APPROVED

MICHIGAN COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND

OCTOBER 20, 2003

MARRIOTT AT CENTERPOINT

PONTIAC, MICHIGAN

MINUTES

COMMISSIONERS PRESENT

Ms. Jo Ann Pilarski, Chairperson

Ms. Peeti Greene, Vice Chairperson

Mr. Robert Adler

Mr. J. J. Jackson

Ms. Barbara Thomas

COMMISSIONERS ABSENT

None

MCB STAFF PRESENT

Mr. Patrick Cannon

Ms. Tish Kingaby

Mr. Larry Best

Mr. James Baird

Mr. Leamon Jones

Ms. Renee Biondo

Ms. Gwen McNeal

Ms. Marcia Brink-Cheney

GUESTS

Mr. Jeff Seidel

Ms. Dorothy Goldie Addison

Mr. Ray Cramer

Ms. MaryLee Alzner

Mr. Fred Hill

Ms. Patricia Gibson

Ms. Sharon Shannon

Ms. Ernestine Jefferson

Ms. Ann McKay-Bacon

Mr. Alan Rea

Mr. Victor Gettner

Ms. Sheila Ashcraft

Mr. Ed Bronz

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

            The Committee of the Whole was called to order by Chairperson Pilarski at 9:07 a.m. 

COMMISSIONER ACTIVITIES

Ms. Pilarski commended the efforts of the team that organized the very successful open house kick-off event of the Michigan Commission for the Blind’s (MCB) 25^th anniversary, held at the Training Center, October 8, 2003 and attended by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm.

Mr. J.J. Jackson reported he also attended the October 8^th event and was especially pleased that Dr. Abraham Nemeth, a previous commissioner and inventor of a Braille mathematical code used in colleges, was a distinguished guest.

Mr. Jackson reported that he and Ms. Peeti Greene attended a well-received Cultural Diversity Training on October 16, 2003, along with approximately 60 MCB staff members.  The Department of Civil Rights (DCR) had representatives of five cultures, African-American, American Indian, Asian-American, Latino-American and Arab-American and although these representatives explained they were not experts on blindness or visual impairment disabilities, they were able to demonstrate approaches and etiquette which could be used by MCB staff.  Ms. Greene said the next Cultural Diversity Committee meeting is scheduled for November 6, 2003 in Flint.

            Ms. Pilarski made note that October is the month in which commissioner assignments to committees are made, along with the election of the Vice Chairperson.  Committee assignments were made as follows: Ms. Barbara Thomas to the Image and Identity Team, Mr. Robert Adler to the Elected Operators Committee, Mr. Jackson to the Services Delivery Focus Design Team, Ms. Greene to the Cultural Diversity Team, and Ms. Pilarski to the Planning and Quality  (PAQ) Team.  Ms. Pilarski also asked that commissioners attend the three Consumer Involvement Council (CIC) meetings scheduled for 2004 on a rotating basis.  It is planned that Ms. Greene will attend the Lansing area meeting, Ms. Thomas the Detroit area meeting, and Mr. Adler the Kalamazoo area meeting.

            Ms. Pilarski also encouraged the commissioners to attend two upcoming conventions, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) of Michigan Convention in Lansing, November 7-9, and the Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired (MCBVI) in Southfield, November 13-16.

The Committee of the Whole was adjourned at 9:50 a.m.

REGULAR MEETING

CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL AND DETERMINATION OF QUORUM

            The regular meeting was called to order at 10:04 a.m.  Roll call was taken and a quorum was present.

MS. THOMAS MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MR. JACKSON, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 22, 2003 MEETING, AS PRESENTED.  THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

PUBLIC COMMENT

            There was no public comment.

ELECTION OF VICE CHAIRPERSON

            Mr. Adler nominated Mr. Jackson, who respectfully declined.  Ms. Thomas nominated Ms. Greene and Ms. Greene accepted the nomination.

MS. THOMAS MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MR. JACKSON, TO REELECT MS. PEETI GREENE AS VICE CHAIRPERSON. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

BOARD CORRESPONDENCE

            There was no Board Correspondence.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

            Mr. Cannon called attention to the written MCB Report included in the Commissioner packet.

