JobFusion - Community Employment Services
The Fairfield County Board of DD supports each person’s desire to work, and believes that with adequate planning and supports each individual can be successful in employment.
Employment services are provided and/or funded by the Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities and the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission. These services include: transportation, community-based assessment, vocational evaluation, personal and work adjustment, job shadowing, job coaching, soft-skills training, tutoring, travel training, job development, job placement, career exploration, benefits analysis, job club, safety-awareness, rehabilitation technology services and job retention and follow-along services.
Current Fairfield County Employment First Initiatives:
Project SEARCH is a partnership with the Fairfield Medical Center (FMC), Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools, the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission and the Fairfield County Board of DD. This program is based at FMC and provides each participant with an opportunity to experience a variety of internships at the medical center during the last year of school. An on-site instructor is provided by Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools and job coaching and job development services are provided by the Fairfield County Board of DD with funding by the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC).
LIFE Works (Leveraging Internships for Employment) is an Ohio Rehabilitation Services grant initiative. LIFE Works is a partnership between Fairfield DD, four other Central Ohio county boards of developmental disabilities, Goodwill Columbus, and The Ohio State University Nisonger Center. LIFE Works provides for paid internships, job coaching, social & work skills development, job development and transportation. LIFE Works is primarily intended for young adults who have completed their educational experience and are now ready to explore career options. Internship sites are developed based upon the expressed interests, passions, and career preferences of the individuals participating in this program. The goal of LIFE Works is successful employment outcomes in non-traditional occupations.
The Zone: The Fairfield County Board of DD in collaboration with Ohio University – Lancaster (OU-L) and Fairfield Industries manages and provides for the food service operations at the student center on the OU-L campus referred to as “The Zone.” Individuals from the Fairfield County Board of DD who have expressed a desire to work in the food services industry may work in any number of employment opportunities provided by “The Zone.”
Project GROW (Growing Resources and Opportunities for Work): The Fairfield County Board of DD in collaboration with Ohio University -Lancaster, Allen's Lancaster Greenhouse and Nursery, and Fairfield Industries provides a unique opportunity for individuals with an interest in horticulture to work in seasonal employment opportunities at the GROW greenhouse located on the Ohio University - Lancaster campus.
For more information about Community Employment Services, please contact:
Customized Employment Services
The Fairfield County Board of DD recently added a new service component to its existing array of community employment service options for individuals with developmental disabilities - Customized Employment. Customized Employment means individualizing the employment relationship between employees and employers in ways that meet the needs of both. It is based on an individualized determination of the strengths, needs, and interests of the individual, and is also designed to meet the specific needs of the employer.
It may include employment developed through job carving, self-employment or entrepreneurial initiatives, or other job development or restructuring strategies that result in job responsibilities being customized and individually negotiated to fit the needs of individuals with a disability.
The customized employment approach assumes the provision of reasonable accommodations and supports necessary for the individual to perform the functions of a job that is individually negotiated and developed.
For more information about Customized Employment Services, please contact:
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Center-Based Vocational and Employment Services
The Fairfield County Board of DD, through a joint operating agreement with Fairfield Industries, Inc., provides facility and community-based vocational training and work experiences for individuals with developmental disabilities. Individuals employed by Fairfield Industries have the opportunity to earn a paycheck and to develop work skills. The contracts and work opportunities provided by Fairfield Industries at the production facility located at the Opportunity Center generally consists of light assembly and packaging for many area businesses. In addition to earning a paycheck, individuals employed by Fairfield Industries work on refining work skills and reinforcing concepts related to work such as: responsibility, attendance, task completion, problem solving, social interaction, motor skill development, work hardening and safety. For additional information about Fairfield Industries, please visit their website at: www.fairfieldindustriesohio.com.
For more information about Center-Based Vocational and Employment Services, please contact:
Transition Coordination
Early planning and preparation are essential for success in adulthood. The Fairfield County Board of DD Adult Services Options Transition Coordinator is available to assist individuals, families, school programs, and support teams in planning and coordinating of school to adult life transition services. The Fairfield County Board of DD Transition Coordinator serves as the Fairfield County project coordinator for the Ohio Rehabilitation Services grant initiative referred to as Bridges to Transition. Bridges to Transition serves as a catalyst for the innovative approach known as “Discovery” as well as the futures planning process known as MAPS. Our Transition Coordinator also facilitates the Fairfield County Transition Collaborative which is comprised of representatives from each of the Fairfield County School Districts, Fairfield County Board of DD, Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, Fairfield County Jobs & Family Services, Social Security Administration, Southern Ohio Council for Independent Living, service providers, families and other stakeholders who are passionate about developing best-practice in transition services for Fairfield County. This group meets every other month at the Ohio University Lancaster Campus. The Fairfield County Transition Collaborative serves as a model for the State of Ohio.
For more information about Transition services please contact:
Art & Clay on Main
Art and Clay on Main, an affiliate of the Fairfield County Board of DD, is located in the heart of downtown Lancaster. Art & Clay on Main is a community art studio & gallery. Art & Clay’s retail space features stained glass, pottery, drawings, photographs, jewelry, dried flower arrangements and other beautiful works of arts by artists from all over the Central Ohio arts community which includes Blue Shoe Arts.
Classes in pottery, clay and ceramics are offered year-round. Special events and activities for families and children are scheduled each month and space is available at Art & Clay for rental for meetings and parties.
Art and Clay on Main also serves as a business and arts incubator for any individual wishing to develop their interest, passion, and talents in the arts and retail into an income producing business opportunity.
For additional information, please visit the Art & Clay website at www.artandclayonmain.com, or contact:
Blue Shoe Arts
Art and Clay on Main is the home of the nationally recognized Blue Shoe Arts studio. Blue Shoe Arts provides an opportunity for individuals served by the Fairfield County Board of DD who have expressed an interest and passion in the arts with the opportunity to express themselves through art and to develop artistic skills and talents that will enable them to create works of art that are marketable and will generate income for the artists.
For additional information about Blue Shoe Arts, please visit the website at www.blueshoearts.org, or contact: