MICHIGAN COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND
MARCH 14, 2008
VICTOR BUILDING
LANSING, MICHIGAN

MINUTES

COMMISSIONERS PRESENT
Ms. Jo Ann Pilarski, Chair
Ms. Margaret Wolfe
Mr. Mark Eagle
Ms. Geri Taeckens


COMMISSIONERS ABSENT
Ms. Velma Allen

Michigan Commission for the Blind (MCB) STAFF PRESENT
Mr. Patrick Cannon
Mr. Leamon Jones
Ms. Sherri Heibeck
Ms. Constance Zanger
Ms. Sue Luzenski
Mr. Dave Greenwald
Ms. Susan Turney
Mr. Bob Robertson


GUESTS/ATTENDEES
Ms. Risa Patrick-Langtry
Mr. Steve Langtry
Mr. Larry Posont
Mr. Mike Ellis
Ms. Karen Simmons
Mr. Jim Moore
Mr. George Wurtzel
Ms. Phyllis Magbanum
Ms. Janet Wisswell
Ms. Yvonne DeWitt
Mr. Joe Sontag
Mr. Rutherford Beard
Ms. Gail Jones
Ms. Mary Wurtzel
Mr. Jason Meddaugh
Mr. Fred Wurtzel
Mr. Marcus Simmons
Mr. Geer Wilcox
Ms. Arlene Moore
Mr. Mike Powell
Mr. Wayen LePiors
Mr. Mike Geno
Ms. Melinda Latham
Ms. Gwen Botting
Mr. Robert Essenberg
Ms. Lulunda McDonald


COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

The Committee of the Whole was opened by Chair Jo Ann Pilarski at 9:10 a.m. 

COMMISSIONER ACTIVITIES

          Ms. Taeckens reported that she participated in her final Cultural Diversity Committee meeting with Ms. Wolfe, who was participating in her first meeting as the Commission's liaison to the committee.  An Ophthalmologist who works with the Chippewa Indians blind population in Sault Ste. Marie addressed the committee, the Ophthalmologist spoke about services the Indian population are receiving and still need to receive.

Also, a proposal was discussed for providing cultural diversity training for MCB staff.  A proposal has been made, Dr. Wilson was there by phone talking about cultural diversity training and how the program would be run. 

Ms. Taeckens concluded her report by saying on April 17 & 18 in Sault Ste. Marie a career fair will be held.  Staff and various organizations will be involved.

          Ms. Wolfe participated in the Cultural Diversity Committee meeting for the first time.  She felt it was very informative and appreciated Ms. Taeckens' presentation with the Ophthalmologist. 

On Tuesday, March 11 Mary Udoji and Ms. Wolfe visited the Training Center in Kalamazoo.  They took a tour of the facility and were very impressed with both the facility and staff and she said that it was a delightful visit. 

Ms. Wolfe reported that the Washtenaw County Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled will be hosting Visions 2008 on May 14, from 10 a.m.  - 4 p.m.  Large print and Braille invitations will be sent out.  BEP will be selling food for attendees.  Dr. David Zacks from the University of Michigan Eye Center will be giving a presentation regarding latest issues on eye technology and therapy.  The event and presentation will be audio streamed by Mike Ellis.

          Mr. Eagle reported that he recently attended 2 CIC meetings.  He reported there is a new Chairperson Crystal LaFleche and new Vice-Chair Lydia Schuck.  The Committee is in the process of updating and revising the CIC bylaws.  The other meeting Mr. Eagle participated in was the Service Delivery and Design Team on February 20.  They have a college policy subcommittee that is being created and will meet on Friday, March 21 in Lansing. 

Ms. Pilarski spoke about reassigning Commissioners to the CIC meeting.  The Commissioner assigned to the meeting and the dates are as follows: 

4/21  Margaret Wolfe

6/9 Geri Taeckens

9/14 Velma Allen

1/14/09 Jo Ann Pilarski

Sue Luzenski will make sure that all Commissioners are put on the current mailing list for future CIC meetings.