            Mr. Cannon recounted the success of the October 8 celebration at the MCB Training Center, which was attended by approximately 250-300 people, Governor Granholm, the Honorable Robert Jones, Mayor of the City of Kalamazoo, as well as many previous commissioners and staff. 

            Mr. Cannon reported that on October 1, 2003, Michigan was a recipient of a US Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, high school/high tech implementation grant.  This annual award of $225,000 renewable for a five-year period was a result of a collaborative effort between Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS), the Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns, MCB and community partners.  An informational meeting is planned in Lansing October 21^st.  

In regard to the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, Mr. Cannon said the version issued by the US House of Representatives included language that allowed governors to designate funding to the one-stop delivery system and diminished the role of the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Commissioner.  The version passed by the Senate Committee is more friendly to public rehabilitation as it caps the amount that governors could designate and does not diminish the role of the RSA Commissioner.  Further, the Senate version provides for the directors of state rehabilitation agencies (in Michigan, MRS and MCB) to seats on their State Workforce Investment Board.  Mr. Cannon said that work on combining the House and Senate Committee versions would probably not be started until January.

Mr. Cannon strongly encouraged commissioners to attend the two state conventions, which are viewed as the most important gatherings of blind persons in Michigan each year. 

Mr. Cannon will be attending the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind Fall Convention, November 12-14, as a member of its Executive Committee.  Ms. Gwen McNeal will also attend this conference. 

Mr. Cannon said that the Executive Order transferring MCB from the Family Independence Agency to the new Department of Labor and Economic Growth had been issued and it was anticipated to take effect December 7, 2003.

MR. JACKSON MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MS. GREENE TO ACCEPT THE DIRECTOR’S REPORT, AS PRESENTED.  THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

CONSUMER SERVICES REPORT

            Mr. Leamon Jones thanked the staff for a successful year which impacted positively on the lives of many consumers. Looking toward the new Fiscal Year, Mr. Jones said goals and objectives for all programs would be reviewed.

The vocational rehabilitation program staff have been involved in outreach and transition activities, including: Back to School Carnival, Family Information Day for Children with Disabilities, and a Disability Awareness Day at the Army Tank Command in Warren, Michigan.

In regards to the transition, Mr. Jones said the East Region participated in a summer work experience for high school youths with the Detroit Public School students and will also become involved in the Disability Voice, a task force affiliated with Michigan Works! that provides opportunities for youths in transition to obtain work experience.  The staff have been encouraged to meet with the vision impairment teachers to discuss the Youth Low Vision program and to evaluate its success.

            Staff have participated in the Visions and Values workshops which is a requirement for all state employees.

Regional Report

            Ms. Gwen McNeal, East Regional Assistant Supervisor, greeted community partners, guests and consumers and introduced two MCB staff, Ms. Renee Biondo and Ms. Marcia Brink-Cheney.

            Ms. McNeal reported various community activities in which the East region staff have been involved, including a presentation at Heigera, a community mental health partner, the Botsford Dialysis Fair, the “Senior Summit” in Canton, Info-Expo, the Michigan Works! Conference in Grand Rapids, the City of Detroit Disability Task Force, “Putting Students First” program at Wayne County Community College, the dedication of new transition building at Monroe Intermediate School District, a Department of Civil Rights Cultural Diversity Training, and a joint meeting between field staff and MCB Training Center staff.

Detroit office counselors have formed the Marketing, Career and Business Planning Program (MCBPP), in order to pool resources and talents and work jointly with all status 20 job ready clients. 

Ms. McNeal reported efforts to make the Michigan Works! office in Detroit more user friendly for blind or visually impaired consumers, utilizing existing classes, training and resources.   Staff are also working on multiple projects, including: meetings with the Wayne and Macomb Visually Impaired teacher consultants to discuss youth low vision and transition issues; possible career days; the proposed youth oriented mini adjustment program; possibilities of providing free airplane rides for Detroit Public School (DPS) students through the Detroit Chapter of Young Explorers; and a summer program produced through a partnership with DPS and the Wayne County Regional Education Service Agency that allowed seven students to receive work experience as well as activities of daily living and computer training.

Ms. McNeal said a number of staff anticipate attending both consumer conventions, as well as the Michigan Rehabilitation Conference.  Staff are also identifying goals and objectives for implementation of the MCB strategic plan.

