Ashanti’s Successful Transition from School to Work

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Ashanti’s Successful Transition from School to Work

Photo of young woman and quote: The job experience has helped me a lot and I am grateful to have gotten to do it.

While a high school student, Ashanti Williams and her mom began considering Ashanti’s future in the world of work. The school connected them with Andrea Bartels, a transition navigator with the Hamilton County Board of Developmental Disabilities. After their initial meeting, Andrea referred Ashanti to Erin Immell, Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD).

Erin assisted Ashanti in receiving Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) through OOD’s collaboration with Fairfield City High School. These services help students with disabilities, as young as age 14, who could benefit from an early start in exploring career interests. The five services include Job Exploration Counseling, Work-Based Learning, Counseling on Post-Secondary Opportunities, Workplace Readiness Training, and Instruction in Self-Advocacy.

Ashanti next completed a self-advocacy course and began receiving services from a provider. Chris Steed, Director of Vocational Services with Butler Behavioral Health/Workplace Associates, worked with Ashanti and helped her participate in OOD’s Summer Youth Work Experiences. Despite having a social anxiety disorder, Ashanti thrived. “We saw a young worker, in the middle of a pandemic develop skills, gain confidence, and blossom during a really difficult time,” said Chris.

With Chris’ help, Ashanti landed a job as a cashier at Dollar Tree and benefitted from on-site job coaching. Ashanti said, “The job coach helped me a lot by giving me time to do things. She also helped me with the reality of what the world is like and took the time to talk to me about things.”

Erin explained, “Ashanti has overcome a lot of obstacles. She graduated from high school this year, and now she is working at Speedway.”

If you or somebody you know has a disability and would like to work, visit OODWorks.com or call 800-282-4536.

Ohio Deaf Literacy Partnership Receives National Recognition

photo of older woman in front of a laptop with Literacy partnership logos below photo

Instructor Laura Smith teaches a virtual class.

The Manhattan Strategy Group announced this week the third round of innovative practices in adult education, as selected by the Advancing Innovation in Adult Education project, recognizing the Ohio Deaf Literacy Partnership for its innovation and effectiveness.

Launched in the fall of 2018, the Ohio Deaf Literacy Partnership provides adult basic literacy to individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing through a partnership between OOD, the Ohio Department of Higher Education, the Ohio School for the Deaf, and the Delaware Area Career Center Aspire. The program offers adult learners who are Deaf and hard of hearing, literacy in both American Sign Language (ASL) and English. The program seeks to provide individuals who are Deaf and hard of hearing with the literacy and communication skills needed to further their career potential.

We’re helping Ohioans who are Deaf and hard of hearing further their communication skills so that they can succeed in not only getting and keeping jobs but also advancing their careers,” said OOD Director Kevin Miller. “Good communication skills help employees understand others, be understood by others, and advance more quickly in their careers.”

The recognition names the Ohio Deaf Literacy Partnership as innovative for their approaches modeling effective integrated education and training (IET) programs, transitioning adult learners from adult basic education to postsecondary education or training, and increasing access to adult education services. The Advancing Innovation in Adult Education project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE). The Ohio Deaf Literacy Partnership is featured in a report, gallery of innovative practices, and a recorded webinar released in observance of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week.

Participants of the Ohio Deaf Literacy Partnership become more fluent in both ASL and English through 8-12 hours per week of learning opportunities through group classes, online modules, and one-on-one sessions with an instructor. All learning features direct communication without the intervention of a sign language interpreter. The program focuses on improving overall communication abilities, workplace communication skills, reading levels, and independent living skills.

September is Deaf Awareness Month, celebrated annually to help raise awareness about the language, culture, and diversity of the Deaf community in the United States.

Family Engagement is Critical to Supporting People With Disabilities

Photo of man in wheelchair making a silly face with woman behind him smiling

Families are an important asset in the equation of ensuring people with disabilities have the opportunity to live their best lives for their whole lives.

Did you know?

Approximately 119,000 or 65% of Ohioans with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) live with their families? And in most cases, the support provided does not end when the family member turns 18.
Over 58% of parents/caregivers spend more than 40 hours per week providing support to their loved one with I/DD beyond typical care.
52% of families caring for children with disabilities experience difficulty paying medical bills.

