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HireGround is a quarterly newsletter published by
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) to provide updates about
Ohio’s Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program. OOD’s mission is to provide
Ohioans with disabilities quality employment, independence and disability
determinations.
This February, Senate Bill 3 became law, designating the
first week of May as In-Demand Jobs Week. The new law stipulates that every
year during In-Demand Jobs Week, the Governor's Office of Workforce Transformation
in collaboration with Ohio’s workforce development agencies, including
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD), shall organize activities to
raise awareness of jobs that are in demand by employers operating in this state
and the requirements and benefits of those jobs.
In-Demand Jobs Week is a statewide, locally-led celebration of
jobs, skills and industries that are in high demand among Ohio employers.
Business, education and community leaders throughout the state have partnered
to plan events and activities to inform students and job seekers about local
in-demand jobs.
OOD will be holding six
In-Demand Jobs Week events across the state for adults and students with
disabilities. These events, including OOD job fairs, employer information
sessions and tours of businesses will focus on jobs in manufacturing, retail,
health care and more. Check out this In-Demand Jobs
Week events map for
details on OOD’s events and others around the state. To learn how to plan or
find an event near you, visit the In-Demand Jobs
Week website.
In-Demand Jobs Week Resources:
Guide for Businesses and Workforce Professionals
Guide for Educators
View Ohio’s 200+ In-Demand Occupations
Finding
the way around the campus at Columbus State Community College is getting
easier, thanks to a pilot project between Opportunities for Ohioans with
Disabilities and Columbus State Community College (CSCC.) Audible directions
are now available to anyone using an IOS based smart phone app called
BlindSquare. These directions offer details such as bus stops, unmarked street
crossings or temporary construction sites, as well as providing indoor
navigation throughout CSCC campus buildings.
“BlindSquare
combines data from GPS outdoors and Bluetooth beacons inside campus buildings
for seamless navigation,” says Sarah Kelly, the OOD program administrator who
mastered the coding and other skills needed to get this highly customized
system going. The project goal involves not only navigating the campus, but
also being able to get to campus from several miles out in all directions
through the BlindSqEvent app, a free version of BlindSquare available to anyone
with an IPhone.
The app targets travelers with wayfinding challenges,
such as vision or cognitive impairments, with the goal of facilitating
independent travel. This technology offers an increased level of independence
to the hundreds of students receiving services from CSCC’s Office of Disability
Services. Customized QR codes also make signage accessible to those with
literacy barriers.
OOD
implemented the new VR Provider Fee Schedule on October 1, 2017. In an effort
to ensure continuous quality improvement, OOD recently reconvened a group of providers,
VR contractors and OOD staff to discuss feedback on report templates that are
now in use. The meeting revealed that overall, the report templates offer all
elements needed to satisfy the requirements of each VR service provided.
However, a few minor changes are being implemented on the templates as a result
of this review. OOD will continue to monitor the VR Fee Schedule post
implementation.
Providers will be informed of any changes via Granicus
communication once updated templates are uploaded. Three to four weeks lead
time will be granted before using these new report templates once they are
available. This allows time for providers to update their systems accordingly.
Effective
October 1, 2017, OOD began contracting with Centers for Independent Living
(CIL), Community Centers for the Deaf (CCD), vision service centers and several
county boards of developmental disabilities for the provision of Pre-Employment
Transition Services (Pre-ETS). These contracts have expanded access to Pre-ETS and include:
Job Exploration Counseling; Work-based Learning; Counseling on
Opportunities for Enrollment in Post-secondary Education; Workplace Readiness
Training; and Instruction in Self Advocacy.
Ohio
has an estimated 50,000 students with disabilities age 14 and older who are
potentially eligible for OOD services. These introductory services are intended
to help students with disabilities get an early start in identifying career
interests. They are available to students who have been determined eligible for
VR services, as well as those who are potentially eligible but have not yet applied.
Referrals can come either through vocational rehabilitation counselors or
through completion of a Request for Pre-ETS form by a school. You can find the
request form, a fact sheet and updated maps providing information about
available Pre-ETS here: http://www.ood.ohio.gov/Transition-Students
To date, more than $240,000 has been authorized for
these additional Pre-ETS services. Thank you to all who are working hard to
coordinate with our community partners in making these important opportunities
available.
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