MR. JACKSON MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MS. THOMAS, TO ACCEPT THE CONSUMER SERVICES REPORT, AS PRESENTED.  THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

COMMUNITY PARTNER REPORTS

eBlind!

            Ms. Sheila Ashcraft, eBlind! Outreach Coordinator, gave a report on their services. Ms. Ashcraft introduced Ms. Sharon Shannon, an eBlind! trained computer user who does volunteer work in the Pontiac Public Library and Mr. Ed Bronz, board member.

Ms. Ashcraft said eBlind! focuses on four areas: direct student instruction, consultation and evaluation on referrals from MRS and MCB; staff training; and technical assistance.  Mr. Fred Hill, another board member, also serves eBlind! with technical assistance and advice.  They work closely with community partners such as Oakland Public Library and the Lions Club and help develop community block grants.  Many discussions have been held recently with Leader Dogs for the Blind at their new training facility in Rochester which contains a computer training center. eBlind! will assist in computer training for students.

Mr. Ed Bronz, eBlind! board member, described his experiences as a volunteer in counseling and teaching low vision students to use computers and especially the keyboard.  Mr. Bronz commented that due to the high cost of technology, older blind people are happy to learn about the computers available for their use in libraries, although JAWS programming is not generally available.  Mr. Bronz also described his efforts to establish internship programs and welcomed any help or information on this undertaking.

Macomb Intermediate School District

Ms. Ann McKay-Bacon, Teacher/Consultant for the Visually Impaired, described their procedures for enrolling students who were eligible for services and completing their Individual Plans (IPs). Program features include helping students with resumes, interview skills and assessments.

Ms. McKay-Bacon expressed her appreciation of the Commission and their assistance.

Oakland Intermediate School District

Ms. Dorothy Goldie Addison of the Oakland Intermediate School District said that the Youth Low Vision program was very well utilized in their system and is an integral part of their service.  Educational low vision evaluations are carried out to determine what accommodation or adaptive equipment a student might need, and during the last school year, 72 students received low vision aids, such as hand-held telescopes, prescriptive telescopic glasses, etc.

Ms. Goldie Addison said MCB counselors have been especially encouraging throughout the transition of the Youth Low Vision program into the field, which she said was more successful than she anticipated.  Ms. Goldie Addison expressed her appreciation of this program and the MCB staff.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REPORT

Mr. Larry Best reported that the financial reports for MCB indicated that 89 percent of the budget had been expended through twelve months.  This is the first of several year-end reports; the next will cover split payroll covering the last 7 days of the old fiscal year, accounts payables and encumbrances for bills outstanding through the end of the fiscal year, and cost allocation adjustments. 

Mr. Best said that over $500,000 of General Fund/General Purpose (GF/GP) dollars are required for Business Enterprise Program retirement costs, and that this expenditure had never been addressed in ten years of appropriations.

Mr. Best said approximately $200,000 GF/GP funding was inadvertently deducted from MCB’s budget by the Family Independence Agency, and despite assurances this would be restored, it is not yet certain this will be done.  This also affects the budget for future fiscal years, as this amount will not show in FY 2004 or FY 2005.

Regarding personnel, Mr. Best said there were currently 89 full time employees with two vacancies, and 13 contract or temporary employees.

A meeting is planned October 29 between MRS and MCB to discuss the equity of the split of federal dollars between the two agencies, as MCB has proposed increasing their share of the split to match the national average.

MR. JACKSON MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MS. GREENE, TO ACCEPT THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REPORT, AS PRESENTED.  THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS UPDATE

Mr. Larry Betz, Attorney for the Department of Civil Rights (DCR) and the designated liaison to the disability community, gave an overview of their activities.  Dr. Reynolds, the director of DCR is retiring very soon.  As with all departments in the poor economy, DCR’s staff has become much smaller, with investigators having an average of 40-50 caseloads. 

Mr. Betz said that most issues they receive can be handled expediently by telephone calls.  This early resolution is their first service option, followed by outreach and education opportunities, such as discussions, information and training for employers.  The final option would be to seek compliance through legal methods.

