Resources for Navigating Agency Support

Collaboration and early planning are two key factors when supporting individuals with disabilities to find employment in the local community. Explore organizations and tools that can help transition and planning teams identify individuals "right match' to employment based on their strengths, interest, and needs. Use resources as well, when advancing to a new work position or shifting to a new employment field.

Navigating Agency Support

Disability Benefits 101
The site provides information about employment and benefits and includes tools for individuals with disabilities to help plan for employment.

Employment First Rule
The Employment First rule applies to county boards of developmental disabilities and providers of employment services to individuals with developmental disabilities. This rule implements the employment first policy in accordance with section 5123.022 of the Revised Code.

Ohio Employment First Agency Navigation Tool
Youth, families, and transition teams will explore a variety of partner agencies to determine which agencies can offer support, services, and resources to assist the youth along the path to employment. This exploration can be overwhelming. To assist in the navigation of these agencies, this multi-agency overview can assist team members with a place to start and a way to organize the information.

Secondary Transition for Students with Disabilities Modules
Ohio Department of Education-Office for Exceptional Children offers free online modules for IEP team members to learn to plan, implement and support high-quality secondary transition. Four modules focus on: Student-Focused Planning, Student Development, Interagency Collaboration, Program Structure, Family Engagement with tips, resources, and activities to engage all members of the transition team.

STABLE Account
STABLE Accounts give people with special needs more independence and financial security for their future. Offers individuals an opportunity for a tax-free savings plan for disability-related expenses as well as saves and invests money for individuals without losing needs-based benefits.

YouTube:Person Centered Planning
Short video no audio description. Produced by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities highlights the five key parts of person centered planning.

Agency Collaboration

Career Connection
Allows family members, students, and practitioners in the field of education to see the correlation between lesson in the classroom and how they apply to real-world activities in their lives. The tool also shows students what classes they will have to take to reach a preferred job field. Also, check out the Career Connection Brochure to see what careers are in demand and typical yearly income.

Career Connections Framework
Career Connections aligns the many efforts around college and career readiness to support students in becoming productive and engaged citizens.

Career Planning Services through Home and Community Based Medicaid Waiver
The outcome of Career Planning Services is the attainment of competitive, integrated employment or career advancement in a competitive, integrated job. Some youth may be eligible for these services while in school and some will plan to use the service following high school.

Career Technical Education (CTE)
Emphasis is on workforce development to meet the needs of Ohio's top industries. All Ohio students have access to career technical education. Explore Career Technical School Districts and Fact Sheet for students considering career technical education during high school.

Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program (CCMEP)
The Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program (CCMEP) helps low-income young adults ages 14-24 get the training and supports necessary for youth to build career paths and find employment.

DODD Eligibility Tools
Review assessments and additional resources for the Children's Ohio Eligibility Determination Instrument and the Ohio Eligibility Determination Instrument, collectively known as C/OEDI, are tools that record information about a person's abilities and help determine if a person is eligible for a county board of developmental disabilities programs.

Employment First Vocabulary Crosswalk
The Employment First Vocabulary Crosswalk helps IEP teams understand different vocabulary terms for post secondary transition, whether that be in integrated community work or educational training. It also explains what terms might be called in different agencies.

Interactive Map of Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services
Most ODJFS programs are administered by local agencies, so you can get the assistance you need right in your own county. Find out how to access:

County Department of Job and Family Services (CDJFS) - for help with cash assistance, food assistance or child care,
Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) - for help establishing a support order, making payments or getting the support you're owed
Public Children Services Agency (PCSA) - for child protective services, foster care or adoption services
OhioMeansJobs (OMJ) Center - for help finding a job or accessing job training

Local Interagency Agreements
Multiple agencies, schools, and providers in many countries have come together to work as a local interagency group to support youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to access community member and employment. Many county teams developed and signed local interagency agreements that outline common goals and priorities to guide practice and collaborative work.

Medicaid Waivers
DODD administers several waivers for the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS) and helps determine eligibility.

Ohio Association of County Board
Provides Information to Family, Provider Resources, and County Board resources to serve individuals with developmental disabilities.

Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities ( DODD)
A short informational video gives a basic understanding of the department and provides links to other video resources that will help you with navigating resources provided by DODD

OhioMeansJobs Center
Ohio has local OhioMeansJobs centers that assist job seekers, employers and youth with job search assistance, employee recruitment, job training, and more.

Ohio Means Job
OhioMeansJobs.com offers free online career development and employment tools covering many topics including: Career interest and job skills assessments, budget calculator, Information about in-demand jobs, A career planner to help set and reach career goals.

OhioMeansJobs Readiness Seal
The OhioMeansJobs-Readiness Seal is a formal designation for students and can be earned on their high school diplomas and transcripts, indicating they have the personal strengths, strong work ethic and professional experience that businesses need. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions as well for further understanding of the Readiness seal.

