Continued from last page. CCBDD – Supporting and Empowering Those with Disabilities Philanthropy is very important to her and she encourages others in the community to become more involved. T ucked back on Mercantile Road is the Beachwood Adult Activities Center, a division of the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities where adult services are designed to help individuals choose new vocational and social challenges and to pursue them in the least restrictive and most normal settings. The organization’s mission is to support and empower people with developmental disabilities to live, learn, work and play in the community. ment opportunities and compensating those with developmental disabilities at the same pay rate as anyone else doing the same job. “When hired, those with developmental disabilities are trained by someone from the agency until they are confident to do the job on their own,” Daly said. “Our statistics show that these employees have better tenure, are more punctual, put in a hard day’s work and have fewer accidents than those without developmental disabilities.” These workers are placed in factories, restaurants, hotels, stores, offices and dozens of other work sites, and employers quickly recognize the value of providing these opportunities. From the age of 14, the Board of Developmental Disabilities transitions students to work, volunteer and shadow others, training them to enter the work force and with three years under its belt since Employment First was launched, the organization is actively getting the word out to the community. Many businesses have openings,” Marie Barni, general manager of communications, said. “I encourage those with a need to call us first. When we work together, we can really be of help.” CCBDD also holds job fairs, much like college fairs, to simplify the hiring process. “This employment collaborative works and its model is being replicated elsewhere,” Barni added. “We also provide restaurant training through our culinary arts program with Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, and food and retail training through Cleveland Crops, our community-supported agriculture program.” “We’re helping people build work skills, follow instructions and deal with co-workers,” Daly added. “We teach them a good work ethic and the importance of having something solid to put on a resume.” The Northeast Ohio Regional Employment Network is hosting its 2016 Employ-Ability Summit on November 10, from 10 am to 1:30 pm, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where a panel will discuss the benefits of working with CCBDD. Employers who have questions and want to learn more are encouraged to attend this event. “Education is the key,” Daly said. “It’s what everything comes down to.” For more information about CCBDD, visit www.cuyahogabdd. org or contact. For more information about the 2016 Employ-Ability Summit, visit www.employabilitysummit.org. Goucher College and Case Western Reserve University, she received her bachelor of science and a master of arts degrees. She then received her M.B.A. at Adelphi University and graduated with honors from Hofstra University School of Law. She was president of the Lake County Bar Association in 2011-12 and has been on the Foundation Board of Lakeland Community College for over 10 years. In addition, she’s been a member of the Endowment Committee and Silver Circle Committee of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. In 2011, Noreen was named “Woman of Note” by Crain’s Cleveland Business Weekly. Furthermore, she is a member of the University Hospitals Diamond Legacy Society and has established an endowment fund for cardiovascular research.” She reflected, “Going to Shaker Heights High School, I remember that many of my classmates lived in Beachwood since Beachwood did not have a high school at that time. I remember visiting Beachwood Village when it had dirt roads, no lights, no manufacturing and a lot of undeveloped land. It has been amazing to witness the development of this wonderful city. To me, Beachwood is ‘Cleveland’s Jewel.’ I am fortunate and proud to be a 25-year resident of this community and look forward, through my participation and philanthropy, to continuing to give back and making a difference.” Employment First, an initiative launched in 2012 by Governor John Kasich, supports this mission and has been shifting expectations for a cultural transformation. The initiative’s preferred outcome is to expand community employment opportunities for those with developmental disabilities by reducing barriers and aligning state policy. It is envisioned that there will be a time when every person should expect that community employment is the preferred outcome for working-age adults with developmental disabilities. Community employment brings many benefits, from greater independence and wealth-building potential to improved self-esteem and personal satisfaction. And that’s just the beginning. Employers and co-workers benefit through the availability of more a greater diversity and a broader range of capable employees, while society at large benefits when all citizens are able to participate in and contribute to their communities in all the ways they can. “We're heading in a new direction. This is a different era where we have bigger, higher expectations for people with developmental disabilities,” said Jared Daly, CCBDD coordinator of Employer Engagement Services. “We’re creating an expectation and changing the mindset. The shift is going from protecting persons to integrating them into the community, and to educate and inform them but to also let them make decisions on their own.” Local businesses have been supportive in providing employ- DJ has been working at Planet Fitness for more than a year now, helping guests, checking people in and wiping down machines during busy times. October 2016 n Beachwood Buzz 25