I am the director of Assistive Technology of Ohio -- Ohio's AT Act Program. I've been working in the field of assistive technology for Pople with disabiliteis since 2000. Prior to this, I worked in the field of workers' compensation, coordinating return-to-work programs for Ohio's injured workers. I am also a former member, and former chairman, of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council. My wife, Jill, and I live in Worthington and are the proud parents of six children.
In part 2 of our interview with OOD Director Kevin Miller, he describes the reaction of the consumers – Ohioans with disabilities – to the pandemic. One day they are making progress toward their goal of a job – a career – and the next they are sidelined by a virus spreading all over Ohio, the country, and the world.
In this discussion, Director Miller talks about how every link in the chain — the employers, the providers, the OOD professionals, and the consumers, had to come together and adapt in order to keep moving forward.
In March of 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine sent almost every state of Ohio employee home due to the pandemic. A new day had started, and it came about quickly. State employees, many of whom had been going to work in a downtown office for 20 years, were now being asked to not come in at all. Although they couldn’t come in, the work of state government needed to go on — perhaps now more than ever. To the greatest extent possible, Ohio’s governmental agencies needed to be on the ready to continue to serve her citizens, even the midst of a pandemic.
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) is Ohio’s state-federal vocational rehabilitation program. The professionals at OOD are charged with coordinating the types of educational and vocational services Ohioans wtih disabilities need to become employable and, ultimately, employed. The pandemic affected every link in the OOD chain — the employers who would be hiring, the providers offering the training, the people with disabilities receiving services, and the OOD professionals who were coordinating it all. Everything changed. Everything had to be done differently, and everything had to be done of the fly.
In a special 3-part interview, OOD Director Kevin Miller walks through the challenge of providing VR services to Ohioans with disabilities in the middle of a pandemic. In part 1, Director Miller talks about the impact it had on the agency, and how the vocational rehabiltiation professionals had to find new ways to continue to provide services to Ohioans with disabilities… people who were, in many cases, at special risk should they contract the Coronavirus. We thank Director Miller for his time and his message. Please enjoy part 1 of our interview with OOD Director Kevin Miller.
Welcome to the newest creation from Assistive Technology of Ohio – the Ohio Disability Blog!
Assistive Technology of Ohio (AT Ohio) is part of the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University. We are Ohio’s Assistive Technology Act program and all of the service we offer help people learn about the ways that technology can improve the lives of Ohioans with disabilities. Technology can play such a major role in helping people with disabilities succeed in school, compete in the workplace and lead more independent and inter-connected lives.
On the Ohio Disability Blog, we hope to:
Educate Ohioans about the latest developments affecting people with disabilities.
Spotlight new and emerging technologies that help people with disabilities in the areas of education, employment and community living
Highlight Ohioans who are on the frontlines, helping improve the lives of Ohioans with disabilities, every day.
We hope to become Ohio’s online home to discuss issues of upmost importance to Ohio’s disabilities community. And for us, that includes everyone: people with visual impairments, hearing impairments, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities – everyone. They can also come from every disability-related system in Ohio: Developmental Disabilities, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Aging, the Veterans Administration, Workers’ Compensation… you name it.
We will be utilize some the best and most experienced talent in the state on disability issues. We will be interviewing Ohio’s disability leaders. And we will be letting you know how you can get involved and engaged in helping improve the lives of Ohioans with disabilities.
Ohio Disability Blog 