The Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission may be able to help! RSC is the state agency that provides vocational rehabilitation leading to employment and independence for people with disabilities. RSC is made up of three bureaus, two of which provide direct vocational rehabilitation services:

The Bureau of Disability Determination (BDD), in agreement with the Social Security Administration, determines medical eligibility for Ohio's Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income claims. BDD, which is federally regulated, doesn't provide any vocational rehabilitation services. To learn more about BDD, click here.

Anyone can make a referral to RSC - you can even refer yourself. Referral may be made in writing, by a telephone call or through a visit to the nearest office. We have more than 60 offices throughout Ohio. For a complete listing, click here.

Eligibility is based on three factors.
1. You have a physical, mental or emotional impairment that creates or results in a substantial barrier to employment.
2. You can benefit from vocational rehabilitation services in terms of employment outcome.
3. Our vocational rehabilitation services must help you get and keep a job.

If you're eligible, you and your RSC counselor will develop an Individualized Plan for Employment which contains all the services you need to reach your job goal. Services may include:

No. A successful rehabilitation may take anywhere from several months to several years. When you're ready to work, your counselor and other RSC staff will help you prepare for the job search and success.

Because people are expected to contribute to the cost of their vocational rehabilitation program to the extent possible, you may be responsible for some costs of your rehabilitation plan. However, no one is ever turned away because of an inability to pay.

Perhaps. A program called EnterpriseWorks helps people with disabilities decide if business ownership is right for them. EnterpriseWorks provides participants with the full range of skills and knowledge necessary to operate a small business. For complete information, click here.

Absolutely. We're required by law to maintain your confidentiality. All personal information provided by you or any other source is strictly confidential and will never be released to anyone (other than your legal guardian, if applicable) without your written consent.

For the address and telephone number of the office serving your county, click here.

Just click here.

Yes. You can review a synopsis of each meeting beginning with January 2004. To do so, simply click here.

For a complete list of meetings for the year, click here.

During 2000, RSC placed 7,336 Ohioans with disabilities into employment and also provided vocational rehabilitation services to 47,597 people who have disabilities. To read our current Annual Report containing success stories and more statistics, click here.

We receive funds through a state/federal matching system. Every $21.3 that Ohio puts toward its vocational rehabilitation program is matched by $78.7 from the federal government.

CACs are made up of people who've received services from RSC, and the relatives, advocates and service providers who care about them. We're in constant communication with individuals who use our services to ensure that those services are appropriate and genuinely meet their needs. On a statewide and local basis, Consumer Advisory Council members provide us with valuable advice and input.

For complete information about the CACs, click here.

Our bimonthly full-color magazine NewsNet is mailed free of charge to anyone interested in receiving a subscription. You need not be an Ohio resident. NewsNet features success stories, disability-related and legislative news, and program and product information. It's available in print and on audiocassette. To check out the latest issue and request a subscription, click here.

Yes. In addition, more than 100 disability-related videos are available for loan within Ohio. For a complete listing of publications and videos, click here.

Yes. Every effort has been and is being made to ensure total accessibility. You may notice that we include text-only options on a number of pages, use large type and have very descriptive alt tags on photos and graphics. We also don't use a text background color or any animation. All of this amounts to greater access for people with all types of disabilities. Our site is accredited by BOBBY, a tool that analyzes Web sites for accessibility to people with disabilities, and by the CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media.