OOD Works

Eric Petersen of Mentor, Ohio, served our country as a Marine. He was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and served in Afghanistan in 2008. Eric came back home and was a reservist and trained as an EMT, paramedic, and firefighter. While working as a firefighter in Akron, Eric experienced a life-changing event during his off-hours: he had a near-fatal motorcycle accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. 

Through years of physical, occupational, and speech-language therapies, Eric learned how to walk again and so much more. “Both the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) worked with Eric for years to help him reenter the workforce. He came such a long way,” explained Sunny Gilmore, OOD Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.

Eric joins the podcast to talk about his experience with some assistance from his dad, Tom Petersen. 

Transcripts and MP3 files are available at ood.ohio.gov/podcast.

Have a disability? Want to work? Visit OODWorks.com!

Krista Allison is a federal employee and Ms. Wheelchair Ohio 2022. She has used her title and platform to highlight the importance of community accessibility, host fundraisers to support disability-related causes, and enhance the safety of individuals with disabilities. Krista has worked with two police departments to implement a form designed to assist police officers, firefighters, and paramedics when they are called to a house where a resident has a disability.

Over the years, Krista has been a participant with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD). Working with Kenny Crookston, OOD Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Krista has been able to maintain her independence through a vehicle modification and efforts to make her home more accessible.

Transcripts and MP3 files are available at ood.ohio.gov/podcast.

Have a disability? Want to work? Visit OODWorks.com!

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) provide direct, personalized services to help individuals with disabilities find and retain meaningful work. Hear firsthand from eight counselors throughout the state to learn what Vocational Rehabilitation is all about.

Have a disability? Want to work? Visit OODWorks.com!

Troy Hammond is a comedian, actor, and guest speaker from Columbus, Ohio. During his career, which has included performing in 35 states, he hasn’t been pulled down by the challenges that come with traveling and working as a person who is blind.

With assistance twice over the years from the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired at Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD), Troy has steadily grown his career, although it hasn’t been easy. 

“You can adapt. You can make the best of your situation, and you can do your best,” Troy explained.

Troy currently plays the character of “Blind Billy” in Welcome to Flatch, a docu-comedy on Fox and Hulu that kicked off in March 2022. The show features a documentary crew that sets out to explore the lives of residents in a small (fictitious) town in Ohio named Flatch.

Transcripts and MP3 files are available at ood.ohio.gov/podcast.

Have a disability? Want to work? Visit OODWorks.com!

Makayla Jones has been helping with family businesses for years. Now, in her senior year at Wilberforce University, she’s completing her degree in business management with her sights set on launching her own business.

What’s more, Makayla is earning A’s while playing forward on the Wilberforce University women’s basketball team.

Makayla, who has a learning disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, has found support from Taleisa Jones, OOD Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, dedicated to Wilberforce University through OOD’s Ohio College2Careers (Ohio C2C) program. 

Ohio C2C is available at 17 public colleges and universities in Ohio to ensure students with disabilities have the support they need to complete their degree and/or credential, earn higher wages, and meet the demands of tomorrow’s labor market.

Transcripts and MP3 files are available at ood.ohio.gov/podcast.

Have a disability? Want to work? Visit OODWorks.com!

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities’ Division of Disability Determination (DDD), in agreement with the Social Security Administration (SSA), determines medical eligibility for Ohioans who apply for Social Security disability benefits. DDD is federally regulated and receives 100% of its funding from SSA.  Under SSA, disability is based on an individual’s inability to work. 

Robert Fenn and Brandon Smith, Public Affairs Specialists with SSA,  join the podcast to discuss changes to Social Security disability benefits in 2022.

Learn more at SSA.Gov or call 800-772-1213.

Have a disability? Want to work? Visit OODWorks.com!

One of the last things Anthony Winston of Wellsville, Ohio told his mother before her passing in 2014 was that he would return to college to finish his education. 

Anthony, who has cerebral palsy, explains it this way: “It’s basically just a bruise on one of the lobes in your brain. Mine just happens to be on the one that controls your motor skills: walking, running, things of that nature.”

He connected with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) for assistance and connected with Jennifer Strank, OOD Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. “She was right there for me,” Anthony said.

Anthony graduated from the Ohio Valley College of Technology with a 4.0-grade point average in 2020. Then, in July 2021, he began working at PsyCare Behavioral Healthcare & Counseling in East Liverpool.

“The only person I am ever in competition with is the person I look at in the mirror at every day, and so my confidence is through the roof now thanks to OOD and what they’ve done for me,” Anthony said.

Have a disability? Want to work? Visit OODWorks.com!

In October 2021, OOD announced Cleveland Clinic as the 2021 Governor’s Inclusive Employer Award winner for their commitment to individuals with disabilities in the workplace and being a leader of diversity and inclusion best practices in Ohio. Listen to episode 33 of the OOD Works Podcast as staff with Cleveland Clinic discuss their “disability-inclusive” culture.

Guests from Cleveland Clinic include Diana Gueits, Interim Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Carmen Roman, HR Business Partner, serving as an Advisor while supporting the Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute and the Glickman Urology & Kidney Institute; and Tim Gibbons, Department Director of Patient Transportation in Operations. They are joined by Michael Hoag, OOD Business Relations Specialist for the Northeast Region of Ohio.

Have a disability? Want to work? Visit OODWorks.com!

OOD Director Kevin Miller and Kristin Garrett, Ohio College2Careers (Ohio C2C) Program Administrator, join the podcast to discuss career support for college students with disabilities.

Ohio C2C is an OOD program available at 17 public colleges and universities in Ohio to ensure students with disabilities have the support they need to complete their degree and/or credential, earn higher wages, and meet the demands of tomorrow’s labor market.

Transcripts and MP3 files are available at ood.ohio.gov/podcast.

Have a disability? Want to work? Visit OODWorks.com!

Michael Schor is the Associate Professor of Instruction at Ohio University (OU) where he teaches finance courses and is the president of the OU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors. He was a participant with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) about fifteen years ago. Recently, Michael reached out to his former OOD Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Melinda Wingard, to share how he is doing.

“I think people all have special parts of their past and things in which they’re interested in that could be aborted or blocked by a disability or change in circumstances,” Michael reflected. “Whatever kinds of things people are going through, it’s important not to lose valuable parts of themselves and to have that full richness in life by removing barriers.”

Transcripts and MP3 files are available at ood.ohio.gov/podcast.

Have a disability? Want to work? Visit OODWorks.com!