MCB REPORT

December 2, 2005

CSAVR/NCSAB Conferences

The Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) and the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB) held their annual conferences in San Diego, November 6-11. Pat Cannon and Sherri Heibeck, along with several hundred public rehabilitation professionals from around the country, attended the conferences which addressed a variety of rehabilitation issues:

• Dr. Bobby Silverstein, Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy, made presentations to attendees on the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) now pending in Congress and the role that public rehabilitation professionals need to play in order to ensure the success of the one stop service delivery system. He also commented on how calculations of the unemployment rate among people with disabilities are misleading and may work counter to the best interests of rehabilitation agencies and job-seekers with disabilities.
• Jaye Shamsiddeen, director of Michigan Rehabilitation Services, facilitated a panel discussion with representatives from the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) which focused on recent studies of rehabilitation services and to what extent critical standards and indicators have been met. The GAO suggested that they need to work more closely with rehabilitation organizations to better understand how rehab services are provided to people with disabilities.
• Dr. Fredric Schroeder and Catriona MacDonald, governmental affairs specialists with NCSAB, provided an overview of their work on WIA reauthorization, new approaches by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in providing technical assistance and monitoring of state rehabilitation agencies, and congressional scrutiny of the federal Randolph-Sheppard program. They reported that the oversight hearing on the Randolph-Sheppard program by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) demonstrated an incomplete understanding of how the Business Enterprise Program functions and said an aggressive awareness campaign needs to be waged in order to help protect the program.
• John Pare, National Federation of the Blind (NFB), made a presentation on Newsline, an NFB service enabling blind persons to read newspapers electronically via the telephone. He said the Newsline service now features 200 newspapers and several magazines including two Spanish publications. He stated that many states, like Michigan, are pursuing legislation that will provide a stable funding base to ensure that the important information services can be sustained.
• The Minnesota Commission for the Blind made a presentation on a program they have developed to certify the qualifications of individuals providing training on assistive technology. Similar testing mechanisms have also been developed by the Texas Commission for the Blind and Mississippi State University (the other MSU).
• The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) made several presentations on their CareerConnect program which assists blind job-seekers in their career quest. They reported that they have renovated their CareerConnect website which is tailored to five key audiences: employers, job seekers, rehabilitation professionals, mentors, and family members. AFB also reported on programs to assist older blind individuals including those who want to return to employment.
• The Iowa Department for the Blind made a presentation on their new Youth Mentoring Initiative which provides mentoring opportunities for successful blind people who are willing to interact with any high school or college age blind students.

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF MICHIGAN

STATE CONVENTION

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) of Michigan held their annual fall convention in Pontiac, November 11-13, where their membership addressed a variety of blindness issues. Topics included Newsline, new advances in technology for the blind, transition services for blind children and youth, and public rehabilitation services.

MCB reported on its efforts to engage stakeholders more fully by inviting consumer involvement and representation on its Planning and Quality (PAQ) team, audio streaming of Commission meetings, and through attendance at consumer conventions. MCB also reported progress on recommendations made at three focus group discussions two years ago.

MCB was well represented at the convention with nearly 20 staff and commissioners in attendance.

MINI-ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM IN BAY CITY

The Michigan Commission for the Blind conducted its fifth Mini-adjustment Program of the year, October 16-22 at the Bay City Doubletree Hotel, with 31 clients participating. MCB clients attending the Mini-Adjustment Program workshops are introduced to a variety of skills of blindness, such as cane travel, Braille, managing time and money, adaptive kitchen skills and other skills to enhance independence. MCB will conduct five, week-long Mini-Adjustment Programs in 2006, with the first workshops of the new year scheduled for January 8-13 in Grand Rapids and March 12-17 in Detroit. Additional workshops are planned for May in Clare, for August in Lansing, and a special program is being planned for DeafBlind clients.

FIRED BLIND WOMAN AWARDED $3 MILLION

A federal jury awarded more than $3 million on November 22 to Christine Boone, a blind woman who was fired from her job as director of Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services. Ms. Boone said she was fired in 2003 after four years of service because she strongly advocated for the blind, which was disputed by officials from the Bureau. The jury agreed with Ms. Boone’s claim that she had been defamed as part of the firing process when officials stated she was fired for just cause and that she was discriminated against because of her disability. The U.S. Judge in the case is still determining whether to grant Ms. Boone’s request for reinstatement to her position. Ms. Boone said she was elated by the decision and by the support of many of the employees and colleagues who stepped forward to testify for her.

CONSUMER SERVICES REPORT

The Consumer Services Division continues to develop cash match agreements with intermediate school districts to increase transition opportunities for all students. These cash match agreements have been instrumental in involving our community partners and school districts in the development of job shadowing, mentoring, and work experience for blind and visually impaired consumers.

The Consumer Services director met with MCB’s Cultural Diversity Committee in November to receive an update regarding activities of the committee. Efforts are continuing in outreach to the unserved and underserved populations. The committee continues to identify areas where MCB needs to increase services. This committee will make recommendations to the MCB director on how to more effectively serve minority clients.

