruction on
self-advocacy. An important part of the YLF for many participants is the
mentoring sessions where they talked with professionals from a variety of
backgrounds, many of whom have disabilities themselves. The youth leaders also
learned to develop their own leadership plans and create their own personal
goals, as well as goals for their individual communities.
While
attending YLF, the delegates went on their own private tour of the Statehouse.
They also met people there who have disabilities and found success in their
careers, like Nate Fernandes, who works on ensuring the Secretary of State
website is accessible for those with disabilities; Mark Seifarth, who has
worked at the Statehouse for 35 years as a legislative and advocacy consultant;
and Blake Haxton, a lawyer and a Paralympic rower, as well as a former OOD
Commissioner.
On
the final day of the forum, the delegates took part in a talent show. This
activity showcased the youths’ talents ranging from dancing and singing to
magic and flag twirling. The delegates’ confidence had grown in their few days
at YLF and it was reflected in this activity. Many who came to the forum were
initially tentative and hesitant, but showed their new-found confidence
performing on stage.
This year, after the talent show the delegates gave group
presentations on new technologies assisting individuals with disabilities, how to
raise awareness about advocacy, and notable people in the disability community. When done with their presentations the
delegates from each group were given awards for their work throughout the week.
OOD
encourages the youth to become advocates for themselves and others with
disabilities. This means taking everything they learned at the YLF and continuing
to develop the type of advocacy and leadership skills needed to become lifelong
advocates in their communities and the workforce.
For
more information on OOD’s Youth Leadership Forum, visit http://ood.ohio.gov/Programs/Youth-Leadership-Forum.
In
2012, Sam was in his freshman year of high school and applied for services from
OOD. Sam was diagnosed with Autism and he struggled with interpersonal skills
and self-direction. Through OOD, he learned about the Summer Youth Work
Experience (SYWE) program and participated in two summer jobs, where he was
able to improve his interactions with others and learn some valuable work
skills.
Four
years later, Sam was selected to participate in Project Search at Dublin
Methodist Hospital - a one-year high school transition program that provides
both training and education leading to employment for individuals with
disabilities. The goal of the program is to completely submerge these
individuals into the hospital environment where they learn in the classroom and
in one of the three internships. OhioHealth chose to feature Sam in a video
about Project Search and the valuable experiences it has provided to
individuals with disabilities. http://newsroom.ohiohealth.com/dublin-methodist-hospital-project-search-program/
Utilizing the skills these programs taught him, Sam found a
job with Chart Wells, a nutrition service company that provides and serves
lunches at Dublin City Schools. Sam loves his job as it has given him the
chance to interact with people.
The Governor’s Office of Workforce
Transformation has launched Ohio’s Workforce Success Measures Dashboard, a new
interactive tool to allow Ohio’s policymakers to measure the success of Ohio’s
largest workforce development programs.
Policymakers and Ohioans alike can use
the new Workforce Success Measures Dashboard to see state, county and provider
level data on the number of Ohioans completing workforce transformation
programs. The dashboard empowers program administrators and policymakers to
evaluate program performance and identify best practices by measuring four
common goals:
1) Employment: Do program participants
find short and long-term employment?
2) Skills: Do
programs provide job seekers with access to training that results in
industry-recognized certificates and credentials?
3) Wages: What
are participants’ overall earnings?
4) Value to Business: Do program participants
consistently hold the same job over time?
The dashboard website was a
collaborative effort led by the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation,
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohio Department of Higher
Education, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities and the Ohio Education
Research Center at The Ohio State University.
The Workforce Success Measures Dashboard is available to
everyone at workforcesuccess.chrr.ohio-state.edu.
In
April 2017, OOD’s Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation implemented a Fast Track pilot
program aimed at identifying individuals who could benefit from a different
service delivery model. The Fast Track pilot consists of six teams throughout
the state. To be considered a good fit for the pilot, an individual would
be eligible for services but need minimal services. The candidate must also
either be employed at application or had recently become unemployed. The goal
with these individuals is to complete the application, the eligibility decision
and their individualized plan for employment all within the first two scheduled
appointments. The ultimate goal is to have them placed in employment within 90 days
of application.
Since
April, more than 25 individuals have been identified in the pilot. On July 10th,
the first individual’s case was successfully closed. The Fast Track does not
fit all individuals coming to OOD for vocational rehabilitation services.
However, it allows for quick engagement and placement for those that do meet
the criteria. The plan is to expand implementation statewide later this fall.
OOD’s A Link in the Chain series gives employees the opportunity
to talk about who they are and how they contribute to serving individuals with
disabilities. This video features OOD staff member Elizabeth Sammons, who
shares her experiences about being on both sides of the table. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVxA-J5C0AU
OOD’s
Division of Disability Determination (DDD) is currently providing assistance to
the Wisconsin Disability Determination Bureau by processing 400 electronic
reconsideration Social Security Disability/Supplemental Security claims. The
hard work and efforts of our employees has allowed Ohio DDD the capacity and
efficiency to assist Wisconsin. Ohio currently has the best processing time in
the Great Lakes Region, while still maintaining excellent customer service and
accuracy in the decisions on claims.
The OOD Commissioners
are seeking nominations for two awards that are presented to honor the service
of individuals who significantly contribute to assisting individuals with
disabilities.
Ben Bonanno Disability
Advocate Award
OOD has established the
Ben Bonanno Disability Advocate Award to honor outstanding advocacy
accomplishments by non-employees of OOD. Ben Bonanno was a former OOD
Commissioner and an unwavering advocate for people with disabilities. The Ben
Bonanno Disability Advocate Award recognizes 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. The deadline
date for submitting nominations is August 25, 2017.
Denise Joanne Weisenborn
Service Award
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 an OOD Commissioner from 1997 to 2006. The deadline date for
submitting nominations is August 25, 2017.
The nomination forms can be found on OOD’s website at http://ood.ohio.gov/About-Us/OOD-Commissioners/Commissioners-Awards.
OOD’s annual
report outlines how we continue to focus on jobs, accountability,
cost-effectiveness and efficiency, which has resulted in improved services to
individuals with disabilities. In the past year, our successes have garnered
the attention of other vocational rehabilitation and Social Security state
agencies to use OOD as a model for best practices. OOD’s annual report for
Federal Fiscal Year 2016 and State Fiscal Year 2017 can be found at http://ood.ohio.gov/Portals/0/OOD%20Annual%20Report%202016-2017.pdf.
On June 6th,
Facebook brought closed captioning to Facebook Live to make videos streamed live
on the social network accessible to people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
This allows publishers to create and stream closed captions for their live
videos either on their own or with the help of a technology vendor. For more
information, visit https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/06/facebook-live-captions/.
Connect to OOD on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to
see items like this post about an indoor skydiving range assisting individuals with
disabilities in the free-fall simulation. #ConnectToOOD #OODWorks
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, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.
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