Ms. Pilarski attended the Planning and Quality (PAQ) team meeting.  She sent a copy of the minutes from that meeting to all Commissioners.  Ms. Pilarski gave an overview of the PAQ Team, which is comprised of a commissioner, staff, representatives from parent groups and representatives from consumer groups.  The committee is working on the strategic plan, setting goals and reporting on progress of goals and objectives that are set.  This information is distributed to staff and Commissioners.  Bob Robertson will distribute the current MCB Action plan to Commissioners.

          Ms. Pilarski asked Director Cannon to talk about the MCB Baseball Night and he reported that the date is set for June 19 for MCB staff, Commissioners and friends to attend the Lansing Lugnuts game.  Those interested can contact Bob Robertson for more information.

          At Ms. Pilarski's request, Mike Ellis reported on changes in streaming of audio, using wireless microphones and capturing the audio.  Mr. Cannon indicated that the benefits of this will allow us to put audio on our website and archive the meetings. Currently all of MCB brochures are available on the website with an audio option.

ISSUES FROM LAST MEETING

          No issues were outstanding from the December meeting.

Recessed for break at 9:30 a.m.

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          The meeting was reconvened at 9:55 a.m. 

CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL AND DETERMINATION OF QUORUM

The regular meeting was called to order by Chair Jo Ann Pilarski at 9:55 a.m.  Commissioner Allen will not be able to attend this meeting.  Roll call was taken and a quorum was present.  The meeting was audio-streamed over the Internet.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

MS. TAECKENS MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MS. WOLFE, TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 10, 2007 MEETING.  MS. PILARSKI ASKED THAT THE MINUTES BE AMENDED TO REFLECT THAT THE REPORTS ON COMMISSIONER ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE SENT TO ALL COMMISSIONERS.  MR. CANNON REQUESTED THE SPELLING OF INDENTITY BE CORRECTED ON PAGE 3.  THE MINUTES, AS AMENDED, WERE APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MR. EAGLE, TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 20, 2008 SPECIAL MEETING.  MS. TAECKENS REQUESTED AMENDMENT BE MADE AS FOLLOWS "ROB ESSENBERG EXPLAINED THAT POLICY PROPOSALS COME THROUGH THE ELECTED OPERATORS COMMITTEE."  THE MINUTES, AS AMENDED, WERE APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY

BOARD CORRESPONDENCE

          There were 2 items received for Board Correspondence.  The first was from Richard Clay, President of Advocates for the Blind inquiring about board response to public comments he made at the December 10, 2007 Commissioner meeting.  Chairperson Pilarski and Mr. Cannon both responded to Mr. Clay's correspondence in writing.

The second piece of correspondence received was from Sheila Stelmach, a BEP operator at the Michigan Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center.  Ms. Stelmach expressed a desire for policy changes with regard to non-traditional BEP operator sites.

National Federation of the Blind (NFB-M)  

          Mr. Fred Wurtzel, President, National Federation of the Blind of Michigan, introduced four consumers who talked about the nature of blindness and consumer experiences with the Commission for the Blind. 

          Risa Patrick-Langtry and her husband, Steve Langtry shared concerns regarding the BEP Operators retirement system and calculations of the Operators retirement dollars using net proceeds.  She urged the Commission to adopt a policy that would clarify how set aside fees are calculated in retirement benefits.   Fred Wurtzel commented that NFB-M would be willing to advocate for more funding if that would help resolve the benefit retirement issue.

          Marcus Simmons shared his experience with MCB's Detroit office and frustrations he encountered receiving items identified in his Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) including a talking GPS unit, laptop computer and documentation to authenticate the laptop. He explained that his computer was received with no accompanying receipts or certification. He also expressed considerable frustration with many changes in the counselors working with him, lengthy delays in getting responses to his inquiries and many phone calls to the Detroit office which were not returned.

          JJ Meadow, former President of the NFB-M's student division began his presentation by expressing his appreciation for the services he received from the Commission and noted that many students are aware of improvements in Commission services, especially at the Training Center.  He also noted three key concerns that students have with the Commission:  a lack of consistency, a lack of accountability and a lack of timely follow through.  Mr. Meadow felt that having access to the Board of Commissioners would allow some of these inconsistencies to be ironed out.  Fred Wurtzel stated that a college education vastly increases a persons' ability to get a job.  All that we can do to build a smooth system would benefit everyone.

