A publication of United Disability Services Spring 2016

March is Developmental

Disabilities Awareness MonthRead about Stephen’s

Recipe for Successinside!

ASPIRE!“Labels can only confine. Aspire to be undefinable.” - Colin Wright

Jessika served up bowls of soup for BraVo!’s fourth annual Souper Bowl on January 29. A few times a year BraVo! selects a local nonprofit organization and they plan a fundraiser for the agency. This year they selected Greenleaf Family Center, an organization that strengthens families in our community through coun-seling, education and support. Eleven cooks created delicious soups and chilis to compete for the coveted Judges’ Choice Awards and the Tasters’ Choice Award. Our judges bestowed first place to Lana Stryker, program manager of Vo-cational Services, for her Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup. UDS employees, friends, family and Greenleaf employees partic-ipated by purchasing cups of soup and voting for their favorites. Tasters’ Choice was awarded to B.J. Seabolt, physical therapist for her Cheeseburger Soup. BraVo! was pleased to raise $655 for Greenleaf and appreciates everyone who supported the event! BraVo! Program Supervisor Courtney Deal (left) presented the donation to Naomi Sciulli, administra-tive services manager for Greenleaf.

Welcometo Aspire!A Message from Howard Taylor, UDS President/CEO

Welcome to United Disability Services’ first issue of Aspire!, a quarterly newsletter for consumers, caregivers and our commu-

nity partners navigating the new frontier of disability services.

Why the name Aspire!? Most everyone aspires to something—to be more active, to obtain more satisfying employment, or to simply make a difference in the world. As a provider of services for individuals with disabilities, United Disability Services is committed to helping the people we serve achieve their aspirations, accomplish their dreams, and become full participants in their communities through the many programs and services we offer.

In this issue we celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and the abilities of those we serve. We’ll provide information on how you can start or further your journey to employment in the community, and share Stephen’s “Recipe for Success.” Stephen is an employee of Taste Buds and is learning to perfect the skills he’ll need to be successful working in the food service industry.

We’ll check in on BraVo! to see how the participants of this popu-lar program are making a real difference in our community through volunteer service. This amazing corps of 50 volunteers has performed 54,000 volunteer hours since the program began in 2007. Non-profits and other groups in the community, like Keep Akron Beautiful and Summit Metro Parks, have come to rely on the BraVo! team to fill im-portant volunteer needs within their organizations.

We also invite you to join us for plenty of food, fun, and HOOPS during the inaugural UDS All-Star Jam 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament being held this summer in Akron. This family-friendly fundraiser will benefit the All-Star Training Club integrated sports program, and its mission to provide everyone with the opportunity to experience the thrill of competitive sports. You’ll also learn more about our new part-nership with the National Inclusion Project and how it will be helping us to expand inclusionary activities within our local schools.

So what are your aspirations? Give us a call today to learn more about how UDS can help you achieve your goals and reach your potential.

Recipe for SuccessCelebrating Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Slicing, pouring, baking, wrapping and serving up great food are all a part of a day’s work for Ste-

phen at Taste Buds, UDS’ box lunch catering business. He joined the program in October of last year after working at UDS’ Vocational Services production site for nearly two years. Bob Ewing was his service coor-dinator at Vocational Services and says, “He showed great potential when he was here. He takes pride in what he does and is eager to learn new things. He was able to build some skills and it served as a stepping stone for him to move on to Taste Buds and possibly to community employment in the future.”

Early YearsStephen was diagnosed with high functioning autism at a young age. According to his mom, Cindy, by the time he was three years old he was diagnosed, enrolled in pre-school with an IEP and received speech and occupational thera-pies. His parents have been strong advocates for him and have taught him to be his own advocate as well. They also enlisted the help of pro-fessionals to develop his social skills and enrolled him in a variety of activities.

EmploymentAccording to Mom, he has always had an interest in working with food and, although working at Taste Buds can be hectic at times, Stephen is adjusting to the routine and enjoying it. He says, “It was a big transition to come to Taste Buds. I’m doing food prep, catering, cooking and lots of other cool stuff. We all have different tasks and we get along well to-gether.” Taste Buds Program Manager Heidi Imhoff teaches people with disabilities about the food service industry and equips them with the skills needed to work in the busy kitchen. She says, “Stephen takes

his job very seriously and he seems to enjoy the cross-training we offer. He has an opportunity to do sandwich and salad prep, the sandwich board and the baked potato station where he interacts with custom-ers. He understands now he has to work closely with co-workers within the constraints of a small kitchen,

and he’s learning about the im-portance of food safety, sanita-tion and being prepared for work each day.”

