MCB REPORT

April 9, 2004

ALIGNING COMMISSION’S VISION, VALUES & GOALS WITH DLEG

The Michigan Commission for the Blind’s Vision 2020 Initiative is going forward, aligning with the vision, mission, values and the goals of MCB’s new home, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG).  The Commission’s long-range plan and its work plan through next year are strikingly compatible with the direction of the new department and MCB has identified nine DLEG Ambassadors to work together in aligning future directions.

The Ambassadors met with DLEG leaders, March 25, in a special training session and will participate in the next meeting of MCB’s Planning and Quality (PAQ) Team, April 21, to help develop the Commission’s plan, clearly in alignment with the Department of Labor and Economic Growth:

DLEG Vision

Grow Michigan into an economic powerhouse -- enriching the lives of its residents by using the creativity and commitment of our staff and partners to develop the tools needed to inspire innovation, attract the best and the brightest, grow entrepreneurs, gain and retain business, protect core industries, enhance our urban and rural communities, nurture diversity, foster inclusion, promote excellence in education, strengthen the workforce and encourage new technology.

DLEG Mission

Grow Michigan by promoting economic and workforce development, stimulating job creation and enhancing the quality of life in Michigan.

DLEG Values

•         Demand integrity in all that we do

•         Build trust within DLEG and with our customers

•         Deliver customer satisfaction

•         Create an inclusive, collaborative environment so everyone can contribute fully

•         Provide excellence in all that we do

Overarching DLEG Goals

•          Integrate Vision and Values into DLEG

•          Encourage economic / urban development

•          Create new investments / job opportunities

•          Protect Michigan consumers

•          Promote safe affordable housing

•          Provide excellent customer service

•          Provide rehabilitation and career development resources

•          Protect workers’ health, safety and economic security

•          Promote excellent labor-management relations

•          Provide access to affordable technology

Commission staff will continue to work collaboratively with consumers, community partners and other stakeholders as it continues to design customer-responsive service systems, within the framework of planning, quality, learning and visioning.

TRANSPORTATION FUNDING BILL PASSES U. S. HOUSE

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) reports progress in Congress on legislation that could potentially benefit blind persons in the nation.  According to ACB, on Friday, April 2, the House of Representatives passed the highway funding bill, HR3550.  The title of the bill is the Transportation Equity Act: a Legacy for Users.  Included in the passage was Sec. 3018 of Title III, the New Freedom Program portion of the bill which will provide grants to state and local transportation entities for disability specific services, projects which go beyond the minimum requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The amendment supporting a seamless, intermodal transportation system linked by accessible, audible signage did not make it into the bill as passed by the House of Representatives.   However, a congressional conference committee will be appointed in the near future that will work toward consensus between the House and the Senate bills.  The conference committee will finalize the legislation which will then be signed into law by the President.

WINDMILLS TRAINING FOR GOVERNOR’S OFFICE AND STATE DEPARTMENTS

The disability awareness tool most popularly used in trainings is "Windmills," the nationally acclaimed high-impact, attitudinal training program developed by the California Governor's Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons.  The curriculum consists of 11 sections that use participation and discovery as learning vehicles. The Windmills training modules are interactive, informative, fun, and always effective in addressing the attitudinal barriers that can interfere with interactions with persons with disabilities and compliance with state and federal civil rights laws.

Pat Cannon, MCB’s Director, and others, will be providing the interactive training for Governor Granholm’s Executive Office staff this spring.  Windmills has also been offered to state departments and the Department of Management and Budget (DMB) has already scheduled several Windmills sessions for DMB staff.  The Commission is collaborating with two other DLEG entities, Michigan Rehabilitation Services and the Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns, to promote accessibility and inclusion.

RSA, REGION V, CONDUCTS CHICAGO MEETING

Region V of the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) held meetings in Chicago, March 24 and 25, hosting administrators from public rehab agencies in the six-state region.  Pat Cannon, MCB Director, and Leamon Jones, MCB Consumer Services Director, participated in the meetings where a variety of state and federal issues were discussed.  Key topics included the budget constraints all states in the region are experiencing, implementation of the federal Ticket to Work program and the stalled reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which includes the Rehabilitation Act governing public VR programs such as MCB and MRS.

VISIONS 2004 - WHAT’S NEW IN TECHNOLOGY FOR THE BLIND

The Washtenaw County Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled and the Michigan Commission for the Blind are cosponsoring another of the highly successful vendor fairs, held every two years since 2000.  This year’s “Visions 2004” event will be held on May 5 at the Morris Lawrence Building, Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor.  The fair will explore what is new in technology and services for the blind and visually impaired, with vendors providing opportunities for hands-on demonstrations and information on their high- and low-tech products designed to assist blind persons carry out their daily activities.  Sighted assistants will be available throughout the day.  MCB staff will host a booth featuring the Commission’s programs and activities in the main exhibit hall, as well as a peer counseling booth which will be available in a more private setting.