          Mike Powell, a current Commission client, reported that he just returned from the Louisiana Commission for the Blind Training Center where he received comprehensive training for a period of 9 months.  He thanked the Commission for allowing him to receive out of state training which he felt better suited his needs than the Commission training center in Kalamazoo.  He also expressed concerns that it took nearly 2 years for the Commission to approve his training in Louisiana.

          Ms Pilarski thanked the NFB-M representatives and commented that consumers can attend committee meetings, speak with counselors, managers and the agency director to voice their concerns and achieve greater satisfaction with our services.

Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired (MCBVI)

          Michael Geno, President of MCBVI shared resources and issues that his organization is dealing with.  These include working with the Coalition on Accessible Technology (COAT) to reinstate legislation for more video description and overcoming visual barriers during emergency broadcast situations; the American Council of the Blind's (ACB), the national counterpart to MCBVI, efforts to work on materials for treatment of service dogs in emergency situations, better training of poll workers on helping at the accessible polling machines, improving effectiveness of traffic safety signals and reinstating funding for accessible medications.  He also noted 2 ACB services of general interest to blind people:  ACBradio.org and ACBworld.org, two internet radio websites.  ACB has also taken the lead in filing suit against the U.S. Treasury Department because U.S. currency is not accessible to blind individuals as currency is in more than 40 other countries.  He noted that ACB prevailed in its complaint which is now being contested by the Treasury along with others who contend that there is no need to make U.S. currency accessible to blind persons. Mr. Geno commended the Commission for its improved customer friendly website, and expressed particular appreciation for its audio components on the site.  He also expressed appreciation for the audio streaming of Commission meetings.  The Annual State Convention of MCBVI will be held September 26 - 28 at the Howard Johnson Hotel, Wyoming, Michigan.

          Commission attendees engaged in some dialogue on the consumer presentations featuring several participant comments.  One commenter noted that Commission services seemed to languish in the 1950's.  They also raised concerns over clients receiving out of state training. Ms. Magbanum commented on the importance of using the new accessible machines at the polls because low usage may cause the machines to not be available. Ms. Pilarski appreciated the thoroughness of Mr. Geno's report.  Mr. Cannon stated that he does have regular meetings with NFB-M and MCBVI and he appreciated Mr. Geno's efforts and constructive criticism.  Commissioners expressed their appreciation for the good work of both organizations and thanked them for participating in the meeting.

Michigan Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (MPVI)   Ms. Gwen Botting, President of MPVI, an affiliate of the MPVI National, an independent organization spoke on a variety of parent issues with regard to services for blind children.  Ms. Botting talked about family dynamics of blindness and the impact on the individuals' capacity to deal with sight loss.  Ms. Botting's report touched on issues concerning visually impaired or blind children graduating high school, especially with the new state legislature demands; keeping children safe whether at home or when attending places like the MCB Training Center or Camp Tuhsemeheta; and children learning to manage their personal affairs and live independently.  The organization website is www.mpvi.org.

          Ms. Pilarski welcomed hearing the parent side of the story.  Mr. Cannon especially thanked Ms. Botting for raising some issues that he was not aware of and asked that he share a copy of her written comments.  Ms. Botting said she would be pleased to do so. 

Parents Of Blind Children (POBC)

          Melinda Latham, a representative of POBC, spoke about their parent organization working on an initiative for a Youth Outreach program.  The goal is to provide mentors to youth who are blind and to change what it is like for blind youth in Michigan.  Upcoming events include a kick-off event at Geyer Community Center, and travels to these destinations: Traverse City, Dallas Texas, Island View Resort in the Upper Peninsula and Disney World Orlando Florida.  Ms. Latham said that the experience being offered to POBC youth are important and will help young blind people to more fully integrate into all aspects of society.

PUBLIC COMMENT

          Ms. Sheila Ashcraft (via email) indicated the digital equipment sounded great from her PC.  She also noted that websites for both MCBVI and NFB-M are not current and encouraged the representatives from those organizations that were on hand at the meeting to post their good works, committees, resolutions and programs. 

