Register Now! Disability-Inclusive Workplaces: Retaining Diverse Talent

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities sent this bulletin at 10/28/2025 03:19 PM EDT

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You're Invited!

November 20, 2025

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Key Topics

Join us as we host a webinar titled, “Disability-Inclusive Workplaces: Retaining Diverse Talent.” In this webinar, we provide actionable steps businesses can take to retain and support employees with disabilities.

This webinar will address:

Effective strategies for retaining employees with disabilities, including reasonable accommodations and mentorship, and career advancement opportunities;
Creating and sustaining an inclusive and accessible workplace culture; and
The role of disability-focused Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) in supporting retention.

Presenters

Samantha Nousak, Ph.D., Accessible Ohio Specialist, East Central Ohio

Alanna Smith, Business Relations Specialist, Northwest Ohio

Panelists

Valerie Fatica, Disability Manager, City of Toledo

Sabrina Moore, EEO/AA Compliance Manager, Crown Equipment Corporation

Registration

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

Register Now

Accommodation Requests

The State of Ohio is a disability inclusion state; therefore, we promote access to our events (e.g., meetings, trainings, job fairs). To request a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, please call Chris Glover, Employer Services Liaison, at 614-842-3659, or send an email to OOD.HiringAbility@ood.ohio.gov by November 13, 2025.

Credit Hours

This webinar 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 verification of attendance will be provided upon request. These credits are available for attendees of the live broadcast.

HR Certification Institute’s^® official seal confirms that OOD meets the criteria for pre-approved recertification credit(s) for any of HRCI’s eight credentials, including SPHR^® and PHR^®. (www.HRCI.org)

OOD is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP^® or SHRM-SCP^®.

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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) 2025, OOD received $177,897,297 in federal funds. Funds appropriated by the state covered 21.3% of the total costs, or $48,147,553. Of these federal funds, $26,684,595 is set aside for Pre-ETS.

For purposes of the Works4Me Program, OOD received 100% of its funding through the DOE Disability Innovation Fund grant. In FFY 2025, OOD received $1,793,225 for this Program.

For purposes of the Supported Employment (SE) Program, the DOE SE grant funded 90% of the costs for this Program up to the grant amount and 100% of the costs of the regular Supported Employment Program up to the grant amount. In FFY 2025, OOD received $446,137 for SE Youth with a Disability, and state-appropriated funds paid the remaining 10%, or $49,571 of the total costs. In FFY 2025, OOD received $446,137 in regular SE grant funds.

For purposes of the Independent Living Services Older Blind (ILOB) Program, the federal grant received from DOE in FFY 2025 paid 90% of the total costs incurred under the Program. In FFY 2025, OOD received $1,129,124 in federal grant funds. Funds appropriated by the state paid the 10% required match, or $125,458 of the total costs incurred under the ILOB Program. For purposes of the Independent Living (IL) Program, the federal grant received from HHS paid 90% of the total costs incurred in FFY 2025. In FFY 2025, OOD received $640,682 in federal grant funds. Funds appropriated by the state paid the 10% required match, or $71,187 of the total costs incurred under the IL Program.