The Consumer Services director also met with the Flint Michigan Works! Customized Employment Program staff to discuss ways MCB can become more involved in their programs. They were eager to have the commission participation in all aspects of the Michigan Works! programs. A planning meeting has been established to discuss the details of MCB’s involvement.

During the Mini Adjustment program held in Bay City, MCB assistant regional supervisor Beth White facilitated an Employment Readiness Seminar, October 19 which included presentations by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and its SSA-funded Benefits Planning, Assistance & Outreach office. The purpose of the seminar was to provide MCB clients seeking employment with essential information and skills such as how to prepare a resume, find job leads, and prepare for an interview. Staff from local organizations reviewed resumes and conducted mock interviews as part of the seminar.

The Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC), a community partner, has completed the results of MCB’s Consumer Satisfaction Survey and will be sharing the results at the December Commission meeting and with MCB staff.

MCB presented at the Michigan Rehabilitation Conference on the increase of vision and hearing impairments affecting the baby-boomer population. Dee Robertson and Sherry Gordon gave very informative presentations and the audience was receptive to the information and handouts.

The Consumer Services supervisors acknowledged the hard work of the counselors and teachers by presenting them with a cake at the Technology Training in Kalamazoo on November 21st.

The focus of the West Region the past few months has centered on continuous development of community partnerships. Grand Rapids staff met with GTP Industries of Traverse City, a Community Rehabilitation Program, to discuss with them employment opportunities for MCB’s consumers. GTP is working to expand federal contracts in the region, ultimately to increase employment opportunities for individuals in the cities of Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon and Traverse City.

The West Region manager, Bernie Kramer, participated in the statewide partnership forum that was co-sponsored by MCB and the Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS). Mr. Kramer was instrumental in inviting an employer from the Battle Creek area to participate in an employer forum. The employer, Peckham, has worked collaboratively with MCB’s consumers over the years. This forum provided answers to questions regarding hiring practices of companies as it relates to the requirements and how they view disabled workers.

The Gaylord Office has developed "Team Gaylord," an initiative that will increase referrals from Central and Northeastern Lower Michigan. This office will soon see an addition of two counties to its Vocational Rehabilitation Program.

Escanaba continues to meet the vast referral demands of the Upper Peninsula. Sue Anderson has returned from medical leave and the Commission is pleased to have her back. The U.P. staff is actively involved with Marcie Alling, the Mi Connections State Coordinator in establishing two Mi Connections sites in the Hannahville Indian Community, and Menominee County Intermediate School District as well as one in the Keweenaw Peninsula. This project will include the Copper Intermediate School District, comprised of the rural Michigan counties of Baraga, Houghton and Keweenaw. Mi Connections continues to develop new sites with high schools and the latest school district to participate is Coldwater. The MI Connections program in Kent County continues to be the pacesetter for the other programs.

After many months of staff input regarding the organization of caseloads in the West Region, a proposal was forwarded to the director of Consumer Services. This plan has been approved and the staff of the West Region looks forward to a continued process of streamlining services and linking initiatives to MCB consumers and community partners.

The East Region has continued to collaborate with their partners in the development of vocational opportunities for its consumers. The Detroit area is working with Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit and finalizing vocational training programs for blind and visually impaired students. The Customized Employment Program through Michigan Works continues to provide adaptive equipment for consumers, which has enhanced their independence and job search opportunities.

MCB Detroit continues to work collaboratively with Wayne State’s advisory board of the Rehabilitation Counseling Program to provide opportunities for persons with disabilities to acquire advance degrees in rehabilitation counseling. The Detroit office has been a work site for the interns of the Wayne State Rehabilitation Program.

MCB Detroit is also working through an organization called Ser/Metro to develop connections with the Hispanic/Latino population, one of the underserved populations targeted by MCB to increase services. MCB Detroit will be attempting to establish an itinerant site within the Ser/Metro complex.

Madonna University students visited the Detroit office to get better acquainted with the services that MCB provides. These students are interested in pursuing careers in the disability fields. The Detroit office participated in an expo designed to provide job opportunities and informational services to evacuees from Mississippi and Louisiana. It was estimated that some six thousand people attended the expo.

MCB TRAINING CENTER REPORT

On November 3, Melody Lindsey, Corda Moss and Jenifer, an MCBTC student, met with a group of children from the Kalamazoo Boys and Girls Club to discuss blindness. The children enjoyed the reading of a story in Braille, learned how blind people use Braille and talking watches, and observed the effectiveness of using the long white cane in traveling. The children asked many questions and, at the end of the presentation, they received MCB alphabet cards with their names written in Braille.