          Ms. Kim Walsh (via email) commented on the very nice audio sound from the meeting and welcomed the new MCB Commissioners and staff.  She also thanked Pat Cannon, Leamon Jones, Sherri Heibeck and the MCB Detroit office for their continued support in helping to increase Detroit Radio Information Services (DRIS) for clients in Southeast Michigan.  She invited attendees to listen to verbatim readings of 100+ newspapers, magazines, grocery and store ads visit www.dris.org .

Mr. Terry Eagle (via  email) questioned why there is no information on how someone could submit public comments via email.  He also expressed his concern about commission employment practices, its website, agenda development for commission meetings, secret meetings, genuine consumer dialogue, the administration of the commissions BEP program and the overall administration of the commission in general.

Mary Wurtzel made a statement about how we are not perfect human beings but if we look ahead and walk forward together we can find solutions.  The NFB National Convention will be held in Detroit in 2009.

George Wurtzel spoke about the partnership Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind (OUB) has with Leader Dog and they are once again giving away12 Trekker units for ages 15 - 19.  OUB's summer programs will include a Braille camp, building a sundial, sailing a 70ft schooner, family camp, wood working and a gardening program just to name a few.  Mr. Wurtzel handed out Camp T leather medallions to each of the Commissioners and Director Cannon.

          Mr. Fred Wurtzel demonstrated a talking device, the Kurzweil Reader that can be used on a cell phone, GPS unit, reader or scanner.  The device takes a picture and reads what is there.

          Rutherford Beard, BEP Operator thanked the Commission for inviting him and spoke about how important training and cafeteria certification is for BEP operators and how important it is to have the proper equipment and technology needed to travel back and forth to school.  He felt this will allow operators to run their facilities in the proper manner and more effectively train employees and summer youth.

Recessed for break at 12:26 p.m.

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          The meeting was reconvened at 1:15 p.m. 

BUSINESS   ENTERPRISE PROGRAM REPORT (BEP)

          Ms. Constance Zanger, BEP Manager highlighted and updated the Commission on topics from the BEP report.  This included the postal service contract initiative having been reviewed, approved and signed by Director Cannon.  This contract has now been forwarded to the Assistant Attorney General's office for signature and then will need to go back to the postal service for finalization.  Sites for implementation have been formulated; plans are being developed for this service to begin this summer.

          Ongoing new BEP opportunities are the Joint Reserve Training Center in Lansing which is complete and operation of cafeteria services will commence as soon as the final equipment is installed and the health department authorizes occupancy, hopefully this month.  Rutherford Beard will be responsible for this facility.

          Café DeVille has opened in Detroit's Cadillac Place and has expanded its menu beyond coffee, tea and soft drinks to include pastries, breakfast offerings and a light lunch menu.  Future offerings include a catering business based out of the shop.

          The USPS Metroplex facility in Pontiac, Michigan was slated to open in mid-May, but in February a portion of the ceiling caved in.  The facility is slightly delayed but should be up and running by the end of May.  Rob Essenberg will be operating this facility.

          The BEP is working closely with the EOC and is in discussions regarding the operator annual evaluation, cafeteria building and maintenance competency and revision of the product inventory policy.

          The annual BEP Operators Workshop is scheduled for April 11-13 at the Holiday Inn West, Lansing.  The theme is "Your Future and the Future of BEP." 

Administrative Law Judge Decisions (ALJ)

          Ms. Zanger presented three ALJ recommendations to Commissioners as a result of grievances filed by BEP operators and Commissioners were asked to either affirm or reject the ALJ decision.

          1.      Hazell Brooks, was determined to be out of compliance for late set aside fees and was charged a penalty.  The ALJ recommended that she be forgiven for this infraction because it was de minimus.  Ms. Zanger stated that the staff is recommending rejection of the ALJ recommendation because the operator was aware of when the payment was due and where it was to be mailed.  Ms. Zanger stated that prompt payments are an important part of being an effective BEP entrepreneur.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED TO ACCEPT THE ALJ DECISION; SUPPORTED BY MARGARET WOLFE;  THE MOTION CARRIED 3 to 1. 

