Aiden McGuire Open Doors to Career Readiness

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities sent this bulletin at 03/08/2024 10:00 AM EST

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Aiden McGuire Open Doors to Career Readiness

Two males wearing business attire stand smiling in front of the House Members Only sign.

Left to right: Aiden McGuire, OOD participant, and Michael Graham, OOD Legislative Liaison, in the House Chambers at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio.

Career interests inspired Aiden to visit the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. His passionate optimism and relationship with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) got him in the door.

Aiden McGuire is from Pataskala, Ohio. His mom, Sarah, says, “Aiden is unique and has never quite fit in a box.” Part of that uniqueness is related to the challenges caused by autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. When Aiden was first diagnosed, Sarah read so much about limitations that it was easy to get lost in the deficits. “He needs people working with him to see what he CAN do,” she said. “With OOD, he’s got that.”

Sarah heard about OOD on the Columbus Autism Parents Facebook page. The family worked through Aiden’s middle school to connect with Tyde Flowers, OOD Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC). Tyde introduced them to services that could support Aiden when he turned 14, transitioning from high school to college, career, and adulthood.

Since 2021, Aiden has received Pre-Employment Transition Services and has participated in the Summer Youth Work Experience. As part of OOD’s job development services, he worked with Michelle Hindel, OOD VRC, to prepare for employment, and he landed a job with Goodwill Johnstown right out of his interview.

Together, they’ve also explored Aiden’s career interests and education goals. Aiden is interested in politics and public policy, particularly in international affairs. He wants to bring a “younger presence to the conservative political landscape” and a willingness to research and understand the history and background of topics important to our country. Michelle coordinated a visit to the Ohio Statehouse for Aiden with Michael Graham, OOD Legislative Liaison, and Jon Hackathorn, Ohio Vocational Apprentice Program Administrator. Michael and Jon gave Aiden and his dad a building tour, including the Rotunda, map room, and chambers. Afterward, the four discussed various education, apprenticeship, and career paths Aiden could take to achieve his goals.

Although he quickly points out that his mom has helped him the most, Aiden shared that OOD has been a major help. “Saying you want to do something is one thing, but having a process that lets you actually go do it is a much better experience,” Aiden said.

Sarah appreciates that services are personalized and connected to work, post-secondary planning, and career exploration. “OOD has been a big help to our family. It has really opened doors for him,” she explained.

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

OOD Assists Job Seekers

Two women wearing aprons and working with dough on a kitchen counter.

If you or somebody you know has a disability and would like to work, reach out to OOD today. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors can help you explore your options. Visit OODWorks.com or call 800-282-4536 to get started.

Free Webinar Series for Businesses, Communities, Venues & Attractions

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

OOD is pleased to host Session Three in our Accessible Ohio Playbook series titled, “Navigation.” This webinar will cover information on common assistive technology tools used for navigating public environments and ways to make parking, entering, and traveling about the environment accessible. The presenters are Accessible Ohio Specialists Julia Wagner, OTD, OTR/L and Tanya Vela, OTR/L.

This event is hosted through Microsoft Teams Webinar. Pre-registration is required to attend. Please visit the registration site and complete a brief form. Once you complete the registration form, you will receive an email with the link to join the event and add it to your calendar.

OOD is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities, and programs in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other applicable laws. To request an accommodation based on a disability, please contact us by March 13, 2024.

If you would like to register for any or all of the Accessible Ohio Playbook Sessions, please visit the following registration pages:

Session 4: Experience - April 18, 2024

Session 5: Personal Care - May 22, 2024

Session 6: The Game Plan - June 20, 2024

Each webinar in this series has been approved for 1.00 HR (General) re-certification credit hour toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™, and SPHRi™ re-certification through HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®) and 1.00 SHRM Professional Development Credit (PDC) hour toward SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®. While this training is not pre-approved for CESP Continuing Education (CE) credit, it aligns with CESP content, and attendance verification will be provided upon request. These credits are available for attendees of the live broadcast.

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month! Did you know that cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most common physical disabilities in children?

The word “cerebral” refers to the brain’s cerebrum, which is the part of the brain that regulates motor function. “Palsy” describes the paralysis of voluntary movement in certain parts of the body. CP affects movement and posture, sometimes causing challenges with posture, walking, muscle tone, and movement coordination.

Depending on how CP is managed, motor skills can improve or worsen over time. While symptoms and severity vary from individual to individual, there are many medical and support options to help individuals with CP lead fulfilling lives.

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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) 2023, OOD received $105,851,906 in federal funds. Funds appropriated by the State covered 21.3 % of the total costs, or $28,648,610. Of these federal funds, $15,877,786 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 2023, OOD received $301,051 for SE Youth with a Disability, and State appropriated funds paid the remaining 10%, or $33,450 of the total costs. In FFY 2023, OOD received $301,051 in regular SE grant funds.

For the purposes of the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who are Blind (OIB) Program, the federal grant received from DOE in FFY 2023 paid 90% of the total costs incurred under the program. In FFY 2023, OOD received $1,159,083 in federal grant funds. Funds appropriated by the State paid the 10% required match, or $128,787 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 2023. In FFY 2023, OOD received $645,712 in federal grant funds. Funds appropriated by the State paid the 10% required match, or $71,746 of the total costs incurred under the IL Program.