ANN ARBOR MINI ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM SERVES 40 CLIENTS

The second MCB Mini-Adjustment event of the year was held in Ann Arbor, March 7-12 at Weber’s Inn, serving 40 consumers.  Workshop participants were 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.  Four regular Mini-Adjustment Workshops will be conducted this year, with the next one to be held in Farmington Hills, May 2-7, and in Lapeer this fall.  Two additional, specialized programs are also being planned, one tailored to youth and the other designed to serve deaf-blind clients.  The Ann Arbor event also included a one-day Employment Readiness Seminar, serving seven Commission consumers to assist them in enhancing their work preparation skills, including resume writing and interviewing techniques.

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE AGENCIES SERVING THE BLIND

The National Council of State Agencies Serving the Blind (NCSAB) will hold its annual Spring Conference, April 28-30, in Bethesda, Maryland.  The three-day conference will be highlighted by Commissioner Joanne Wilson, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), who will deliver the conference’s keynote address and meet with administrators of blind agencies throughout the country.  MCB Director Pat Cannon and Elizabeth White, Assistant Supervisor in the East Region, will attend the conference.  Developing strategies to sustain adequate funding for public rehabilitation programs, reauthorization of the federal Rehabilitation Act, independent living services for the older blind and other national issues will be on the conference agenda.

CONSUMER SERVICES DIVISION REPORT

The Consumer Services staff continues to be active in providing opportunities for the consumers to become aware of the various programs and program goals.  The Independent Living staff has participated in outreach programs in several cities that have continued to increase the visibility of MCB.  The IL program staff will be meeting as a group in April to discuss program policies, procedures and ideas to enhance service delivery.

The VR staff and the IL staff continue to work collaboratively in providing consumers the opportunity to participate in mini-adjustment programs.  The staff assisted in providing hands-on training at the mini program in Ann Arbor and is looking forward to assisting in Farmington Hills mini in May.

The Consumer Services staff is involved in transition activities within the various school districts.  A number of staff attended the Transition conference in Frankenmuth during the month of March.  The conference provided another opportunity for the staff to become familiar with transition activities throughout the state.  In turn, these representatives will share the new information with their colleagues.  Additionally, a number of staff attended the Developmental Disability (DD) conference and better relationships are being forged between the two agencies. Continual dialogue will expand opportunities for these consumers.

The East Region staff participated in a career day that was coordinated through Macomb County Intermediate School District (MCISD).  The career day reflected the collaboration between MCB staff and the MCISD staff in the development and implementation of the career day, which was very successful.  The activities of the career day demonstrated the importance of involvement in transition activities within the school districts.  As we continue to work with the various intermediate school districts and in the transition activities, the staff will help to enlighten various agencies about community services and the need for consumers to be included in all activities. 

Oakland County Intermediate School District will provide a career day on May 11, 2004, which will consist of a two-part program.  The afternoon program will provide students with the opportunity to have a discussion with successful blind and visually impaired individuals.  The evening program will provide a forum where parents will have an opportunity to discuss their concerns regarding issues relating to blindness and visual impairment, transition services and commission services, etc. 

The Detroit Public Schools will provide a CHOICES Fair on May 20, 2004, which will bring together several hundred students with disabilities.  The blind and visually impaired students will be participating in this program.  The program goals and objectives are to provide information regarding various community resources that will assist individuals with disabilities to achieve their vocational objectives.  MCB staff will be participating partners in this event.  Ongoing collaboration with the Detroit Public Schools has resulted in the establishment of a Career Day program held at one of the vocational technical centers, which will provide an opportunity for students to explore vocational opportunities.

The Vocational Rehabilitation program was successful in obtaining a new staff person for the Upper Peninsula.  MCB welcomes Mr. Ed Haines to the staff.  He will provide teaching and counseling services to our consumers from the Escanaba office.  The Consumer Services program will be attempting to fill existing vacancies in Escanaba, Gaylord and Lansing resulting from the untimely passing of Michael Welch, retirement of Tony VanStaveren and the early retirement of Virginia Dean in 2002.  With these additions to staff, the agency will be able to deliver timely and effective services to the consumers in these areas.  The Consumer Services division hopes to fill other staff vacancies within the program in the near future.

A number of staff will attend and/or participate in the annual Michigan Association of Education and Rehabilitation conference in Livonia, April 22-23.  This annual conference will provide staff with the opportunity to collaborate with their peers in the field as well as share new innovative ideas in the field of blindness. 

