Your Child’s Journey: An Ohio Guide for Deaf or Hard of Hearing Support
Key Agencies Supporting Young Adults
As your child grows into adulthood, you may connect with different state and local agencies that offer services and supports. In Ohio, two important agencies are:
- Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD).
- County Boards of Developmental Disabilities (CBDD).
These agencies help with things like employment, daily living, education, and health care. They have different areas of focus, eligibility rules, and services, but many families work with both—especially during the transition from school to adult life.
The chart below gives a side-by-side look at what each agency does, who they help, and how they may support your child.
Overview of OOD and DODD/CBDD Services
|
Agency |
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) |
County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CBDD) |
|
Main Focus |
Helps people with disabilities prepare for, get, and keep jobs in the community. |
Supports people with developmental disabilities in many areas of life, including work, health, and daily living. |
|
Who They Help |
Teens (14+) and adults with physical, mental, emotional, or sensory disabilities, including those who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind. |
Children and adults with developmental disabilities that begin before age 22 and affect their daily life. |
|
Eligibility |
Must have a disability that makes getting a job harder and want to work in a competitive job. |
Must meet eligibility through assessments that show developmental delays or disabilities. |
|
Planning Tool |
Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) |
Individual Service Plan (ISP) |
|
Supports in School |
Starting at age 14, schools may partner with OOD to provide transition services, which can be included in the student’s IEP. These may include job exploration, vocational counseling, or college/trade school planning. |
Schools may work with the local CBDD to coordinate community services for eligible students. They may support the IEP team with planning for life after school. |
|
Job Services |
Job assessments, career counseling, help with education/training, job placement, and coaching. |
Job discovery, training, coaching (short- and long-term), work transportation, and help finding and starting a job. |
|
Health Support |
Not offered |
Help with medical equipment, in-home nursing, and telehealth options. |
|
Other Supports |
Driver education, adaptive or assistive technology for work, help gathering documents, and Benefits Planning (to understand how income affects benefits). |
Housing supports, daily living help, training for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). |
|
Service Providers |
Uses community providers; sometimes overlaps with CBDD providers. |
Works with local providers; may use the same ones as OOD. |
|
Length of Support |
Short-term – services end when the person is stable in a job. Cases can be reopened later if needed. |
Long-term – supports can continue for years, often funded through Medicaid. |
|
Support for Youth (14–21) |
Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS): Job exploration, work experience, education planning, self-advocacy. |
May support Pre-ETS in partnership with OOD. Often works with schools to help with transition planning. |
|
Supports Deaf/Hard of Hearing? |
Yes – includes specialized services. See deaf or hard of hearing services below. |
Yes – services are inclusive of Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals. |
|
Where to Learn More |
Deaf or Hard of Hearing Services in Ohio
Local Community Centers for the Deaf (CCD) can be an important source of support for deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind youth and their families. You do not need to be enrolled with OOD or CBDD to use these services. These services include walk-in office hours with public access to videophones, Independent Living Skills Training, Interpreting and Communication Services, Advocacy, and Peer Support to the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind communities.
To find a CCD near you, visit OOD's website here, and click on “contact a CCD.”