Ohio Regional Offices
When attempting to contact OOD, there are many options depending upon your question. The following are a few contact areas based upon your need.

Ohio Transition Support Partnership
The Ohio Transition Support Partnership (OTSP) connects students to Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) in order to improve post-school outcomes. The OTSP increases the availability of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services for eligible students with disabilities beginning as early as age 14.

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
Referrals Learn how to make your own referral to Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) through this website. Exploring work in the local area is an important step in transition planning for successful employment.

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities OOD
A state agency that provides vocational rehabilitation (VR) services to help people with disabilities become employed and independent.

Person-Centeredness Template
When planning for future goals use this template to identify preferences, interest, needs and skills/strengths as a guide to person centered thinking.

Pre-Employment Transition Services Fact Sheet- Opportunities for Ohioans with Disability
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) is making available Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to students with disabilities beginning at age 14. These services, which are described below, are introductory services and are intended to help students with disabilities get an early start in identifying career interests. Pre-Employment Transition Services are for students with disabilities who need these services and have been determined eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services or are potentially eligible but have not applied for VR services.

School Based Partnerships to Support Transition Services
Learn how Summit county Board of Developmental Disabilities in school partners have created valuable transition services in the county.

Secondary Transition and Workforce Development for Students with Disability
In Ohio, students with disabilities ages 14 or younger, if appropriate, formally enter into the secondary transition planning process. A truly successful transition process is the result of comprehensive planning that is driven by the student's preferences, interests, needs, and strengths. This comprehensive planning moves students toward successful future outcomes in competitive, integrated employment, education, and independent living.

Student with Disability in Career Technology
Providing access to students using real-world tools and experience is back by evidence to increase positive post school outcomes in postsecondary goals. Collaboration between career technology education, special education, and other related services creates the perfect design to meet students unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.

Transition Planning and the IEP
In this volume, Transition Planning and the IEP, the user is assisted to understand how to approach transition planning using the elements of the IEP transition planning process. Each step of the IEP transition planning process is explored and considerations for those with ASD are highlighted throughout each section. Resources and examples are provided to create insight and spark creativity during the planning. The goal of this volume is to create a way of thinking that aligns with the IEP process and also remains true to person-centered planning.

Waivers Provided by DODD
Three types of waivers are described and eligibility, services provided by waivers, and resources are listed.

What is TANF?
TANF stands for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. The TANF program, which is time-limited, assists families with children when the parents or other responsible relatives cannot provide for the family's basic needs.

WINTAC: Pre-Employment Transition
Review webinar as well as look at resources and modules to gain further understanding of all resources to help youth succeed in postsecondary outcomes.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
Job training, exploration, and retention comes out of Ohio Job & Family Services and help youth access community employment

Ongoing Employment Support Needs

Autism Speaks- Financial Assistance
People with autism and their families often have a variety of additional expenses to meet their unique needs. Many are looking for financial assistance. Autism Speaks has resources and information that can help you with your financial concerns in all stages of life.

Autism Support Network
Autism specific grants for families and individuals Autism is an expensive condition all around. The following are various grants available for families and individuals residing in the United States. Clicking on the name of the grant-giving organization will take you to the designated website.

Charting the LifeCourse Framework
Charting the LifeCourse was created by families to help individuals and families of all abilities and all ages to develop a vision for a good life, think about what they need to know and do, identify how to find or develop supports, and discover what it takes to live the lives they want to live.

Consider Technology
Promising Apps To assist individuals with ASD to continually improve success and independence in the areas of Competitive Integrated Employment, Postsecondary Training and Education, and Independent Living.

Customized Employment (CE)
Youth-focused employment initiative through DODD and OCALI, read and view videos covering content over CE.

Next for Autism-Always Innovating- Night of Too Many Stars Grants Program
List of grant winners in the past as well as criteria for grants including educational, social, vocational, Community based, or safety specifically to the autism population.

Ohio Employment First Task Force
The task force is charged with expanding community employment opportunities by reducing barriers and aligning state policy.

Ohio Employment First Transition Framework Backwards Planning
Backwards Planning is a way of thinking that helps students to recognize and plan over multiple years for adult life. Supports logical planning from the student's present level of skills to the needed future adult life skills.

Ongoing Transition Assessment: A Team Planning Guide
Transition Assessment is a perfect opportunity for schools, community organizations, and adult agencies to work together with the youth and family to design and implement a plan of individualized transition assessment. This guide will assist multi-agency teams to plan together the assessment activities that result in important, meaningful and individualized data.

Social Security Administration
Social Security pays disability benefits to people who can't work because they have a medical condition that's expected to last one year. Find out if you can qualify and how Social Security can help you.

The Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation (BVR)
Supports people who have physical, mental and emotional disabilities by providing vocational rehabilitation and other services.

Work Incentive Planning and Assistance
Contact information on Disability Rights Ohio, Center of Vocational Alternatives, Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati with counties serviced.