COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A look around Jennifer Smith-Dudash's office and it is obvious she is in thebusiness of helping people get jobs. Her clients are the deaf.
About 300 are referred to the Columbus Speech and Hearing Center each year by the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission. But the future is unclear.
"Less money, in our situation, more people because people are being laid off. But less time to spend with that person, or less time to be able to work with employers in the community to help these individuals move into a position," explains Smith-Dudash.
Like all state agencies, the Rehab Services Commission must find ways to save. A look at the new state budget finds they lost 30 percent of their funding over the next two years. That equals $11.6 million.
They are required by law to look for alternate funding sources.
The fallout for the Speech and Hearing Center looks like this: Ten percent of their budget comes from the state to run the jobs program.
Layoffs and voluntary separations have reduced their staff and reduced the number of hours they can work with clients from 20 to 10 a week.
Speech and Hearing officials are not sure how much they will lose under the new state budget.
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