The MI-Job Coalition meeting in March discussed the activities centering on the Medicaid Buy-In activities as it relates to the Freedom to Work (FTW) legislation.  At this meeting, the participants learned that this legislation has not yet been fully implemented, but the activities are ongoing regarding participants signing up for the Freedom to Work activities. There are twelve individuals throughout the state that have signed up to participate in the Medicaid Buy-In program.  It is expected that additional information will be shared at the next meeting on April 28, 2004.

TRAINING CENTER REPORT

On April 16, MCB field and center staff will meet to discuss strategies for improving services to MCBTC students.  Staff has indicated that these meetings are valuable because they enhance communication, which leads to more customer responsive services. 

The youth program will take place during the week of July 11 at Camp Tuhsmeheta.  The criteria for participation in the program requires that students be between the ages of 14-18 who are not yet prepared to participate in the MCBTC program.  The curriculum will focus on the following areas:  personal management/organizational skills, cooking, world of work, and social awareness skills.  The planning team will have a flyer available for distribution within a few weeks.

On March 23, the Training Center hosted the spring meeting for the Michigan Association of Transcribers for the Visually Impaired (MATVI) board.  This group provides transcription resources for all sectors of the blind community.  The MATVI annual meeting will occur on November 4 in St. Johns and will feature workshops on Braille transcription, the use of electronic resources such as Etext, advanced training in the use of Duxbury and a new transcribing program called Braille 2000.

On March 16 and 17, Betty Roberts, Jim Baird and Melody Lindsey, along with several MCBTC students, were invited to talk to elementary school children at Lincoln International Academy about blindness.  The children were very curious about the items brought for demonstration (Braille books, canes, and a Braille notetaker), and they were not at all hesitant about asking questions.

On March 25, Melody Lindsey, Sue Fluri and Heather Saum, a student at the Training Center, made a presentation to third-year students at the Michigan College of Optometry in Big Rapids.  The students were particularly interested in the personal experiences of the presenters regarding their interactions with their eye care specialists as they were losing their vision. The students indicated that the information they received from this presentation would help them better serve their patients facing legal blindness, and the professor has extended an invitation to speak to next year's class.

On March 31, Peggy Jackson presented information to a class of family studies students at Western Michigan University.  This opportunity is specifically designed to educate students about the career possibilities within the blindness rehabilitation field.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REPORT

Several activities have taken place regarding human resources and training issues for MCB.  Paperwork has been submitted to DLEG to fill positions in Gaylord (counselor/teacher), Escanaba (counselor/teacher), and Lansing (teacher). Upon approval, these positions will be posted on the civil service website.

Information is being collected by all departments on the amount of "Temporary Layoff Days" scheduled by UAW members throughout the remainder of the fiscal year, so that a determination may be made of how many TLDs remain to be fulfilled by the members. That determination should be made by the end of April.

All state employees, and non state employees who are drivers, are required to sign "driver's agreement" forms which are in the process of being collected.

MCB is working with Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) and other community partners to schedule a training program focusing on the needs of American Indians with disabilities. It has tentatively been scheduled for June at a location in the U.P. More specific details will be shared as soon as they are finalized.

Three Discovery Learning sessions have been scheduled - one in May (in Flint) and two in June (in Lansing).

MCB is revising its budget and spending plan at the request of the DLEG Budget division.  Based on the current budget, there is currently a $183,000 state match deficit which is the amount FIA should have transferred to make up for a $198,000 erroneous deduction in 2002.  DLEG Budget has stated that the money was not transferred, nor does DLEG have any additional state matching funds to help out this year.  In addition, the Governor’s Executive Order 2003-23 requires a $7,700 reduction in Genera Fund/General Purpose and an $18,200 reduction in Youth Low Vision funds.  These shortfalls require that the new operating budget reflect an $859,300 reduction in spending.  MCB is working on securing additional cash match opportunities to help offset the budget deficit but in the meantime must provide an operating budget based on state matching funds that can be accounted for at this time.  The Commission will be looking at adjusting salary and wage costs that have been saved because of positions not being filled and all other areas that will not cut into case service dollars. Staff is working with partners and other agencies who already are heavily involved in cash match agreements to glean information on stepping up agreements.  MCB is also working with DMB to secure additional matching state funds to finish Constitution Hall.

On the positive side, MCB just received the 2004 Independent Living Older Blind grant award in the amount of $1,014,494 which is a $141,357 increase over last year.  However, IL Part B funds were $197,879 which was a reduction of $2,623 reduction from last year.  The combined grants resulted in a $138,734 increase overall which also increased our state cash match needs by $15,415.

MCB has moved into the XP Realm with new laptops being distributed to staff that currently have the oldest laptops.  So far everything is going well although some new software was ordered to accommodate the XP operating system.