MCB REPORT

August 5, 2004

ADA MARKS 14^th ANNIVERSARY

Individuals with disabilities, disability organizations and advocates for disability rights participated in events throughout Michigan and the nation to celebrate the 14^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), July 26.  Governor Jennifer M. Granholm issued a declaration of tribute in honor of the landmark federal legislation, which provides civil rights protection for people with disabilities for purposes of employment, services of state and local government, transportation, commercial facilities and places of public accommodations and communications.

In her tribute, Governor Granholm noted the words of President George H. W. Bush when he signed the ADA into law at a White House ceremony, July 26, 1990:  “May the shameful walls of exclusion come tumbling down.”  Governor Granholm further hailed progress made under the ADA in promoting the full integration of people with disabilities into all aspects of society.  Several members of the MCB staff participated in events commemorating the ADA anniversary.

NATIONAL SURVEY REVEALS SIGNIFICANT BUT SLOW PROGRESS ON DISABILITY CONCERNS

Americans with disabilities are at a critical disadvantage compared to other Americans in ten key areas of life, according to the 2004 National Organization on Disability/Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities, released in Washington, June 24. Continuing a trend, the survey found slow and modest progress in the indicators, which Harris has tracked since 1986.

Harris Poll Chairman Humphrey Taylor, who directed related surveys in 1986, 1994, 1998 and 2000, highlighted statistics:

·        Only 35 percent of people with disabilities reported being employed full or part time, compared to 78 percent of those who do not have disabilities.

·        Three times as many live in poverty with annual household incomes below $15,000 (26 percent versus 9 percent).

·        People with disabilities remain twice as likely to drop out of high school (21 percent versus 10 percent).

·        They are twice as likely to have inadequate transportation (31 percent versus 13 percent), and a much higher percentage go without needed health care (18 percent versus 7 percent).

·        People with disabilities are less likely to socialize, eat out, or attend religious services than their non-disabled counterparts.

·        Life satisfaction for people with disabilities also trails, with only 34 percent saying they are very satisfied compared to 61 percent of those without disabilities.

"Progress is too slow, and the gaps are still too large," said National Organization on Disability President Alan A. Reich. "Looking back four years, or ten years, to our earlier N.O.D./Harris surveys, we see Americans with disabilities heading in the right direction. But people with disabilities remain pervasively disadvantaged. Our goal of full participation is a dream deferred. I hope that the findings we are releasing today will inspire legislators, public officials, and the American people to rededicate themselves to this goal. A fifth of Americans have disabilities; everyone knows people with disabilities; and anyone can acquire a disability at any time. Everyone has a stake in these findings."

In addition to the primary findings, Mr. Taylor reported several others of note:

·        Although 22 percent of employed people with disabilities report encountering job discrimination, this is a dramatic drop from 36 percent four years ago.

·        The severity of disability makes a significant difference in all of the gap areas, and people with severe disabilities have much greater disadvantages.

·        People with disabilities are much more worried about their future health and well-being. Half are worried about not being able to care for themselves or being a burden to their families, compared to a quarter of other Americans.

·        Americans with disabilities rely on assistive technology, and a third say they would lose their independence without this technology.

·        People with disabilities are more likely to have a common sense of identity with other people with disabilities; 56 percent now say they do, compared to 47 percent in 2000.

NEW ADA GUIDELINES ISSUED BY ACCESS BOARD

The U.S. Access Board released, July 23, new design guidelines that cover access for people with disabilities under the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.  The guidelines update access requirements for a wide range of facilities in the public and private sectors covered by the law.

The guidelines help assure that when a building is built or renovated anywhere in the nation, its doors will be open and accessible to people with disabilities.  It is estimated that 54 million Americans have some type of disability, including an estimated 1.9 million individuals in Michigan.

The Board's guidelines detail how accessibility is to be achieved in new construction and alterations and provide specifications for various building elements and spaces, including entrances, ramps, parking, restrooms, and telephones, among others.  The new design document is the culmination of a comprehensive, decade-long review and update of the Board's ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG), which were first published in 1991.

Revisions have been made so that the guidelines continue to meet the needs of people with disabilities and keep pace with technological innovations.  For example, new provisions for ATMs specify audible output so that people with vision impairments are provided equal access, and reach ranges have been lowered to better serve people who use wheelchairs and persons of short stature.  The guidelines also feature a new format and organization and have been extensively edited for greater clarity.

As part of this update, the Board has made its guidelines more consistent with model building codes, such as the International Building Code (IBC), and industry standards.  It coordinated extensively with model code groups and standard-setting bodies throughout the process so that differences could be reconciled.  As a result, a historic level of harmonization has been achieved which has brought about improvements to the guidelines as well as to counterpart provisions in the IBC and key industry standards.

