Author Archive for Justin Blumhorst

Upcoming Job Fairs and Workshops in Ohio

Published on March 19, 2013 in Assistance, Events and Job Search Tips. Closed Tags: , , , .

One of our counselors who we work with at the Ohio RSC shared an awesome link with me today.

Ohio Means Jobs LogoOhio Means Jobs collects all upcoming job fairs and workshops for people looking for employment in Ohio.

Here is the link to check them all out:

https://ohiomeansjobs.com/omj/workshoplist.do?selectId=0

Here are a few of notes that I think can really help you find more information out on this site:

  • Click on the county header to find events near you
    If you do this, it will sort all of the events by what county there are in.  By doing this, it makes it much easier to see all of the events in your county. 
  • Click on the event name to find out more about the specific event
    When you do this, you can event get a link to the actual event page.  Some events make you register to attend, and most likely you will have to go to the individual page of the event to register.
  • Add any events you are planning on attending to your personal calendar
    For me, if I don’t put things in my calendar, I can easily double book myself or forget about the event all together.  I use an electronic calendar which helps me keep organized.  I good quality one for free is Google Calendar, which you can sync up with any mobile device you may have.

Capabilities routinely takes people who are in our services out to job fairs and/or lets them know of events so that they can attend on their own. We do this in our Job Placement service. We also work on skills to get the most out of events like this in our Job Seeking Skills Training service.  If you are interested in receiving services from us, please contact us at info@capabilitiesinc.biz.

If you have any ideas for how to get the most out of this site, or have any general tips for job fairs or workshops, please share!

by Justin Blumhorst

Free Screen Reader for Google Drive

Published on March 14, 2013 in Uncategorized. Closed

I have heard of Read and Write Gold for Google Docs before, but this is the best overview of the solution and how to install it:

Big Thanks to Wade Wingler, the Director of Assisstive Technology at Easter Seals Crossroads for this.

Here are some links to some of the things they mention in the video for your convenience:

Google Chrome:
https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/

Read&Write Gold Chrome Extension:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/readwrite-for-google-docs/inoeonmfapjbbkmdafoankkfajkcphgd?hl=en-US

by Justin Blumhorst

Tim’s Place: Restaurant Owned By Person with Down Syndrome

Published on March 8, 2013 in Advocation and Developmental Disabilities. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

So I was just ending up my workday, and I came across a video that gave me an awesome dose of positive energy.

Here is the video:

So, of course I had to look a little more into this… Here is a link to the restaurant’s webpage: http://www.timsplaceabq.com

Tim’s positive attitude flies through this video, and you can tell why his business is successful. It also seems that he has a great support team, which is important for any business.

The restaurant is in Albuquerque, New Mexico, so if you are there, support this restaurant!

Good luck Tim, and keep up the great work!

Also, next time I am in Albuquerque, I fully expect a hug…

by Justin Blumhorst

When to Discuss Your Disability With a Potential Employer

Published on February 19, 2013 in Job Search Tips. Closed Tags: , , .

One of the blogs that I subscribe to is called Career Tips for the Perfectly Abled, a section of gettinghired.com.  In it, they had an interesting article titled, When to Discus Your Disability With a Potential Employer by Jim Hasse.

In the article, they list 3 strategies for disclosure:

  1. Getting Your Foot in the Door First
  2. Disclosing Your Disability to a Prospective Employer as Soon as Possible
  3. Positioning Your Disability as a Competitive Edge

In the article, Jim lists benefits, drawbacks, and needed preparation for each strategy.  Go to the full blog post to read all of those.  Here is the link to the whole article:

http://community.gettinghired.com/blogs/perfectlyable/archive/2013/02/11/when-to-discuss-your-disability-with-a-potential-employer.aspx

In the end, Jim states that you really need to find which companies are “disability friendly,” and with this information, you can decide which strategy will work for you.  Hopefully, one day we will not have to worry about this, but I have to say that I agree with Jim.  The best way for your to disclose your disability is to research the company and find which strategy will work best in that scenario.

Capabilities‘ professional career consultants are well versed in when to disclose.  We use these strategies, and many others in our Job Development Service.  Our Career Consultants know the community, and have relationships with employers which help in disclosure.  We help people with disabilities find jobs, and are professionals in this field.  Contact us today to find out how we can help you.

by Justin Blumhorst

Dragon Success Story for Person with Multiple Sclerosis #MS

Published on February 18, 2013 in Adaptive Technology, Advocation and Physical Disabilities. Closed Tags: , , , .

I just was reading through my Dragon NaturallySpeaking Newsletter for February, and I came across a great article in it. It talks about how Evan Upchurch, a former Microsoft Employee, uses Dragon NaturallySpeaking to help make computers more accessible for him to use.