          Ms. Taeckens said she supported the ALJ decision because it is not specifically stated in the policy that the set aside fees have to go to the specific address or use the proper envelope.  She suggested that this could be clarified with a policy change.  Ms. Wolfe concurred with Ms. Taeckens comments.

2.      Hazell Brooks complaint stated that the Commission is not sufficiently enforcing PA 260 and that the State Office of Retirement Services (ORS) violated the laws by selling food products for one of its fundraising initiatives.  Ms. Brooks asked to be compensated for lost revenue and that ORS cease their sales of food products.

The ALJ agreed that any sale of food products in state government facilities other than by a licensed BEP operator does violate PA 260.

The ALJ recommends that the Commission, in collaboration with the State Attorney General, develop a position paper on fundraising efforts which violate the law and clarify that the sale of food products in state facilities is a priority of the BEP program.  He further recommended that the Commission help promote the rules to all Departments, Boards and Commissions in state government. He recommended that Ms. Brooks request to be compensated for lost revenues be denied.  Ms. Zanger stated that the Commission staff supports the ALJ recommendation.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED TO SUPPORT THE ALJ DECISION; SUPPORTED BY MS. WOLFE;  THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

          Ms. Taeckens hopes that the position paper will communicate with other organizations.  Mr. Essenberg stated that the EOC supports this action one hundred percent and hopes that efforts will eliminate all competitive food services in state and federal buildings.

3.                 Sheila Stelmach's complaint requested that she be forgiven for cafeteria competencies as required by her licensing agreement.  She stated that her facility, the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, is unique among other BEP cafeteria facilities and as BEP's first military facility there should be different guidelines established for such operations.

The ALJ recommended that the cafeteria competency not be forgiven.  Staff supports this recommendation.

MR. EAGLE MOVED TO SUPPORT THE ALJ DECISION TO NOT FORGIVE THE CAFETERIA COMPETENCIES; MS. TAECKENS SUPPORTED; THE  MOTION CARRIED 3 TO 1.

           Ms. Pilarski explained that she did not support the ALJ recommendation because the military facility is unique and should require different training and certification than the typical BEP cafeteria.  Rob Essenberg stated that he will work with the EOC to help develop additional guidelines for such operations to better serve future operators at such facilities.  Ms. Zanger agreed that such a policy would be a good addition to current BEP rules.

ELECTED OPERATORS COMMITTEE REPORT (EOC)

          Mr. Essenberg reported that the EOC has been working with BEP staff to make changes in the BEP Operations Manual and that the EOC has reviewed the changes and is recommending the Commissioners approve the changes.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED TO ACCEPT BEP OPERATIONS  MANUAL CHANGES; MS. WOLFE SUPPORTED; THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED TO REMOVE FROM THE TABLE A MOTION FROM THE 12/10/07 COMMISSION MEETING TO EFFECT CHANGES IN THE BEP POINT SYSTEM; MS. WOLFE SUPPORTED; THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

          The Board asked that the motion, identified as motion #2 be reread in its parts and each part be voted on separately. Ms. Luzenski read proposals A - E.

          Proposal A, Profit Expectation:  The Committee has capped the number of points an operator can be awarded for exceeding the established profit percentage expectation.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED TO ACCEPT THE   EOC RECOMMENDATION OF SUPPORTING PROPOSAL A OF MOTION TWO; MS. WOLFE SUPPORTED; THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

           Proposal B, Building Management Evaluation:  This component has been eliminated from the Operator Selection System.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED TO ACCEPT THE   EOC RECOMMENDATION OF SUPPORTING PROPOSAL B OF MOTION TWO; MS. WOLFE SUPPORTED; THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

           Proposal C, Health and Safety Evaluation: The Committee eliminated the deduction of points for each negative health report in the previous 5 years.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED TO ACCEPT THE EOC RECOMMENDATION OF SUPPORTING PROPOSAL C OF MOTION TWO; MS. WOLFE SUPPORTED; THE MOTION CARRIED 3 TO 1.