The updated guidelines are based largely on recommendations from an advisory committee the Board established for this purpose.  The ADAAG Review Advisory Committee represented a cross section of stakeholders, including representatives from disability groups, the design profession, and building codes organizations.  The final version was further shaped by input received from the public, including over 2,500 comments received in response to a previously published draft.  Copies of the new ADA Accessibility Guidelines and other information are available on the Board's website at http://www.access-board.gov/ada-aba.htm.

MINI ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMS

The Michigan Commission for the Blind held two specialized mini-adjustment programs this summer, one developed for the deafblind and the other for blind youth, introducing participants 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.

The Mini Adjustment Program for DeafBlind consumers was held at the Holiday Inn South, Lansing, June 20-25.   The summer youth program, “Quest for Success,” was held the week of July 11 at Camp Tuhsmeheta, the 300-acre environmental education camp located in Greenville. 

The next Mini-Adjustment program will be held at the Holiday Inn, Grayling, August 29-September 3rd.  Plans are under development now for the 2005 Mini-Adjustment Program schedule.

CONSUMER SERVICES REPORT

The Consumers Services staff continues to work with various groups and organizations to increase MCB’s visibility.  The staff has made contact with Native Americans in the Southeast area.  This contact was established through the Blue Water Center for Independent Living.  A staff member of the CIL is working with the Detroit Office to assist in identifying groups and organizations that provide services to the Native Americans in the urban areas.  The objective is to increase vocational rehabilitation to this population with an additional focus area being outreach activities to the Latino community.  A conference was sponsored by RSA in Chicago in mid July where emphasis was placed on providing rehabilitation to Latinos. The Consumer Services Director attended this conference and was able to obtain valuable information regarding service provisions to this population.  In the next fiscal year, MCB will focus more attention on providing increased rehabilitation services to these two groups. 

The vocational rehabilitation staff is working closely with Michigan Works! to obtain employment opportunities for job ready consumers.  One staff person is participating in a round table discussion with Michigan Works! in Monroe County where consumers will share with the advisory boards their experiences and how they were able to obtain employment.   This is an excellent forum to promote cooperation and collaboration.  Further, vocational opportunities have been initiated with the American Council of the Blind thrift stores.  The Southeast regional supervisor met with Michael Keoghan, the executive director of the American Council of the Blind to discuss employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired consumers.  In the discussion, a number of employment areas were identified.  Another area of employment exploration was discussed with Kelly Services, Inc., one of the largest temporary service agencies within the United States.  The preliminary discussions established the groundwork for employment opportunities for individuals with visual impairments.  Kelly Services, Inc. was receptive to MCB staff providing sensitivity training to the personnel department in a number of their local offices. 

The RSA-107 review is scheduled for August 23-27, 2004.  There will be approximately 100 cases reviewed to determine how the rehabilitation process is implemented as well as how the services are delivered.  This review also will emphasize the areas in which MCB will be evaluated according to the standards and indicators set forth by the federal government for rehabilitation outcomes.

The Center and Field staff will meet September 10^th to discuss ways to improve services to the blind and visually impaired consumers.  This is the third meeting, which will include teachers, teacher/counselors, counselors as well as some support staff.

The Commission for the Blind was successful in filling three important vacancies in the field offices.  A rehabilitation teacher in Escanaba, Ms. Jennifer Welch; a teacher/counselor in Gaylord, Ms. Janet Johnson; and a rehabilitation teacher in Lansing, Mrs. Lisa Marchione, who was formerly the rehabilitation counselor in the Lansing office.  MCB’s goal is to continue to provide timely services to our consumers and new staff are welcomed to the MCB family.  In the East Region, Ms. Claudia Jones retired after 15 years with MCB, and appreciation was expressed for her hard work and dedication in providing vocational counseling and job placement assistance to the blind and visually impaired consumers.  At this time, the vocational counseling area has two vacant positions for which a request for approval to fill has been submitted to DLEG.

Cash Match training was provided to all counselors, teacher/counselors, teachers, as well as some BEP and MCBTC staff, on August 2, 2004. This training answered some of the basic questions staff had regarding cash match agreements. The speaker, Ms. Jennie Tunnell from Michigan Rehabilitation Services, shared with the group detailed information on the development of cash match agreements and certified agreements.

TRAINING CENTER REPORT

During the week of July 11-16, Michigan Commission for the Blind staff, along with employees from Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind (OUB), conducted the Quest for Success which was designed to help students between the ages of 14 and 19 gain experience and confidence in four skill areas.  The program took place at Camp Tuhsmeheta, and classes were offered in: cooking, personal management/organizational skills, social awareness and World of Work.