It talks about how he was able to really concentrate on his writing, and not his typing.  Evan said that like in many other jobs, Microsoft had a high volume of emails.  Using Dragon, he was much better at getting back to emails.  I specifically appreciated his quote, “At Microsoft, email is lifeblood. If you can’t do email, you do’t exist.”

To check out the full article, check this link out:

http://www.nuance.com/ucmprod/groups/dragon/@web-enus/documents/collateral/nc_019870.pdf?elq=712b7f4b330247c4a6974ab342817552&elqCampaignId=677

Capabilities provides training on Dragon NaturallySpeaking in our Computer Assistance and Training Service.  Contact us today to find out how we can help you use Dragon and many other accessibility programs.

by Justin Blumhorst

Toledo Community Rehabilitation Partner Meeting

Published on January 16, 2013 in Findlay Office, Partner, Services and Toledo Office. Closed Tags: , , , .

Yesterday, we met with a lot of the counselors from the northwest area of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Comission. We appreciate all the feedback that we received and all the time that we were given to share some great information.

At this meeting, we shared a bulk of information. We started off with some statistics for the 1st Financial Quarter for the northwest area, and then broke down into some more specific information regarding our services. We talked about vocational evaluations, benefits analysis, and our computer training services.

If you are interested in any of the files, here they are all.

If this widget doesn’t work for you, you can view it directly from this link: https://www.box.com/s/d9amul80ozqys86itgz1.

by Justin Blumhorst

Education Report

Published on November 6, 2012 in Adaptive Technology, Advocation, Dayton Office, Offices and Services. Closed Tags: , .

Recently, Belinda Bockrath, Southern Area Manager, and I were interviewed on the Education Report with Gary Honert on a few radio stations near Dayton, OH.

Luckily, Justin Draper, the new Driver’s Education Manager at Capabilities, has a knack for doing some video editing. He kindly put together the audio from the event into some great videos. Here they are for your viewing pleasure.

First Segment

Second Segment

Third Segment

by Justin Blumhorst

Notes and Audio for the @Capabilities Technology Demo Day in Toledo

Published on November 5, 2012 in Adaptive Technology, Partner and Toledo Office. Closed

Did you miss out on the Capabilities Technology Demo Day on October 30th, 2012?  If so, don’t fret!

I took some notes and audio recordings on the Livescribe Echo Smartpen that I have been using.  This is an awesome device by the way! It takes notes written notes and combines them with an audio recording that the pen does.  It is great for people with learning disabilities, memory issues, or for dealing with fast talkers :)

Here are all the notes:

Demo Day: Aver
brought to you by Livescribe
Demo Day: Freedom Scientific
brought to you by Livescribe
Demo Day: Kapersky
brought to you by Livescribe
Demo Day: SMK Link / Gyration
brought to you by Livescribe
Demo Day: Systemax Manufacturing
brought to you by Livescribe
Demo Day: ULVA
brought to you by Livescribe
by Justin Blumhorst

Official Press Release for the Demo Days Tech Event in Toledo

Published on October 23, 2012 in Adaptive Technology. Closed

Here is a link to the official Demo Days Technology Event press release: Demo Days Event Press Release.

Here are some of the quick details of the event, but be sure to check out the press release for all the details!

Date: Tuesday, October 30th
Time: 9:00 AM to  12:30 PM
Location: Capabilities, 5241 Southwyck Blvd., Toledo, OH
Cost:  FREE

by Justin Blumhorst

Demo Day in Toledo

Published on October 15, 2012 in Adaptive Technology. Closed

Technology plays an important role in today’s world.  With this in mind, Capabilities and Global GovEd Solutions will be putting on a Demo Day, where people can learn about new technologies that are coming out.

For this event, we have a special focus on assistive technology devices.  These devices help people with various disabilities use technology in their life.  You can see to these devices in action, so if you have any disabilities or know someone who might be able to use technology better if they had some devices, this will be the perfect event for you.

Here are the details about the event:

Date: Tuesday, October 30th
Time: 9:00 AM to  12:30 PM
Location: Capabilities, 5241 Southwyck Blvd., Toledo, OH
Cost:  FREE

Here are the vendors who will be at the event:

Some of the vendors will be putting on a half hour presentation regarding what they have to offer.  Each vendor will also have a booth there where people can find more out about their products too.

Here is the schedule of the demos:

Breakfast (coffee and pastries) will also be provided, so come hungry!

There are also door prizes!  So far, we have the following Door Prizes available to attendees:

Any and all are welcome to attend! If you would like to go, please send an RSVP to Justin Blumhorst (justin.blumhorst@capabilitiesinc.biz).

by Justin Blumhorst