          Mr. Eagle informed the board the health reports are readily available on the web and should not be completely eliminated.  Ms. Taeckens clarified that it is not that there won't be health and safety evaluations it just won't be related to points in the future.

          Proposal D, Agreement: The Committee eliminated the deduction of points for each violation of the current agreement between the operator and the Commission as being superfluous.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED TO DENY SUPPORTING THE EOC RECOMMENDATION OF PROPOSAL D OF MOTION TWO; MR. EAGLE SUPPORTED AS PRESENTED;

THE MOTION WAS WITHDRAWN BY MS. TAECKENS; MR. EAGLE SUPPORTED WITHDRAWAL.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED TO ACCEPT THE EOC RECOMMENDATION OF SUPPORTING PROPOSAL D OF MOTION TWO; MS. WOLFE SUPPORTED; THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

           Proposal E, Compliance:  The Committee eliminated the deduction of points for operators in the compliance review process as being redundant.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED TO ACCEPT THE EOC RECOMMENDATION OF SUPPORTING PROPOSAL E OF MOTION TWO; MS. WOLFE SUPPORTED.   THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

          Mr. Essenberg presented a motion to Commissioners to eliminate the 5 point penalty assessed operators who are late with their set aside fee payments.  Ms. Zanger stated that the staff was recommending that the motion be rejected because making prompt payments is an important aspect of successfully running a business 

MS. TAECKENS MOVED TO REJECT THE EOC RECOMMENDATION TO ELIMINATE THE 5 POINT PENALTY FOR LATE SET ASIDE FEES; MS. WOLFE SUPPORTED THE MOTION TO REJECT; THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

           There was considerable discussion regarding the motion to remove the negative points for late set-aside fees.  Mr. Essenberg spoke on behalf of the EOC motion and urged that it be adopted.  Ms. Zanger clarified that operators need to meet this commitment on time every month as it is a very important part of the operator selection system.  She added that a graduated point system could be put in its place.  Ms. Pilarski asked how this requirement is communicated to current operators and operator trainees and Ms. Zanger replied that this is emphasized in training, it is listed on the bill and is stated clearly in the BEP Operations Manual.  Mr. Essenberg did clarify that if this motion failed and came back to Committee several EOC members indicated that they would be in favor of a graduated scale.

MS. WOLFE MOVED TO ACCEPT THE BEP REPORT; MR. EAGLE SUPPORTED; THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

MR. EAGLE MOVED TO ACCEPT THE EOC REPORT; MS. WOLFE SUPPORTED; THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

MCB CONSUMER SERVICES REPORT

Mr. Leamon Jones, Director of the Consumer Services Division, referred the board to the written MCB report which describes the many activities in which staff is involved. Mr. Jones would also like to bring greetings from the Older Blind Managers meeting from Arlington, Virginia.  The focus everywhere is fiscal responsibility and his report reflects that.

Mr. Jones identified companies that employees are working with to secure employment for blind individuals, including Herman Miller and Hemlock Corporation.  There is a need for training qualified individuals so they are prepared for these opportunities.  Staff is encouraged to work with the local community colleges and MCB consumers to participate in these training programs. Staff will continue working closely with Michigan Works to further participation efforts.

Mr. Jones spoke in greater detail about the nine summer transition programs that are currently in place.  As these programs are finalized information will be made available.  There will also be continued efforts to provide employment opportunities for the students and stress the importance of these employment skills.

The Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) between the Veterans Administration, Michigan Rehabilitation Services, Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns and MCB is finalized.  Implementation will occur upon the receipt of the appropriate signatures.  Another MOU slated to be complete by mid-March 2008 is the Michigan Prison Reentry Initiative (MPRI). 

Mr. Jones welcomed back Bernie Kramer who was off on military leave.  Mr. Kramer will resume his duties as the West Regional Manager.

MS. WOLFE MOVED TO ACCEPT THE CONSUMER SERVICES REPORT; MS. TAECKENS SUPPORTED.  THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

TRAINING CENTER REPORT

Mr. Dave Greenwald gave the Training Center report on behalf of Christine Boone.  Mr. Greenwald referred the Commissioners to the written Training Center report.

