 On May 9th, more than 150 OOD job seekers and Wright State University students, served by the university's disability services office, attended a job fair hosted by OOD.
Last week, Opportunities for Ohioans with
Disabilities participated in events celebrating the first In-Demand
Jobs Week - May 7-11. More than 140 events were planned
to connect Ohioans with local in-demand career opportunities. OOD held six
In-Demand Jobs Week experiences across the state for adults and students with
disabilities. This included job fairs, employer information sessions
and tours of businesses that focused on jobs in manufacturing, retail, health
care and more.
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Jobs in Manufacturing Day – On May 7th, OOD’s East-Central Region
hosted an informational event at the Stark County OhioMeansJobs Center featuring
manufacturing companies for more than 20 local job seekers and students with disabilities
interested in manufacturing jobs.
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CVS Regional Learning Center Tours – On May 8th, OOD’s
Northeast Region held tours and information sessions at two different CVS
training facilities (the CVS Regional Learning Center in Twinsburg and Polaris
Career Center in Middleburg Heights) for more than 60 OOD job seekers and students with disabilities.
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Job Fair at Wright State University – On May 9th, OOD’s
Southwest Region hosted a job fair with more than 40 employers present for nearly 200 OOD job seekers and students served by
the university’s disability services office.
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Health Care Employer Forum and Job Fair – On May 10th, OOD’s
Northwest Region joined the Lucas County OhioMeansJobs Center for an employer
forum and job fair featuring health care employers for more than 35 job seekers, including several OOD participants.
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DHL Supply Chain Tour – Also on May 10th, OOD’s Southeast
Region held a tour and information session at DHL Supply Chain near Columbus
for 10 OOD job seekers.
Check
out our Facebook
and Twitter
pages for more on these successful events. Additional photos can be viewed on
the OOD
In-Demand Jobs Week Events photo album.
 Pictured on the left are OOD Director Kevin Miller and his son, Connor, as they watch Governor Kasich sign House Bill 115 into law.
A bill that empowers individuals with communication disabilities provides information to law enforcement officers was signed
by Governor John Kasich on May 2, 2018. House Bill 115, sponsored by
Representatives Scott Wiggam and Theresa Gavarone, was unanimously passed by
the Ohio Legislature on April 11th.
Anyone with a diagnosed communication disability can voluntarily
enroll in a database that connects to the LEADS (Law Enforcement Agencies
Data System). An officer will then be made aware that the driver, or a
person in the vehicle, may have difficulty communicating with the officer. The
initiative will help avoid a situation that could become harmful to an
individual with a communication disability or an officer.
“The passing of this bill is important to all individuals
with communication disabilities and their families,” said OOD Director Kevin
Miller. “I know personally how much parents worry when their child with autism
or a hearing disability is driving on their own. My son, Connor, is on the
autism spectrum, and this tool can make a difference when a traffic stop
occurs.”
OOD will provide a form on the agency’s website that
individuals can take to their licensed medical practitioner, who can validate
that the individual has a communication disability. The information will
be protected by the state firewall and is not public. Individuals will also
have the option to opt out of the database at any point.
OOD is working with the Ohio Department of Public Safety
and the disability community and plans to have the program running this fall. Groups
that supported House Bill 115 are the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence
(OCALI), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Deaf Services Center, Ohio
Association for the Deaf, Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, Ohio Coalition
for the Education of Children with Disabilities, and National Multiple
Sclerosis Society. Watch Director Miller’s
video.
Thirteen OOD employees from across the
state were honored on May 8th with OOD’s Excellence in Service
Awards. These awards recognize and reward staff who have performed above and
beyond in their efforts to improve customer satisfaction and job performance,
as well as encourage creativity, innovation and initiative.
The 2018 honorees are:
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Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation – Jim Gears, a
vocational rehabilitation program specialist, was recognized for his ability to manage intense work
volume while providing conscientious and meticulous service to our
staff and providers, thus raising the quality of service provided
to OOD participants.
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Support Division, Information Technology – Michael Davis is
an information technologist,
who has provided exemplary customer service to the southeast area team,
enabling them to better assist our participants in that region.
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Support Division, RSA 911 Team – Pam Laing (program administrator),
Kim Ocasio (software development specialist) and Bruce Willis (database administrator
specialist) were recognized for their
dedication, hard work and service in collaborating on federal compliance
reporting requirements that resulted in timely and accurate reports.