On November 9, Melody Lindsey, Dr. Jennipher Wiebold, a professor from Western Michigan University (WMU) and a WMU student from the Blindness and Low Vision Studies Department conducted a presentation at the Michigan Rehabilitation Conference on the immersion program that has taken place at the Training Center during the last two summers. The purpose, methods and goals were shared with the audience. The audience also heard an overview of the Training Center program and how the participants in the immersion program interact with staff and students at MCBTC. The student from WMU talked about her experience in the immersion program. Based on her presentation, the issue of stereotypes about blindness needs to be more thoroughly addressed with future immersion students.

On November 21 and 22, MCB staff had the opportunity to participate in Technology Seminars with classes featuring the latest advancements in technology for the blind. The purpose of these training opportunities is to familiarize staff with technology that their consumers can use to be more productive at work. Some of the presentations included: using the BrailleNote with GPS, an introduction to Dolphin Products, preparing college-bound students to meet the challenges of technology in the university environment today, an introduction to JAWS 7.0, etc.

On December 15, MCBTC will host its annual holiday open house for students, staff, friends and community partners.

After seventeen years of service to the Michigan Commission for the Blind, Marcia Parks, the receptionist at the Center, will retire at the end of this year. On December 16, a luncheon will be held to express appreciation to Marcia for her dedication to the work done on behalf of blind consumers.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REPORT

The big challenge for the 2006 fiscal year budget is to secure enough state funds to enable MCB to fully match the federal Title I award of $12.413 million. That is an additional $1.083 million of federal funds which would require an additional $293,000 in state matching funds. Those figures are based on projected figures for 2006 funding from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). The Title I grant is subject to change as the 2006 Federal Budget for the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has not yet been approved by Congress. On November 19, 2005, the President signed into law the second continuing resolution for fiscal year 2006, which provides funding for several Federal agencies, including DOE, through December 17, 2005, or the enactment of regular appropriations, which ever occurs first. MCB is currently budgeted for an additional $106,000 of GF/GP funds from last year. However that still leaves a shortage of at least $300,000 for match. MCB will have to be creative and begin to look at more cash match agreements, certified expenditures for services of high school staff and trying to get capitol outlay projects.

Staff have been working on the submission of MCB’s federal reports. At the CSAVR conference in San Diego, presenters emphasized the importance of timely submission of all reports. Most felt that all federal reports would be scrutinized this year especially in the area of timeliness. MCB is on target in successfully submitting timely reports.

The second round of beta testing of System 7 (the web based system) has been completed. This included staff testing the application along with accessibility for voice users. The developer left with some issues to be addressed and the system will be retested in a few weeks. If all goes well MCB should be able to begin rolling out the new system once a solution for the database hosting is resolved.

In MCB personnel and training activities, interviews will be conducted in early December to fill a secretary vacancy in the deaf-blind unit, with the hope that the new person can start after the first of the year.

Standards for Rehabilitation Counselor 12s should be finalized in the very near future. The Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG) is requiring that MCB develop some criteria to demonstrate that a rehab counselor 11 is qualified to be a 12. These guidelines have been developed and submitted to the department for approval, which also require Civil Service approval.

Two training programs are being planned for the coming year – one is a job placement program for new field staff who have not yet participated in this program formerly known as Building Trust Relationships. Three separate weeks of Discovery Learning training are also being planned for next summer, with two weeks – one in Detroit and one in Lansing – for new staff and others who have not yet participated and a third week of "advanced" training for those who’ve gone through the initial training and would like additional skills. More information will be sent out over the next 2-3 months.

For the most part, managers have completed the first steps of the MI-360 evaluation process. They’ve gone through the orientation training and invited feedback from co-workers and others. The next step that will take place in December and January is for the managers to attend a Feedback Session to learn how they were evaluated. From that information, they will be encouraged to write Professional Development Plans to improve their leadership and managerial skills.

BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PROGRAM REPORT

Catering has taken center stage with regard to BEP activities. The adoption of new rules for BEP that include catering and coffee services as part of the definition of concessions has created many new income opportunities for BEP. There have been numerous inquiries regarding the change and what the expectations are for state agencies. Some operators have reported significant increases in their business, while others are still working to build new contacts and relationships. Overall, the change is positive and certainly measurable. Representatives from all state departments were invited to an information session, held at the Library of Michigan on November 2, and another session will be offered in a few months.

Kudos goes to the Highway Vending Subcommittee for resuming the highway vending conference. BEP operators, staff, and Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) officials and suppliers met for 3 days to discuss items of mutual interest. Scott Wheeler of MDOT reported that Michigan counted approximately 50 million visitors to its rest areas and welcome centers last year. The highway vending operators should be proud of the quality and level of service that is provided to make travelers and visitors welcome on Michigan's highways.

An important step was taken to create a partnership between operators and drink suppliers. Operators met separately with beverage companies to explore the possible advantages of creating an exclusive agreement that would bring benefit to both operators and the beverage supplier. Such an arrangement would be patterned after agreements that universities and stadiums make to create profitable relationships. BEP purchases approximately $8 million in products each year. Highway vendors will leverage this buying power to benefit the whole program.