A new center practice has been implemented, granting students a cash allowance at the beginning of each week for incidentals throughout the week including the Saturday night dinner.  So far this new practice seems to be working and enforces skills learned at the training center such as money handling and independence.

A new Access Technology class has begun that will expose select students to various technology devices available including Braille note takers, DAISY reading systems and PDA's. 

The Training Center is updating 2 classes:  personal management money and time (PMMT) and the communications class.  Staff member Karen Harrington is developing a Life Skills class.

The Training Center had a successful holiday open house with positive feedback from both the students and the public.

A community project the Training Center was involved in was the Empty Bowls project.  This program allowed students at the center to work with Kalamazoo College art students to participate in a community auction of their clay bowls.

The Training Center continues to develop their summer youth program.  Staff is hoping to implement this program in the summer of 2009.

The second round of interviews is taking place for an occupational therapist.  This was a previously posted position that did not result in hiring of a new employee. A process is also underway to select the Assistant Director for the Center.

Training Center counselor Regina Wesley has taken a medical retirement due to medical problems; Bruce Schultz is filling in on a temporary basis.

The training center has acquired a new dog to work with the students, he is a lab/shepherd mix and will join Bailey, a staff members dog, who currently spends time with the students.

MR. EAGLE MOVED TO ACCEPT THE   TRAINING   CENTER REPORT; MS. TAECKENS SUPPORTED; THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REPORT

          Ms. Sherri Heibeck, Administrative Services Manager, said that the budget was currently in good shape for the first quarter of fiscal year 2008.  One major concern currently being faced is a lack of matching funds.  MCB has $1.8 million in federal funds currently unmatched.  The Commission has until June to get all matching funds into place. Staff is currently finding additional funding resources to match this amount.

          MCB and DLEG staff has met with DMB to review a preliminary assessment for comprehensive energy and operational savings for MCBTC.  An overview was presented with energy savings dollars amounting to $20,000 yearly.  

          MCBTC has been working with DIT for the student technology purchases and are looking at acquiring an exception request to expedite purchases.

MR. EAGLE MOVED TO ACCEPT THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REPORT; MS WOLFE SUPPORTED.  THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Mr. Cannon referred the Board to the written MCB Report previously submitted to the Board. This report is posted on the MCB website and distributed to anyone who wishes to receive it.  Mr. Cannon highlighted some of the many articles on blindness issues and activities.

The Commission for the Blind will receive the Navigator Award later this month from the Michigan Quality Council (MQC).  Numerous staff was actively involved in the pursuit of this recognition.  This is the second phase in a three-phase journey towards the Malcolm Baldridge Award.

The CSAVR/NCSAB conference will be held in Bethesda, Maryland April 20-25.  Mr. Cannon will be participating and attending this conference whose theme is "Great Practices, Great Results".

A recently released EEOC report highlighted that the Federal government is not doing as good a job employing people with disabilities.

The MCB website is highlighting a connection to the AFB's Senior Site. 

Also available on the MCB website is information on how a person can send a public comment by using email during the Commission meetings.

A report is included about modest success with the Ticket to Work program.  This program has had very limited successes.

Visions 2008 is coming up next month at the Washtenaw County Library for the Blind.  This is the 5^th technology and vendor fair co-sponsored by MCB and the Library.

Mr. Cannon noted that he and Sue Luzenski had the opportunity to attend the MCB mini-adjustment program in Traverse City in March.  This is a wonderful way to glimpse the great work of MCB staff and see the transformation of clients in only a weeks time.  Future mini-adjustment programs will be held in Saginaw, Farmington and Kalamazoo.

MS. WOLFE MOVED TO ACCEPT THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT; SUPPORTED BY MR. EAGLE.  THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

ADJOURNMENT

MR. EAGLE MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING; SUPPORTED BY MS. WOLFE.  THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

          The meeting was adjourned at 3:12 p.m.  The next meeting will be held on Friday, June 20 at the Victor Center, Lansing.  The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m.

                                               
Jo Ann Pilarski, Chairperson

                                               
Date