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Division of Disability Determination – Mary Walcutt, a
disability claims adjudicator,
was recognized for her role in piloting a nationwide disability case
processing system for which her work received national attention.
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Division of Disability Determination – Wendy Rutter, a
disability claims specialist,
was recognized for filling multiple roles within the DDD, and for using
her knowledge and expertise to improve the training process and program
for new adjudicators.
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Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation – Todd
Banks, Loria Ritchart, Samantha Ripley, Candace Massengill-Thomas, LeAndra
Capers and Megan Dalton (career resource caseload assistants),
consistently went above and beyond their duties to provide information and
career
counseling
services to individuals employed under sub-minimum wage certificates so they can make informed choices about participation in competitive integrated employment. They
provided services to more than 10,000 individuals within the span of six
months.
Congratulations to all of the award recipients!
OOD’s
Independent Living Older Blind Program (ILOB) provides services to Ohioans age
55 and older whose blindness or visual impairment creates challenges for independent
living.
Many
older adults struggle with macular degeneration, glaucoma or diabetic
retinopathy. The resulting reduced vision can trigger loss of independence and
confidence with tasks that were formerly routine. Reading product labels or
mail may become too difficult. Lighting in the home may appear dim. Tasks like
identifying the right microwave buttons, pouring a glass of water or writing a
check suddenly feel insurmountable.
ILOB
coordinators conduct in-depth eligibility interviews at participants’ homes for
clients with low vision, but the assessment includes numerous issues. Participant
safety is the program’s top priority. They are asked about supports provided by
family or friends, transportation issues, how meals are provided, how bills are
paid, medication management, and any medical issues that require close
supervision. Often OOD helps with referrals for long term care
resources, or offer other needed supports, as appropriate. By the end of
such detailed assessments, the ILOB coordinator has built enough trust that he/she
is able to follow up with other entities such as local agencies on aging on
participants’ behalf, based on the needs outside the scope of the ILOB program.
While
clients await low-vision services such as independent travel or mobility from
certified staff of the vendors of their choice, ILOB coordinators can provide
basic technology and in-home training. For example, ILOB staff can train
participants in adaptive equipment such as talking clocks and large button
phones, handwriting tools such as large print address books, bold-line paper or
large print check registers. Not only does this allow OOD to work directly with
clients and continue building that relationship, but it also helps to renew their
confidence and independence. For more information about services, visit Independent Living
Older Blind.
Older Americans Month is an annual event that
honors older Americans and celebrates the contributions they have made, and
continue to make to the nation and their communities. For more information
about services and supports that improve and promote the quality of life and
choices for older Ohioans, visit the Ohio Department of
Aging.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou
Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disorder of upper
and lower motor neurons. Difficulty breathing and swallowing are later symptoms;
paralysis can also develop. The cause of ALS is not known and no cure exists. After the onset of this disease, death usually
occurs within two to five years.
ALS is one of the many
conditions recognized by the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Compassionate
Allowance program. OOD’s Division of Disability Determination
(DDD)
identifies claims where the applicant’s disease or condition clearly meets SSA’s
statutory standard for disability. By incorporating cutting-edge technology, DDD
can easily identify potential compassionate allowance claims and notify the claimant of the award in a matter of days. In some cases, approval occurs on the same day.
 Business Enterprise Program operators receive years of service certificates at their conference. (Back row left to right: Joe Hall, Jim Debus, Aaron Hopkins, Mark Wood, Jim Lutz and Annette Lutz. Front row left to right: Dan Hall, Shelbi Hindel, Paul Brothers and Windsor – service dog.)
OOD’s Business Enterprise Program (BEP) held their annual statewide conference on May 4th with the
Ohio Vendors Representative Committee’s (OVRC) annual meeting on May 5th. More
than 80 BEP operators, prospective operators in training, BEP staff, speakers
and special guests attended the conference.
The conference offered an opportunity for members to network,
receive updates on the Ohio Business Gateway
Project, and listen to speakers present on professional development trends, planograms
for visual merchandising products, assistive technology, and much more. In
addition, operators were recognized for their years of service.
OOD’s BEP provides people who are legally blind with employment
opportunities as managers and operators of food service facilities. For more
information, visit Business Enterprise
Program.
Connect
to OOD on Twitter, Facebook
and YouTube
to see items like this about how the International Association of Assistance
Dog Partners works to benefit all guide, hearing and service dog partners,
their friends and families, and assistance dog raisers, trainers families and providers.
#ConnectToOOD OODWorks
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