DCR has five attorneys assigned to various offices throughout the state to ensure that people have access to legal counsel and this is a significant improvement in the quality of the investigations.  Further, DCR has instituted a team concept so that instead of one investigator and one supervisor having their work checked through the various levels of accountability, review is done by all concerned at one time which has also improved the quality and efficiency greatly.  DCR continues to study ways to use diminished staff resources in the best possible way.

  Mr. Betz said that as liaison to the disability community, he is the spokesman for concerns expressed to him by various disability organizations and is responsible for carrying these issues back to DCR.   Mr. Betz said the Commission on Civil Rights had recently handled three major disability cases, with varying degrees of success for the claimant.

Mr. Betz said that he will be working with the Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns and Mr. Pat Cannon, the Governor’s Disability Policy Advisor, to enhance state government compliance with state and federal disability rights and access laws. Mr. Betz gave a summary of the Elliott Larson Law and Public Act 220, the Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act, and subsequent amendments to align language with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  These laws require reasonable accommodations and ensure equal employment opportunities and equal access to public venues.  Another major amendment related to the Fair Housing Act which provides substantial penalties for housing discrimination.

Mr. Betz said he welcomed the opportunity to attend the Commission meeting.

Recessed for lunch at 12:07 p.m.

            -------------------------------------------------------------------

            Chairperson Pilarski reconvened the meeting at 1:15 p.m.

MCB TRAINING CENTER REPORT

Mr. James Baird, Rehabilitation Instructor at the MCB Training Center gave the report on behalf of Ms. Melody Lindsey.   Mr. Baird referred the board to Ms. Lindsey’s written report.

Mr. Baird reported field staff and MCBTC teachers met on October 17 to discuss issues of training and referrals in order to keep in better touch with the clients’ needs and counselors’ recommendations.  One immediate result of this meeting is that more comprehensive reports, including goals and objectives, will be written for schools.  It is expected that counselors and teachers from the Center and the field staff will be meeting on a regular basis in the future.

A vocational training class called World of Work (WOW) has been initiated for students, dealing with accessing computers and websites, looking for jobs, and putting together resumes.  This pilot program is to help meet a need identified by the field staff by providing a class for prospective clients.

Ms. Lindsey met with staff and parents at Camp Tuhsmeheta. New cooking classes will be held for students with parents on November 1 and December 13.  On November 6, the same group will attend a woodworking class to help students with their mechanical aptitude.  Mr. Russ Sheehan accompanied Ms. Lindsey to discuss mobility training.  Ms. Lindsey also reviewed the college assessment tool and skills list for the parents to demonstrate what is expected of a student going to college.

The mini adjustment program scheduled for January 11-15, 2004 in Mt. Pleasant has been moved to Clare and will be held at the Dougherty Hotel for approximately 40 persons.  This location is better suited for referrals and will serve more prospective clients at a more reasonable cost.

Mr. Baird reported a successful trip to Escanaba to help field staff in the Upper Peninsula cope with a heavy caseload and an understaffed office.  Mr. Baird met fourteen people at their homes, for approximately three hours each.   An additional trip in February is anticipated.

Mr. Baird suggested that in order to attract consumers to MCBTC from the Upper Peninsula, MCB should consider using the U.P. state van to transport a group of students to a midpoint, where the Center van could meet them and transfer them to Kalamazoo.  Many older blind consumers are reluctant to use the long and complicated flight schedule to reach MCBTC.

Other center activities included working with various people whose jobs are in jeopardy, and training them at the request of the rehabilitation counselors; and helping people adjust to their home environment and use adaptive equipment, after they have finished at the center.  Mr. Baird complimented Ms. Lindsey on her decisions regarding these actions, not only because they are in direct response to requests from the field staff, but also because of the additional benefit of providing encouragement to consumers to carry on with their lives.

MS. GREENE MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MR. JACKSON, TO ACCEPT THE TRAINING CENTER REPORT, AS PRESENTED.  THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

PUBLIC COMMENT

There was no public comment.

ADJOURNMENT

MR. ADLER MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MS. GREENE, TO ADJOURN THE MEETING.  THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

            The meeting was adjourned at 1:40 p.m.  The next meeting will be on Monday, December 15, 2003 at the Michigan Works! Office in Lansing.  The Committee of the Whole meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. and the regular meeting will start at 10:00 a.m.

Jo Ann Pilarski, Chairperson

Date