Extensive research on individuals with disabilities and their families recognizes that supports are most effective when provided to the family so they have the capacity and knowledge to provide assistance. Strategies to support the family unit must be a fundamental consideration across all agencies, at all levels of each agency, and in all aspects of planning.

As partner agencies and organizations that support people with disabilities, you play an important role in helping to build families’ confidence and encourage a vision for the possibilities and opportunities for the whole family. To do this, we must connect families to important information, research, and resources and support effective family engagement strategies.

The Ohio Employment First Taskforce and its member agencies are developing a cross-agency professional learning experience designed for local professionals working to prepare, involve, and empower families of students with disabilities as they transition from secondary education to adulthood.

To help you get started before the training in spring 2022, we want to share It Starts With Families, a guide designed to support local professionals serving individuals and their families to become familiar with the research around family engagement and understanding their unique needs. We encourage you to review and share the information in the guide with your colleagues as you plan for family engagement activities and resources at the local level.

National Hispanic American Heritage Month

Happy National Hispanic American Heritage Month! From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Learn more at HispanicHeritageMonth.gov.

COVID Information for Ohioans Who are Blind

Braille graphic of the word audio.

Through sponsorships with OOD and other agencies, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) offers NFB-NEWSLINE, a free audio news service for anyone who is blind, low-vision, deafblind, or has a reading disability. The service provides access to more than 500 publications, where users can find the latest COVID-19 information, job listings, newspapers, magazines, and more. Users can also access Ohio-specific information, such as text-only transcripts of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s COVID-19 press conferences. Learn more from the NFB-NEWSLINE website, or call 1-866-504-7300.

For trusted information on coronavirus (COVID-19) in Ohio, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).

All About Accessibility: Smartphone Accessibility Features

Android and iPhone smartphones include accessibility features for individuals who have a variety of disabilities. Sometimes it’s challenging to know about available accessibility features that could help as well as keep up with evolving technology. Lifehacker.com has compiled a comprehensive list of the best accessibility features.

In the News

Five Artists Create Mural at Board of Developmental Disabilities Northview Center

Dayton 24/7 Now, 9-22-21

New Executive Director Named at Ability Center

The Toledo Blade, 9-21-21

Central Ohio Non-Profit Offering Medical Help to Those with Developmental Issues

WCMH, 9-21-21

Special Needs Registry Provides Life-Saving Information

WKBN, 9-21-21

Specialty Pharmacies Cater to the Blind and Those with Impaired Vision

The New York Times, 9-21-21

In “We're Not Broken,” Author Eric Garcia Takes on Myths About Autism

National Public Radio, 9-21-21

Disability Advocate James LeBrecht Blasts CBS for Not Making Accessible Ramp on Emmys Stage Easily Visible on TV

Yahoo Entertainment, 9-20-21

Haute Ohio Magazine Fashion Week Presents All-Inclusive Models

Spectrum News, 9-20-21

How Companies Can Make Their Remote Working Inclusive for the Deaf and Blind

CNBC, 9-20-21

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Programs provided by Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) are funded, in whole or in part, with federal grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). For purposes of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program, including Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), OOD received 78.7% of its funding through the DOE VR grant. In Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2021, OOD received $105,851,903 in federal funds. Funds appropriated by the State covered 21.3 % of the total costs, or $28,648,609. Of these federal funds, $15,877,785 is set aside for Pre-ETS.

For purposes of the Supported Employment (SE) Program, the DOE SE grant funded 90% of the costs for the Supported Employment for Youth with a Disability Program up to the grant amount and 100% of the costs of regular Supported Employment program costs up to the grant amount. In FFY 2021, OOD received $299,041 for SE Youth with a Disability, and State appropriated funds paid the remaining 10%, or $32,933 of the total costs. In FFY 2021, OOD received $335,518 in regular SE grant funds.

For purposes of the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who are Blind (OIB) Program, the federal grant received from DOE in FFY 2021 paid 90% of the total costs incurred under the program. In FFY 2021, OOD received $1,139,118 in federal grant funds. Funds appropriated by the State paid over the 10% required match, or $126,568 of the total costs incurred under the OIB program. For purposes of the Independent Living (IL) Program, the federal grant received from HHS paid 90% of the total costs incurred in FFY 2021. In FFY 2021, OOD received $638,013 in federal grant funds. Funds appropriated by the State paid over the 10% of the match required or $70,268 of the total costs incurred under the IL Program.