APSE - 2015
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• Largest talent pool of people with disabilities
• Supported by VR leadership and Business Consultants
• Vendor Network of 10,000 Community Partners
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• Dual Customer Model: the benefit to both customers
• Return on Investment
• Real time Labor Market Information and Relationships
• Customer Driven Network
• Build relationships and trust
• National in Scope - VR as One Company
• The NET: Build a National Infrastructure
• Easily Accessible Network
• 80 VR Points of Contact – Business Consultants
• Strategic Alliances and Partnerships
• USBLN, NILG, OPM
• Leverage the Strengths of a National System
Ability to Deliver at the National, State and Local Level
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• Pre-Employment
• Internships
• Training
• HR/Staffing
• Recruitment & Promotion
• Benefits & Compensation
• Retention Supports
• Employee Advisory Services
• Accommodations
• Work Site Assessment
• Assistive Technology
• Staff Training
• Disability Awareness
• ADAAA/Employment Laws
• Financial Supports
• WOTC
• Barrier Removal
• Universal Design
• Contracts
• Facilities
• Programs/Services
• Assistive Technology
• Information Technology
• Diversity Programs
• Compliance Support
• Legal
• Labor Relations
• Policy Development
• Risk Management
• Product Development
• Customer Service
• Marketing & Outreach
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Building a Strategic Plan with Lowe’s
Partnership Agreement: NET & Lowe’s Companies
Strategic Plan – business operations: corporate, retail and distribution
Build an internal team - accommodations
Current Models
Job and site analysis
Four tiered approach: competitive, assisted or transitional employment, pre-training with supports, retention
Year 1: 556 hires at corporate, retail and distribution centers
States: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN,
IA, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MS, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NY,
NC, OH, OR, PA, SC, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
Building a Strategic Plan with Starbucks
Working with the USBLN: meeting with corporate team to look at current practice and the goals of the company. Partners included HR, Compliance, Diversity and Inclusion, Accommodations, ACCESS – ERG
Roasting Plants, manufacturing and distribution: NV,
PA, WA. Tours, meeting with the teams on-site.
Review of positions and accommodation discussions.
Nevada: Inclusion Academy
Washington: Hiring and recruitment for plant as well as corporate positions. Support for retention.
Pennsylvania: local connections, recruitment and hiring in both distribution and retail.
National: corporate recruitment, sharing models across the NET, future expansion – retail/training which includes baristas.

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i. Overview of OVR ii. Services to Consumer Customers iii. Strategic Priorities of OVR iv. OVR Business Services v. OVR Business Services Spotlight - Giant Eagle
Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation 8

Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation 9

STAFF
1,100 staff members statewide
LOCATIONS
Bureau of Central Operations (BCO)
Located at 1521 N. 6th St. Harrisburg, PA 17102
Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (BVRS)
15 district offices statewide
Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (BBVS)
6 district offices (co-located with BVRS)
Hiram G. Andrews Center (HGAC) – Johnstown, PA
24/7 comprehensive training/education center
Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
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Individuals who received OVR services:
OVR’s 2013 Federal Report Card:
Individuals employed in the competitive labor market with OVR assistance:
Estimated federal and state taxes paid by these new workers:
Average per person cost for a competitive placement:
Average hourly wage of individuals employed with OVR assistance:
Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Sources: US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey & RSA’s 2013 Final Report Card for Pennsylvania
83,022
9,461
$56,849,811
$4,997
$12.75
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15 BVRS and 6 BBVS district offices statewide
OVR Central Office in Harrisburg
Hiram G. Andrews Center in Johnstown
Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

Diagnostics
OVR provides a wide range of services to eligible individuals:
Training Assistive Technology
Vocational Evaluation Restoration Support Services
Counseling and Guidance Placement Assistance Business Services
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Services are provided on a case by case basis, as every individual presents unique goals, skills, barriers, resources, etc.
* Evaluation, counseling and placement services are free of cost to the individual. However, all other services may require a financial contribution from the individual depending on their income .

OVR is now connecting with consumers, stakeholders & businesses on Facebook and Linkedin!

I.
Customer Service
II. Transition
III. Workforce Development Collaboration
IV. Stakeholder Relations – Business
Services
V. Public Awareness & Outreach
Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

Hiring OVR Customers makes good Business Sense!
OVR Serves Consumer Customers
AND
Business Customers
Meeting the employment needs of people with disabilities and the business needs of employers.
VR works to prepare our workforce talent with skills and technical capacities to meet the demands of business today and in the future.
Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

Our goal is to make hiring individuals with disabilities a seamless process for you, our Business Partners
Our VR staff Single Points of Contact
 Listen to private sector businesses and public employers about their needed workforce skills
– skills that add value to their organizations’ profitability and bottom line.
 Cultivate relationships with businesses
 OVR’s “Single points of contact” serve as a single, easy go-to resource - businesses don’t want to deal with several government agencies.
Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

The gold standard of OVR Business Services and Outreach Efforts is:
To build a dual customer base of:
• Businesses/Employers that trust and choose OVR as their preferred talent acquisition source, and
• A Qualified/Pre-screened Talent Pool we assist in skills development so they can access opportunities and make contributions as a skilled workforce in a competitive labor market
Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

How does OVR provide business solutions and consultation services to business owners and operators?
• Business Specialists at OVR’s Central Office & the Single Points of Contact (SPOC) at OVR’s district offices:
– Plan and build a talent recruitment and on-boarding support plan to meet business needs.
– Provide consultation on a variety of tasks for hiring and retention best practices.
Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

Keeps the process simple through use of Single Point of
Contact- One State Govt.
connected, the other Private Sector connected: OVR or BLN
Based on success with Walgreen Anderson SC model and The
Hershey Company Y&S Twizzle Plant in Lancaster PA
Model to be tailored to meet each Business or Employer needs
SPOC can leverage both no-cost qualified, pre-screened talent recruitment and on-boarding supports to insure new hire success
PA OVR Business Services is dedicated to helping Employers grow and build their workforce, contact us…we can keep it simple!
Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

• The Pennsylvania Business Leadership Network (PA BLN) is an employer driven program designed for business leaders to promote hiring practices that enable qualified people with disabilities to enter and succeed in the workplace. The emphasis of the PA BLN is to create opportunities where employers can communicate, peer-to-peer, to provide candid and frank assessments of hiring successes and challenges. This network not only provides employers with access to a network of their peers, it also provides opportunities for training, positive public relations, an increased number of applicants with a disability, and a centralized source of information.
• The PA BLN is coordinated by AHEDD and is part of a national initiative of over 50 affiliate BLNs in about 30 states.
• AHEDD is a private non-profit organization with a mission to serve the community as a catalyst in the employment and development of persons with a disability. This organization has been meeting the employment needs of people with disabilities and the business community since 1977.
• The efforts of the PA BLN are not to duplicate existing resources. Instead, the PA BLN is to create an employer friendly resource that conducts outreach in the business community and connects employers to those resources that can help them with their needs.