Ohio
This Executive Order establishes the RecoveryOhio Advisory Committee, which will advise the Governor's administration on matters related to mental illness and substance use prevention, treatment and recovery support services and provide recommendations on recovery support strategies (including peer support, employment and housing).
This bill requires the State Board of Education to institute and establish career-technical education and work training programs for secondary and postsecondary students with visual impairments. The programs will help students develop communication, mobility and work skills.
This bill enables the Director of Developmental Disabilities to establish an Employment First Task Force to improve coordination of the state's efforts to address the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities who seek community employment. It further appropriates funds for the Employment First Pilot Program, to develop a long-term, sustainable system that places individuals with developmental disabilities in community employment.
This bill establishes the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Council, which will examine various issues related to the state vocational rehabilitation program and advise the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Agency on those matters. Topics include order of selection; the extent, scope and effectiveness of services provided; and coordination with the state's independent living council and centers for independent living.
This program helps deaf and hard of hearing students further their education, gain employment experience, and develop and improve their independent living skills while receiving support from teachers and staff.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education, Ohio School for the Deaf
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program enables individuals with disabilities, service providers and others to learn about, access, and acquire assistive technology needed for education, employment, and community living. Services include device demonstrations, reutilization, loans, and financing.
Operating Entity: The Ohio State University, Assistive Technology of Ohio
Entity Type: College / University
This program provides consultation and information for those receiving disability benefits, who need help understanding eligibility and the impact work may have on their benefits.
Operating Entity: Disability Rights Ohio
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
The Business Enterprise Program helps people who are blind become food service or vending operators.
Operating Entity: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program ensures that individuals with disabilities who are paid subminimum wage have access to career counseling, designed to promote opportunities for competitive integrated employment. Topics covered include information on Employment First; places on the path to community employment; competitive integrative employment; supported employment services; work incentives and benefits; overview of OOD services, including application process; and explanation of individuals’ rights and informed choice.
Operating Entity: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
CAP helps individuals who experience problems when applying for or receiving vocational rehabilitation or independent living services. This includes advising and informing individuals of their rights and providing advocacy services.
Operating Entity: Disability Rights Ohio
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
CCD provides support and communication services to deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind individuals. Services include independent living skills training, peer support, advocacy, interpreting/communication services, walk-in office hours, and public videophone access.
Operating Entity: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
The CLE Team works to transform current adult day and employment supports away from facility-based services toward a community-minded emphasis and practice. This includes empowering people with disabilities and their families to make informed decisions, promoting interagency collaboration, ensuring access and availability of supports, enhancing the skills and knowledge of service providers and families, and more.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Easterseals provides multiple construction skills training opportunities in the Cincinnati area where individuals with disabilities can gain on-the-job experience, certifications, soft skills, and professional connections.
Operating Entity: Easterseals Greater Cincinnati
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program provides a range of independent living services to people with disabilities at Centers for Independent Living across the state. Services include help connecting to local services, assistance with job searches, local transit skills training, assistive technology help, peer mentoring support, assistance with school-to-career transitions, self-advocacy help, and more.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
It's My Turn GPS is a three-day self-determination curriculum for students with disabilities in middle school through high school. The workshops include four sections: vision, transition plan, building skills, and future planning. It was developed by the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (OCECD) and is currently supported by the Ohio Department of Education, Office for Exceptional Children.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program helps individuals with disabilities, including substance use disorders, find employment with the assistance of a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.
Operating Entity: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program helps farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities attain gainful employment in production agriculture or a related occupation, access appropriate assistive technology needed for work and daily living activities, and more.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Ohio College2Careers provides academic and employment support to students with disabilities at 15 public colleges and universities in the state. Counselors are located within the disability services offices at colleges and assist students with career exploration and counseling, assistive technology, resume and interview preparation, internships and permanent employment, assistance navigating OhioMeansJobs resources, and connection to an expansive employer partner network.
Operating Entity: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program enables eligible individuals with disabilities to save money in a tax-exempt account that may be used for qualified disability expenses while keeping their eligibility for federally-funded, means-tested public benefits. Eligible expenses include education, employment training and support, and assistive technology.
Operating Entity: Ohio Treasurer’s Office
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This partnership between the Ohio Department of Education and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities increases the availability of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors for students with disabilities beginning at age 14 to improve post-school outcomes. Forty-three counselors partner with local education agencies to serve students with disabilities throughout the state.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program supports Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers in 16 midwestern and western states. Services include one-to-one consultations, trainings and webinars, peer-to-peer mentoring, site visits, non-profit management tools, and more.
Operating Entity: WI FACETS
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program provides a variety of direct services for children and youth with disabilities, families, professionals, and other organizations that support them. This includes helping parents participate effectively in their children’s education and development and partnering with professionals and policymakers to improve outcomes for children with disabilities.
Operating Entity: Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
These programs offer students with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to take college classes, engage in career development and independent living activities, and participate in the social life of a college campus.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Pre-ETS assist students with disabilities in identifying career interests and developing skills to be successful in the workplace. This includes five required activities: job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, workplace readiness training, counseling on comprehensive transition or postsecondary educational programs, and instruction in self-advocacy.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program provides individual assistance, workshops, resources, and more to help youth and young adults with disabilities pursue meaningful careers, live as independently as possible, and enjoy inclusion at work and in the community. Guidance and information is also offered to families, and focuses on transition, employment, the role of vocational rehabilitation counselors, and more.
Operating Entity: PACER Center
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Project SEARCH is a one-year transition-to-work program for students with significant disabilities that includes classroom instruction, career exploration, and internship rotations. It is a collaboration between local businesses, state agencies, local school systems, and other entities, and is offered at several locations.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Project STIR is a training program for self-advocates designed to provide individuals with disabilities with the tools to advocate for themselves, mobilize others in advocacy, and gain leadership experiences.
Operating Entity: Ohio Self Determination Association (OSDA)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program protects individuals with disabilities by empowering them and advocating on their behalf. This includes providing information and referrals, providing training and technical assistance to service providers, and conducting self-advocacy training.
Operating Entity: Disability Rights Ohio
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program provides a range of services to students with disabilities ages 14 or older, including job exploration, paid work experiences with job coaches, soft skills and self-advocacy training, counseling on educational and training options, and more.
Operating Entity: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides services to help individuals who are visually impaired achieve meaningful employment, mental and physical restoration, and personal independence. Services include vocational guidance and counseling, job search preparation, and assistance with job retention.
Operating Entity: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides young adults with autism who have finished their participation in the secondary education system with additional training and support to prepare for higher education, employment, or volunteer opportunities.
Operating Entity: Easterseals of Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbiana Counties
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program provides youth with disabilities opportunities to explore careers and gain work experience. The career exploration component helps individuals explore their interests and gain work related skills such as time management and budgeting. The work experience component pairs individuals with disabilities with the community to gain valuable work experience and advance skills to prepare for competitive integrated employment.
Operating Entity: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
DODD works with county boards of developmental disabilities to ensure that technology is considered as part of all service and support plans for people with disabilities. Services include Assistive Technology and Remote Support.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
TTW programs prepare secondary educators and rehabilitation professionals to support youth with disabilities as they pursue college, careers, and community membership, and are offered at six universities in the state. The TTW endorsement can be issued to individuals who hold a valid standard Ohio intervention specialist, career-technical teaching, or professional pupil services license or certificate.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Through this program, eligible students and adults with disabilities gain work experience, exposure, and access to state government employment through paid apprenticeships with state agencies. The goal of this program is for apprentices to secure permanent employment in state government upon completion of the apprenticeship.
Operating Entity: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides vocational services to individuals with disabilities ages 18 and over, including career exploration, job search assistance, job placement, and coaching.
Operating Entity: Easterseals Northern Ohio
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
The Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation provides individuals with disabilities a variety of vocational services such as counseling, training, job placement, educational guidance, interpreters, transportation services, and occupational tools and equipment.
Operating Entity: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program help out-of-school and in-school youth with one or more barriers to employment (including having a disability) prepare for and secure employment and postsecondary education opportunities. Services include tutoring; work experiences; occupational skills training; leadership development opportunities; and postsecondary education and training preparation activities.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program helps individuals with disabilities who are receiving Social Security Disability benefits make informed choices about work and make a successful transition to self-sufficiency.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
YLF is a five-day career leadership training program for 11th and 12th grade high school students with disabilities. It is a collaboration between the Ohio Statewide Independent Living Council and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD).
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program assists youth with disabilities and their parents in establishing employment and post-secondary education goals and connecting with employment services and resources.
Operating Entity: Southeastern Ohio Center for Independent Living (SOCIL)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This skill-building program helps prepare students with disabilities, ages 14 to 21, for their transitions to adulthood. Instruction focuses on building self-confidence, practicing effective communication skills, identifying appropriate career interests, encouraging successful decision-making, setting goals, learning how to take responsibility, and more.
Operating Entity: The Center for Independent Living Options (CILO)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
LEAP works with high school students with disabilities year round and prepares them for the transition to the adult world of work or postsecondary education/training. LEAP's School-to-Work Transition program combines work-related instructional activities with on-the-job training.
Operating Entity: Linking Employment, Abilities, and Potential (LEAP)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
YouthMOVE Ohio is a youth- and young adult-led organization devoted toward improving services and systems to promote youth inclusion, mental wellness, positive supports, and healthy transitions. YouthMOVE empowers youth (including those with mental health conditions) to advocate for themselves and live healthy, meaningful lives.
