Individuals with Disabilities

This process is used to assist an individual in exploring specific employment option(s). It involves the individual conducting information interviews with individuals or employers. The individual may also have the opportunity to job shadow and observe employees performing the job tasks associated with the identified occupation. If possible, the individual is given an opportunity to attempt actual job tasks as well.

Community Based Assessments are utilized to assess the individual’s job readiness and/or to provide information on the persons aptitudes, abilities, behaviors and preferences to determine if a specific employment opportunity would be a good match. These assessments are conducted using competitive job sites in the community based on the person’s stated vocational interests and goals.

Pre-Vocational Training is designed to help individuals acquire the skills they need in order to get a job in the larger community. Offers the chance to earn a paycheck while learning work-related skills. The program offers learning opportunities in problem-solving, task completion, interpersonal relations, safety and other life skills. A focus on career exploration and helping people to obtain community employment is a priority in this program. Program participants are supported in developing an individualized plan to help them achieve vocational goals which reflect their expressed interests and desires.

Personal Care Assistance is available and includes hygiene support, mealtime support and individualized service needs.

This is an individualized, person-centered, comprehensive employment planning and support that provides assistance for individuals to achieve or advance in competitive integrated employment. Career planning is a focused and time-limited engagement of an individual in identification of a career direction and development of a plan for achieving competitive integrated employment and the supports needed to achieve that employment.

The CARE program is an award-winning program designed to provide recreational, social and personal development options. A variety of opportunities are available ranging from community-based recreational activities, self-determination and empowerment as well as volunteer experiences. The CARE program is based on the idea of inclusion; building community relationships and belonging and the foundational principle that ” exposure precedes interest.” Participants are encouraged and supported to become involved in as many different community-based activities as possible based on their personal interests.

Nursing services, Personal Care Assistance and Goodwill Van Transportation are available.

Goodwill Job Development and Placement Services offers individualized ongoing support to job seekers and local employers. Our Employment Specialists keep current on labor market information and hiring trends to assist individuals working to obtain community employment.

Employment Specialists provide assistance and training in resume development and job-seeking skills training. This includes instruction on ways to conduct a job search, how to approach employers regarding accommodations, and how to respond to various questions throughout the employment process. Assistance with interview attire and transportation to interviews is also available.

As part of an individualized employment search, Employment Specialists offer support in contacting employers to request job modifications and discuss job restructuring. Additionally, Employment Specialists offer retention services to individuals once employment is obtained. Retention services are intended to assist individuals with any post-employment needs such as effective time management, employee/ employer communication, and securing additional community resources to ensure successful employment.

Goodwill’s Work Site Support staff (or Job Coaches) assist individuals in successfully maintaining desired employment. Support can be offered at the work site or away from the job while the employee learns the expectations of the position.

Supports include:

• Short-term one-on-one supports on the job to assist with job training, understanding the rules and expectations of the workplace and working with employers and co-workers.
• Short-term off-site supports where staff can meet the individual outside of the workplace.
• For individuals sponsored by County Boards of Developmental Disabilities, ongoing supports can be provided several times each month as long as the person is employed.
• Assistance in learning public transportation.
• Help with job accommodations.

Tax benefits for businesses who have employees with disabilities

Disabled Access Credit
The Disabled Access Credit provides a non-refundable credit for small businesses that incur expenditures for the purpose of providing access to persons with disabilities. An eligible small business is one that that earned $1 million or less or had no more than 30 full-time employees in the previous year; they may take the credit each and every year they incur access expenditures.

Barrier Removal Tax Deduction
The Architectural Barrier Removal Tax Deduction encourages businesses of any size to remove architectural and transportation barriers to the mobility of persons with disabilities and the elderly. Businesses may claim a deduction of up to $15,000 a year for qualified expenses for items that normally must be capitalized. Businesses claim the deduction by listing it as a separate expense on their income tax return. Also, businesses may use the Disabled Tax Credit and the architectural/transportation tax deduction together in the same tax year, if the expenses meet the requirements of both sections. To use both, the deduction is equal to the difference between the total expenditures and the amount of the credit claimed.

Work Opportunity Credit
The Work Opportunity Credit provides eligible employers with a tax credit up to 40 percent of the first $6,000 of first-year wages of a new employee if the employee is part of a ” targeted group.” An employee with a disability is one of the targeted groups for the Work Opportunity Credit, provided the appropriate government agencies have certified the employee as disabled. The credit is available to the employer once the employee has worked for at least 120 hours or 90 days.

Expanded Tax Credit for Hiring Unemployed Veterans
The work opportunity credit has been expanded to provide employers with new incentives to hire certain unemployed veterans. On November 21, 2011, the President signed into law the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. This new law provides an expanded work opportunity tax credit to businesses that hire eligible unemployed veterans and for the first time also makes part of the credit available to tax-exempt organizations. Businesses claim the credit as part of the general business credit, and tax-exempt organizations claim it against their payroll tax liability. The credit is available for eligible unemployed veterans who begin work on or after November 22, 2011, and before March 2014.

• Discuss career options and learn about in-demand jobs.
• Students will identify where they are in the career planning process, complete interest inventories and conduct informational interviews.
• Students will communicate why employment matters.

• Experience and gain knowledge about the workplace.
• Students will participate in work-site tours and job shadowing experiences at community businesses.
• Students will learn to display appropriate worksite behaviors and begin applying the knowledge and tools they learned.

• Improve social and independent living skills.
• Students will understand appropriate work behaviors and demonstrate the ability to meet employer expectations.
• Students will participate in mock interviews, complete applications and resume templates and may attend job fairs.
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of the impact of personal social media profile and other communication.

• Offered during two summer sessions for 5 weeks each. This five-week service offers an opportunity to participate in an interactive, paid work experience in an integrated and competitive employment setting.
• Designed to provide students with a variety of work skills such as ability to follow work place rules and communicate needs and questions in the work place.
• Transportation and on-site job coaching support is provided by Ohio Valley Goodwill Community Services team members.
• Worksites are spread across the Greater Cincinnati community and offer the chance for students to become fully engaged in the different aspects that each employment opportunity presents.

All Pre-Employment Transition Services for Students are offered through a collaborative partnership with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities and students must be at least 14 years of age and be eligible for services through OOD.