Collaborative Supports
The Outreach Center has an established collaborative partnership with various agencies across Ohio. By working together, we build Ohio’s capacity to increase communication, access, and equity for all.
Statewide Supports
Ohio Department of Education Ohio Improvement Process
Ohio is committed to the implementation of a united state system of support directly focused on improving the academic achievement of all students. Ohio’s statewide system of support includes State Support Teams and Educational Service Center personnel who use a connected set of tools to improve instructional practice and student performance on a continuing basis.
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) oversees a statewide system of supports and services for people with developmental disabilities and their families. DODD does this by developing services that ensure an individual’s health and safety, encourage participation in the community, increase opportunities for meaningful employment, and provide residential services and support from early childhood through adulthood
Ohio Department of Education Office for Exceptional Children
The Office for Exceptional Children provides leadership, assistance and oversight to school districts and other entities that provide differentiated instruction for students with disabilities and gifted students. Among its responsibilities, the office administers state and federal funds; coordinates and administers programs to improve outcomes for students with disabilities and gifted students; implements a statewide monitoring and complaint-resolution system designed to assess district/ educational agency compliance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations; and provides technical assistance to districts and educational agencies around issues of compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA).
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) is the State of Ohio agency that partners with Ohioans with disabilities to achieve quality employment and independence. We also make determinations on Social Security disability.
Sensory-Specific Supports
Ohio State School for the Blind
The Ohio State School for the Blind, a publicly funded educational facility, is dedicated to the intellectual, social, physical, and emotional growth of students with visual impairments, including those with multiple disabilities. Our mission is to work cooperatively with students, families, and the community to provide an effective, enjoyable educational experience through specialized, curriculum, equipment, materials, and individualized, disability-specifc instruction to develop our students’ unique potential.
Ohio School for the Deaf
OSD operates under the auspices and in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Education. A comprehensive kindergarten through grade 12 educational program provides a sequential curriculum for achievement in academic and career development areas, which is comparable to Ohio's public schools. Support services include speech therapy, psychological testing, counseling, technology instruction, library/media services, and transition to adult life. The residential program provides a wide variety of student development activities, athletics, and recreation.
Ohio Center for Deafblind Education
The Ohio Center for Deafblind Education (OCDBE) is a grant-funded project awarded to the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, University of Cincinnati, by the U.S. Department of Education with support from the Ohio Department of Education. The project provides services in Ohio to individuals, birth through 21 years, with deafblindness, including collaborative technical assistance to families, educational personnel and services providers through training and information dissemination. The OCDBE is dedicated to offering innovative approaches to improving the education of children and youth with deafblindness.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Hearing Program
Once a child has been diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss, the child’s family is often faced with questions and decisions they do not feel equipped to address. The Hearing Program at Nationwide Children’s offers a multidisciplinary team approach to supporting our patients and families navigate this process. Our mission is to provide families with evidence-based hearing and language care and lead advancements in research, education and training so that all children can achieve their full potential. We provide a family-centered visit where patients and families leave feeling educated and supported as they work to help their child with hearing loss.
Higher Education
Ohio Deans Compact on Exceptional Children
The Compact promotes shared understanding and implementation of effective practices that contribute to improved results for all children and youth in Ohio. While primarily focused on strategies that build the capacity of the P-16 system to improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and other marginalized groups of learners. The Compact promotes collective conversation among education professionals at all levels of the system.
University of Cincinnati College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services
The University of Cincinnati Systems Development & Improvement Center (SDI) fosters the development, implementation, and evaluation of PK20 education research and demonstration efforts that improve conditions and outcomes for students with disabilities. Special emphases include supporting the following: systems improvement activities that result in increased equity and improved capacity to meet the educational needs of all learners, technical assistance and dissemination activities, personnel preparation and continuous learning activities, program evaluation activities and other efforts consistent with the priorities of the Center and of University of Cincinnati College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH).
Partners
Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence
Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI) serves families, educators, and professionals working with students with autism and low-incidence disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, hearing impairments, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairments, other health impairments, traumatic brain injuries, and visual impairments.
Assistive Technology & Accessible Educational Materials
The AT & AEM Center is a centralized, responsive resource center that empowers individuals with disabilities by providing accessible educational materials, access to assistive technologies and highly specialized technical assistance and professional development support.
Educational Service Center of Central Ohio
Through direct instruction and quality professional development, the agency partners with districts to improve education for all students, particularly those with special needs. The ESC offers robust educational consultancy through a growing list of programs including instructional coaching, administrative counseling, professional employment services and business services.
Ohio’s Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (OCECD)
The Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (OCECD) is Ohio’s statewide nonprofit organization that supports families of children of all ages with disabilities. It provides families with knowledge about laws, resources, rights, and responsibilities, so that they are better able to work with agencies to ensure that appropriate services are received for the benefit of their children. The OCECD is particularly well known for its Parent Mentor program. The Parent Mentors have their own children with disabilities, and are trained to provide direct assistance to other families experiencing similar circumstances.
