Arielle Bigler was short on confidence when starting a new job search last year, as many people are following a layoff. Today, she’s a valued member of the Meijer team in her community. Arielle’s return to work highlights her abilities and showcases the difference vocational rehabilitation can make in the lives of people with disabilities. 

Arielle is the third of four sisters growing up in Marion, Ohio. She is a hard-working young lady with a heart of gold—and an intellectual disability that can make it challenging to communicate with those who don’t know her.

Arielle’s family was no stranger to vocational rehabilitation when she first worked with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) to find a job in 2019. The family had some experience with OOD through her sister, who had previously received vocational rehabilitation services from Marion Goodwill Industries, an OOD provider in their community. Sherry Stapleton, a job developer at Marion Goodwill, provided OOD services to both sisters. 

Unfortunately, Arielle was laid off after nearly three years at her first job, which prompted her family to contact OOD for additional support. Arielle was eager to return to work, but the experience with her previous employer left her lacking the confidence she needed to start a new job search. 

Audrey Moore, OOD Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, listened to Arielle’s experiences and job goals to understand what she would need to reach those goals. Then Audrey reconnected Arielle with Sherry for a new job search that included job-seeking skills training. Sherry took Arielle to multiple interviews and supported her during each until they found a great job match at Meijer in Marion. 

Sherry accompanied Arielle throughout the orientation process at Meijer, including watching onboarding videos for four days. When it came to learning her new role, Arielle was glad to have Sherry with her at every step. Audrey also regularly checked in with Arielle to ensure she was getting what she needed. According to Arielle, Audrey is “helpful and a nice person.” 

Arielle’s coworkers at Meijer enjoy working with her, and her manager, Greg Bell, considers Arielle a huge part of the team at Meijer.

“When she is not here at work, you can really notice the difference because she does an amazing job.” Greg notes how her confidence has grown quickly.

“I feel that she has become more confident and assured in herself doing her job and knows she does good work.” 

Audrey emphasizes that closing a case doesn’t mean OOD goes away.

“We have an individualized approach. It’s not a cookie-cutter. We meet you where you’re at and help you get to where an employer needs you to be.” 

Sherry Stapleton says, “I don’t think there’s a better organization to help people with disabilities. Audrey was there, working hand-in-hand with us through the entire process. The counselors truly care about the people they work with; they aren’t in it for the money. They put their hearts into it and elevate assistance for people with disabilities to a new level.” 

Support the New Americans magazine to continue to serve our community with precise news that affect the new American, immigrant and refugee community. https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=8LHFS78NRNJJY&source=url