There were nine students, which allowed the staff to provide individualized attention.  In addition to the four skill areas taught, students also participated in activities organized by OUB.  For instance, during the first evening at the camp, the students were taught how to roast hotdogs on an open fire.  A majority of the OUB staff are blind and served as excellent role models for the students.  One of the students, Amanda, reflected that: "I was able to make new friends, and I was able to get around better by following voices instead of sighted guide.  I enjoyed the new experiences that I've never had before."

Beth White, who processed the Quest for Success program referrals and who was at Camp Tuhsmeheta during the latter part of the week, observed that, "Even staff can learn new things."

On July 14 Laura Thomas, a field representative from Helen Keller National Center (HKNC) toured MCBTC and talked with several staff about programming for deaf-blind consumers.  Ms. Thomas expressed interest in the deaf-blind resource lab that the Center is in the process of establishing.  Ms. Thomas provided information about various training programs offered at HKNC that are aimed at improving the quality of services for deaf-blind consumers.

At the Training Center, Bruce Schultz and Russ Sheehan, Rehabilitation Services Coordinators in the evenings and on weekends, have taken the initiative to provide students with the opportunity to learn how to negotiate a buffet line successfully and independently using alternative techniques of blindness.  During each visit to Old Country Buffet, they take approximately ten students to allow for more individualized instruction.

In February three representatives from DMB conducted a security audit of MCBTC.  On July 25, DMB representatives met with Training Center staff to review their findings.  Some of the recommendations made by DMB include:  8:00 to 5:00 coverage of the front desk to monitor visitors coming and going; keeping all the outside doors locked except for the front door which would be unlocked during business hours; using a card key system for outside doors instead of regular keys; limiting distribution of master keys; and rekeying of exterior doors.  A team of MCBTC staff will be formed to look at the recommendations and decide on what procedure to follow in implementing select recommendations.

In developing plans for providing technology services through MCBTC, members of the technology design team met with Rick Reed from the DMB planning unit.  They reviewed the components for the ideal training center including a new technology training facility along with upgrades to the BEP training area at MCBTC.  They then took a tour of the facility.  Rick will put the ideas generated from the technology team into a plan that can be used to seek funding and eventually do the construction.

Technology workshops at the center include a PAC Mate training workshop on July 21 at which MCBTC staff and students, along with a family from the community participated, and two training sessions on the use of JAWS are scheduled for August 5.

The planning team for the September Field and Center staff meeting has begun meeting to develop an agenda that will help improve communications, and ultimately, services for MCB consumers.  The members of the planning team are:  Therese Andrews, John Boes, Karen Cornell, Rose Dunlap-Gist, Ella Harrington and Joann Woodward.

On Monday, August 2, Don Golembiewski, Director of Outreach for Hadley School for the Blind, met with staff and students to discuss new courses and procedures for submitting assignments.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REPORT

MCB’s budget appears to be in good order and has expended seventy-two percent of its budget through three quarters of the fiscal year.  The money saved from positions not being filled has given MCB some leverage in adding much needed money to case service budget lines.  However, MCB is now filling some of the vital vacancies so the adjustments will soon balance out.  In addition, MCB has added some cash match local agreements and Youth Low Vision outreach and transition monies to the state matching monies which will allow a full match of the federal grant for fiscal year 2004.  This additional money will enable MCB to begin authorizing money for fall college tuition and college related equipment.  Because of the progress being made in developing local cash match agreements, the Commission is optimistic that it can successfully match increasing federal dollars due to shifting the agency’s federal share of the state allocation from 12 percent to 12.75 percent in fiscal year 2005.

Libera, the developer of System6, has completed a component in System6 to track cash match agreements.  This system is being tested and is expected to be up and running so that tracking can begin October 1, 2004.   This system will not only provide tracking but will also generate bills to cooperating agencies for their portion of the services.

MCB is starting to get integrated to the DLEG purchasing process.  MCB administrative support staff spent 2 days training to enter direct payments in MAIN.  Prior to moving to DLEG this process was done by FIA staff.  The support staff is to be commended for their efforts and great attitudes in stepping up to the challenges of adapting this new process to their job duties.

Plans are being finalized for four training programs for MCB staff: an ADA workshop on October 12   focusing on services provided by counselors/teachers with Robin Jones, director of the Great Lakes ADA Technical Assistance Center in Chicag;, the employee online performance management system; a labor relations training for all managers; and a short training for staff willing to function as coordinators on the new Traumatic Incident Stress Management (TISM) program from the Office of the State Employer.

BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PROGRAM REPORT

All of the BEP staff have been heavily involved in the BEP operator training which began June 7..  The classroom portion of the training class at the MCB Training Center concludes August 13 and students will participate in on-the job experience between August 23 and October 15.