 A breakout session at the Disability:IN Conference in Chicago.
Jon Hackathorn, OOD Business Relations Manager, and Julie Wood, Worksite Accessibility Specialist, attended the 2019 Disability:IN National Conference & Expo in Chicago in mid-July. Disability:IN, formerly known as the United States Business Leadership Network (USBLN), is the only national business-to-business membership organization, with local affiliates, that focuses on sharing and developing proven strategies for including people with disabilities in the workplace, supply chain, and marketplace. The event included disability inclusion experts and innovative, educational sessions. This annual conference was the largest to date, hosting 2,000 attendees from Fortune 1000 companies located throughout the country.
“We were excited to attend this conference to support Ohio’s affiliate chapter, Disability:IN Ohio, who was there to learn and share best practices with affiliates from across the country,” said Hackathorn. “There was a strong emphasis encouraging partnerships between employers and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies to support workplace inclusion at this conference,” he added.
The conference featured more than 80 educational sessions, including a breakout session on accessible technology in the workplace. “Information presented on the latest technology helps us to make the very best recommendations to our employer partners,” said Wood. During this session, Ohio’s leadership in disability inclusion efforts was lauded when Megan Lawrence, Senior Accessibility Evangelist for Microsoft, demonstrated the company’s screen reader technology by voicing Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s Executive Order 2019-03D, which established Ohio as a disability inclusion state and a model employer of individuals with disabilities. “Lawrence challenged other states present in the audience to follow Ohio’s lead,” Wood explained.
College students with disabilities, known as NextGen Leaders, attended the conference to gain career skills and participate in job interviews. Merck, Walmart, Boston Scientific, PNC, Raytheon, and Northup Gruman made job offers. A “Wellness and Innovation Lab Project Proposal” competition tasked NextGen Leaders with developing an app to assist those with disabilities. Ohio’s own Zachary Zies, a student at The Ohio State University, took part this year and was thrilled when his team came in second place for developing an app that fosters localized connections to community resources, information, and services for people with disabilities.
 Zachary Zies, Ohio State University student, is a NextGen Leader. He is pictured with his mentor.
According to Hackathorn, “Employers are more open than ever to partnering with VR agencies like OOD to build an inclusive workforce, and we are ready for new and expanded partnerships.”
 Inclusion Awards Dinner at the Disability:IN National Conference.
An Inclusion Awards Dinner was held in conjunction with the Disability:IN National Conference. Companies were recognized as 2019 Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN. To earn this distinction, businesses must score 80 points or higher on a scale from 0 to 100 on the Disability Equality Index (DEI), a national benchmarking tool that allows America’s leading corporations to self-report their disability policies and practices. The Index measures key performance indicators across organizational culture, leadership, accessibility, employment, community engagement, support services, and supplier diversity.
OOD congratulates several Ohio employers who were recognized and named as Best Places to Work. The following employers scored 100% on the DEI: Aramark, Booz Allen Hamilton, CVS Health, Huntington Bank, Manpower, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks Corporation, Synchrony Financial, Verizon and Walgreens. Employers who scored a 90% included Amazon, American Electric Power, Jones Lang LaSalle, Meijer, Sodexo, and United Parcel Service. Three employers were recognized for scoring an 80%: Land O’Lakes, Lowe’s, and Norfolk Southern.
Collectively, OOD has assisted nearly 300 individuals with disabilities to obtain employment with these businesses since July 2018.
OOD partners with these 2019 Best Places to Work employers, plus hundreds of additional companies throughout Ohio to promote employment for individuals with disabilities. OOD also provides services to employers at no cost, including recruitment of job-ready candidates with disabilities, disability etiquette and awareness training for employees, worksite accessibility consultations, information about employer tax credits, plus hiring events and job fairs.
More information about how OOD’s Business Relations team supports disability inclusion practices in the workplace is available at https://ood.ohio.gov/Employers.
 Disability:IN Ohio is a state affiliate of Disability:IN. Through support from OOD, the network of 200+ Ohio employers seeks to advance disability inclusion initiatives through networking opportunities, education, and information on disability-related topics and resources to effectively increase understanding and awareness in the workplace. Disability:IN Ohio also provides lessons learned in recruiting, hiring, accommodating, and improving customer service for people with disabilities. Additionally, Disability:IN Ohio assists businesses in navigating and directly linking OOD and community resources to get their employment needs met.
Disability:IN Ohio executive board members recently announced a new website, which is available at http://DI-OH.org.
 Dominique Hylton at her job.
Dominique Hylton first connected with OOD in 2016 as a student at Bedford High School (home school) and the Cuyahoga East Vocational Education Consortium (CEVEC). Hylton gained work experience in retail and at a daycare. In 2017, she participated in the Summer Youth Work Experience with Linking Employment, Abilities and Potential at Old Navy.
Hylton received job development services through Vocational Services Unlimited and interviewed with Dollar General. She landed a unique and flexible job – organizing clothing and facing products for Dollar General’s four local stores, including Bedford and Maple Heights locations.
At the job for four months now, Hylton said, “I like organizing the best, and I like helping people who need help. I really like working in the section of the store that sells baby items and talking with my coworkers.”
Her manager said, “She’s a good worker. She’s quiet, but always gets the job done.”
Cecily Bryant is Hylton’s Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. Bryant has provided counseling and guidance to Hylton since she was in high school. “She has a come a long way,” Bryant said. “She had been quiet and reserved, but the more she worked, the more her confidence grew.”
On most days, Hylton users Uber for transportation. In late July, Bryant stopped by Dollar General to check on Hylton. “She was not just working the job, she owned the experience,” Bryant said.
Hytlon said, “I really like my job and plan to stay here for a while because I am really happy.”
 Congratulations to the following staff with the Division of Disability Determination on receiving divisional quarterly awards for being customer-focused, innovative, and team-oriented: Elizabeth Baker, Stephanie Biller, Brian Brink, Kristen Caldwell, Jamie Dyer, Cyndal Glass, Jill McQuaide, Michelle Rinehart, Brian Strickland, Ian Thompson, and Alan Witherspoon.
 Microsoft Office offers an option to have Word documents display reading level information. This is an important consideration in providing information that reaches the broadest possible audience. To read Windows or macOS directions for readability, check out an article by Microsoft Office Support.
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