Evan Alioto is excited for what the future holds.

A graduate of the Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB), Evan is ready to start assessments with Ohio’s Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired.

He’s not sure what kind of career he’s interested in yet, but is hopeful that the experience will give him some direction. 

He’s open to many different job opportunities.

“I’m hoping something will come up that I’ll enjoy,” he said.

A native of central Ohio, Evan, who is blind and uses cochlear implants, received support from the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities until his family moved to Reynoldsburg when he was five. 

They began receiving support from LCBDD, including Family Support Services (FSS) funding to pay for his swimming lessons.

Evan, who is now 20, has been a swimmer from early on and competed on the swim team at OSSB. He currently swims with the Groveport Special Olympics.

A fan of all kinds of sports, Evan also wrestled for the OSSB. Both sports allowed him to travel to other states, including Indiana, Kentucky and Arkansas, to compete

He participated in several sports camps throughout his years at OSSB where he got to experience kayaking, rock climbing, zip lining, paddle boarding, boxing and cycling.

After using a recumbent tandem bicycle at school, Evan got to experience riding a bike for the first time in many years.

His parents, Tara and Chris, decided to invest in one, so they could go on bike rides as a family. 

The bike gets a lot of attention in their neighborhood, especially from those who’ve never seen one before.

“We get a lot of compliments,” Chris said.

After completing high school in 2021, Evan started the OSSB’s Education, Development, Growth and Employment (E.D.G.E.) program. 

The post-secondary program gave him the opportunity to live in the school’s dorms during the week. Not only did he also get to try different jobs around the campus, such as cleaning and working as a cashier in the staff dining room, but he learned skills that are essential for living on your own.

Now he knows how to arrange for transportation from COTA, do his laundry and do some cooking. He also learned ways to leverage technology in a future job, such as using an app on his phone to read different denominations of dollar bills. 

He’s hoping all those experiences will help him achieve his goal of one day living on his own.