Operating Entity: NAMI Ohio
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This webpage provides an A-B-C structure for thinking about your mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides advice, information on topics such as mental health symptoms and other resources.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
Topic(s): Mental Health
This web page gives specific guidelines for schools conducting virtual IEP meetings, including requirements of familial engagement and technological assistance. It further provides guidelines for individually addressing IEP needs resulting from COVID-19, including potential IEP curriculum changes, adjustments to IEP education either in-person or remotely, and altering expectations for students on an IEP based on reduced learning opportunities in the previous school year. Finally, it provides guidelines for schools either assisting special education students with transitioning to the workforce or participating in continued education programs.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education
This memo alerts workers that if they have an allowed COVID-19 injury claim, they can request authorization for post-acute-COVID services if certain conditions are met.
Operating Entity: Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation
Topic(s): Long-COVID
This Frequently Asked Questions document advises readers on how to manage behavioral health and access services during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides access to different resources, hotlines and support groups related to this topic.
Operating Entity: Disability Rights Ohio
Topic(s): Mental Health
This document emphasizes the need for schools to utilize clear face shields when communicating with disabled students. Specifically, it notes that face shields are more effective than masks when speaking to students with communicative disabilities or hearing impairments.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Department of Education
This webpage links to multiple resources regarding coping with the mental health impact of COVID-19, including hotlines, apps and videos.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
Topic(s): Mental Health
This resource includes guidance on providing education to students with disabilities during the COVID19 pandemic. This document includes a discussion of IEP adjustments in response to COVID-19, necessary adjustments to instruction when moving special education online, and requirements for schools when providing assistance to students with disabilities.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education
This web page lists resources for children, parents, and families dealing with COVID-19-related trauma. These resources include mental health information related to the pandemic, tips for managing day-to-day COVID-19-related mental health concerns, and hotlines for mental health crises
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
Topic(s): Mental Health
This web page provides guidelines for school districts seeking to engage families in Ohio's process of returning to in-person learning. It emphasizes consistent communication over multiple mediums, and it lists resources for parents adjusting to distance learning, It also provides sample family engagement plans for multiple Ohio school districts.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education
This webpage advises parents on how to assist their child's potential anxieties and other mental health concerns regarding the closure of school systems. Since the closure was in place due to widespread COVID rates, it has some advice that relates to events of that kind, including limiting potentially upsetting media coverage.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education
Topic(s): Mental Health
This article provides a strong introduction to Long-COVID, including its symptoms, potential risks, treatment and likelihood of contraction.
Operating Entity: Ohio State University
Topic(s): Long-COVID
This article advises people with disabilities, family members and service providers on how to maintain mental health during COVID.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
Topic(s): Mental Health
This video gives tips on how to maintain mental health during the COVID pandemic.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
Topic(s): Mental Health
This webinar from 2022 is a forum where colleges and universities across the state discuss how they are addressing mental health issues on their campuses. Forum members repeatedly highlight the impact of COVID on mental health and discuss how to address this intersection.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Higher Education
Topic(s): Mental Health
This info doc gives best practices for utilizing technology and internet tools for distance learning regarding students with disabilities. It emphasizes the necessity of providing training and technology for teachers educating students with disabilities online, and it notes that teachers should not use purely visual teaching methods when instructing students with visual impairments. It also emphasizes expanding mental health services, setting up Ohio's "Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support" system for tele counseling services and allocating additional funds for school mental health counselors
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education
This web page provides information and resources regarding the operation of Ohio's primary transition education service, Career-Technical Education, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides information sheets for each of the 16 programs offered in this area regarding COVID-19 operations, safety requirements for work-based learning programs, and requirements for professional development adjustments.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education
Topic(s): Transition
This web page requires gives specific disability education guidelines for schools returning to in-person instruction. It provides specific guidelines for school districts conducting remote IEP meetings and lists guidelines for school districts considering whether to give IEP students compensatory or extended school year educational services. It also lists questions for school districts to answer when considering distance learning methodology for students with disabilities.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education
This web page demonstrates the various negative impacts of COVID-19 with regard to students' mental health. It provides mental health resources and coping strategies for teachers, parents, and students, emphasizing the need to respond to COVID-19-related trauma among students as they return to in-person instruction.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education
Topic(s): Mental Health
This webpage gives advice on how schools can maintain community relationships, ensure adults self-care, use social-emotional learning, support positive behavior, use trauma-sensitive practices and teach suicide awareness and prevention. The structure of the advice suggests the source is written for educators, but provides counsel that could apply to any reader.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education
Topic(s): Mental Health
This webpage focuses on how to improve mental health among those within school systems and provides general advice as well as a variety of resources. It addresses multiple audiences, including teachers, school administrators, district administrators, students, families and community organizations.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education
Topic(s): Mental Health
This web page emphasizes Ohio Schools' requirement of implementing telehealth services. This page informs both educators and parents of related Ohio and Federal telehealth privacy law, and it gives broad guidelines under which students with disabilities should participate in telehealth services.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Education
Topic(s): Telehealth
This document answers questions regarding WIOA supports during the COVID19 pandemic, including paid internships and trainings. The document emphasizes the movement of WIOA to virtual or telephonic mediums. Nevertheless, the document notes that all WIOA services remain open to students with disabilities.
Operating Entity: Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
Topic(s): Transition