IndependenceStephen now shares an apart-ment with his roommate, Mike, and he’s learning to do some cooking, cleaning and laundry on his own, with the support of some providers. In his free time Stephen is involved with UDS All-Star Training Club where he enjoys playing basketball, bowl-ing, track/field and soccer. He also enjoys playing video games, going out to eat, going to the movies and even going grocery shopping now that he’s living on

his own. He has a supportive family, a rewarding job, good friends, passion for music and sports, and now with bright eyes and a broad smile he says he’s enjoy-ing the simple pleasure of getting up on the weekends to make his own bacon and eggs for breakfast.

UDS is celebrating Developmental Disabilities Aware-ness Month in March by sharing Stephen’s story and drawing attention to the fact that people with disabil-ities have a lot to offer. We encourage everyone to look beyond a person’s disability to see their abilities. To see a short video that celebrates the abilities of our consumers click on the UDS TV tab on our web-site. For more information about Vocational Services, Taste Buds or All-Star Training Club call 330-762-9755 or visit us on the web at www.udsakron.org.

Stephen (back row, center) with the rest of the Taste Buds team. Last year they prepared

nearly 28,000 servings of fresh, great-tasting meals for satisfied customers.

Akron Office701 S. Main St.Akron, OH 44311330-762-9755

Active Endeavors1275 Sweitzer Ave.Akron, OH 44301330-379-3337

Adult Services - Kent Location1010 West Main St.Kent, OH 44240330-676-1493

Adult Services - Twinsburg Center10735 Ravenna Rd.Twinsburg, OH 44087330-425-3159

The Steel Academy1570 Creighton Ave.Akron, OH 44310330-633-1383

Taste Buds264 S. Arlington St.Akron, OH 44306330-379-1873

United Disability Services

www.udsakron.org Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter @UDSakron

Aspire! is published quarterly by United Disability Services

701 S. Main St.Akron, Ohio 44311-1019

The mission of UDS is to support people with disabilities and their caregivers

by providing the highest quality, client-focused programs and services.

UDS is a non-for-profit organization [501(c)(3)] with programs accredited by

the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

Bill Choler, chairpersonHoward Taylor, president/CEO

Lisa Armstrong, director of communicationsSandy Palmer, editor

July 30-31, 2016Mason Park, Akron

Join us for a family-friendly fundraiser packed with food, fun and HOOPS! Coach Dru and Carolyn Joyce are

honorary chairs of this inaugural 3-on-3 basketball tournament that will benefit

UDS All-Star Training Club.

For more information about registration contact Danielle Marino at 330-762-9755,

ext. 233. For sponsorship information contact Evelyn Burkhart at ext. 222, and if you are willing to volunteer for this event

contact Teri Mino at ext. 227.

The National Inclusion Project has partnered with UDS to create an inclusive environment where children

with and without disabilities can play, learn and laugh together. The Na-tional Inclusion Project will provide UDS with the Let’s ALL Play program model, training, expertise, annual Power of Play Conference and a wide network of inclusion experts ready to problem solve and share best practic-es ensuring that no child sits on the sidelines.

UDS is one of just 12 new organizations that the National Inclusion Project has chosen to partner with this year. The Project was co-founded in 2003 by entertainer Clay Aiken and serves to bridge the gap that exists between young people with disabilities and the world around them. “We believe our partnership with UDS will get us one step closer to making the inclu-sion of children with disabilities the expectation and not the exception,” says Jerry Aiken, National Inclusion Project Executive Director.

The Let’s ALL Play model of inclusion will be a complement to the agency’s All-Star Training Club by expanding inclusionary sports into local school systems. UDS will be the recipient of a $10,000 grant to support the pro-gram. For more information on the National Inclusion Project visit their website at www.inclusionproject.org.

National Inclusion Project Partners with UDS

PRESENTS

Jump Start Your Job Search Are you looking for a job but don’t know where to begin? You may be

eligible for employment services through Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD). As an OOD partner, UDS has vocational rehabilita-tion coordinators at its main office who are available to assist you with the application process. Before you start your job search, here is a checklist of things you may need or need to do to help you get ready: Photo ID Social Security Card Transportation Appropriate work clothes Work or volunteer history References Personal grooming Working phone number Practice social skills (with polite voice message) Be available Be flexible Be on time

For more information, contact Marianne Senvisky, community employment services manager, at 330-762-9755, ext. 302, or msenvisky@udsakron.org or visit the OOD website http://ood.ohio.gov/Core-Services/BVR.