APPROVED

MICHIGAN COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND
DECEMBER 11, 2006
KELLOGG CENTER
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN

MINUTES

COMMISSIONERS PRESENT
Ms. Jo Ann Pilarski, Chair (via teleconference)
Ms. Sheila Ashcraft, Vice Chair
Ms. Velma Allen
Mr. Richard Grant
Ms. Geri Taeckens

COMMISSIONERS ABSENT
None

MICHIGAN COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND (MCB) STAFF PRESENT
Mr. Patrick Cannon
Ms. Tish Kingaby
Mr. Leamon Jones
Ms. Sherri Heibeck
Ms. Christine Boone
Ms. Sherry Gordon
Ms. Elizabeth White
Ms. Dee Robertson
Ms. Stephanie Lwanga
Ms. Roberta McCall
Ms. Susan Turney
Ms. Gwen McNeal
Ms. Lisa Marchione
Ms. Lisa Kamkondo
Ms. Nichole Wright
Ms. Lisa Kisiel
Ms. Janet McInnis
Ms. Diamalyn Gaston
Mr. Shig Toda
Mr. King Nelson
Ms. Joann Woodward

GUESTS/ATTENDEES
Mr. Michael Flanagan
Mr. Casey Dutmer
Mr. John Victory
Ms. Kim Walsh
Mr. Mike Ellis
Ms. Sara Lajavic
Mr. Larry Scott
Ms. Leela Kausch
Ms. Victoria White
Mr. Jon Armstrong
Mr. Brian Sabourin
Mr. Fred Wurtzel
Ms. Mary Wurtzel
Mr. Tom Hwang
Ms. Virginia Martz
Mr. Michael Hudson
Mr. George Wurtzel
Mr. Karl Guenther
Ms. Brunhilde Merk-Adam
Ms. Dolores Kowalski
Ms. Jessica Burt
Mr. David Burt
Ms. Wendy Sikkes
Mr. Larry Washburn
Ms. Donna Washburn
Mr. Bill Switzer
Ms. Angel McKibben
Mr. Tim McKibben
Mr. Curtis Whatley
Ms. Donna Richerd
Mr. Steve Korte
Mr. Jim Hamilton
Ms. Marcia Crocetto
Ms. Margaret Wolfe
Mr. Rick Wier
Mr. Bill Park

CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL AND DETERMINATION OF QUORUM

The regular meeting was called to order by Vice Chair Sheila Ashcraft at 8:32 a.m., on behalf of Chair Jo Ann Pilarski, who was participating via teleconference. Roll call was taken and a quorum was present.

DIRECTOR'S EVALUATION

MR. DICK GRANT MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MS. GERI TAECKENS, TO CONDUCT THE DIRECTOR'S EVALUATION UNDER CLOSED SESSION, PER HIS REQUEST. ROLL CALL WAS TAKEN AND THE MOTION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

The Board closed the regular session at 8:34 a.m.


COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

The meeting was reconvened by Vice Chair Ashcraft at 9:25 a.m. The meeting was audio-streamed over the Internet.

COMMISSIONER ACTIVITIES

Ms. Velma Allen reported attendance at the MCB Image and Identity team meeting in Lansing, December 5.

Ms. Ashcraft reported attendance, on behalf of the chair, at a joint meeting held between MCB and Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) managers, in Lansing, October 24-25, to learn more about each agency's services and to identify collaborative possibilities in efforts to enhance services to their individual clients. A subsequent meeting is proposed at which the board and the Michigan Rehab Council may be invited to participate. Ms. Ashcraft also reported attendance at the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan (NFB-M) convention, November 10-12, in Grand Rapids, and announced an open house at the Oakland County Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Mr. Grant reported attendance at the NFB-M convention, and various meetings with Business Enterprise Program (BEP) staff and the Elected Operators Committee (EOC).

Ms. Taeckens reported attendance at the Ad Hoc Committee on Training Center Services, November 27 in Lansing.

Ms. Pilarski said that due to the cancellation of the Planning and Quality (PAQ) team meeting scheduled for December 1, she had no activity to report.

COMMISSIONER APPOINTMENTS TO COMMITTEES

Ms. Pilarski announced board liaisons to committees: Ms. Velma Allen to the Image and Identity Team, Mr. Dick Grant to Elected Operators Committee, Ms. Geri Taeckens to the Ad Hoc Committee on Training Center Services (AHC-TCS), Ms. Sheila Ashcraft to the Service Delivery Focus Design Team. Ms. Pilarski will continue as liaison to the PAQ Team. Currently, no commissioner is assigned to the Cultural Diversity Team. Ms. Taeckens offered to assume that role, when the work of the AHC-TCS is completed. Commissioners will continue to rotate attendance at the Consumer Involvement Committee; Ms. Allen indicated willingness to attend the January 22, 2007 meeting in Lansing, pending review of her calendar.

DIRECTOR'S 2007 OBJECTIVES
The board will meet in closed session on January 17 to discuss the proposed objectives for the director for 2007. Director Pat Cannon and Ms. Patty Gamin, DLEG Human Resources Office, will also attend.

ISSUES FROM LAST MEETING
Ms. Tish Kingaby reported action taken by MCB to respond to an email received after the conclusion of the October 16, 2006 meeting. The email and response were forwarded to the board, but will not become part of the Public Comment record.

CONSUMER DIALOGUE

Mr. Mike Ellis invited the listening audience to send in brief comments by phone, due to technical difficulties with the email address used in previous meetings for consumer participation. Mr. John Victory opened the consumer dialogue session which allows interaction between attending members of the public and the board and assists in building trust and relationships. The topic was "How Does a Blind Person Like to be Treated" and comments will be included in a compilation to be kept over the next several meetings.

REGULAR MEETING

The regular meeting began at 10:45 a.m.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

MR. GRANT MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MS. ALLEN, TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 16, 2006 MEETING, AS PRESENTED. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

DIRECTOR'S EVALUATION

Regarding the Director's 2006 Performance Evaluation, Ms. Pilarski announced that the board, with the exception of new commissioner Ms. Allen, had given an overall rating of 2.5, on a scale of one to three, on 29 areas within the 2006 performance plan for the director, and Ms. Pilarski congratulated Mr. Cannon on his fine work.

MR. GRANT MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MS. TAECKENS, TO ACCEPT THE COMMISSIONERS' EVALUATION OF THE DIRECTOR'S 2006 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION, AS PRESENTED. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

BOARD CORRESPONDENCE

Two pieces of correspondence were received for the board on Friday, December 8, 2006: a letter from Attorney Gerald Cichocki on behalf of Larry Ball regarding Business Enterprise Program (BEP) concerns, which is being referred to the BEP and legal representative for review and will be forwarded to the chair in an accessible format; and an email from Kim Walsh of Detroit Radio Information Service which was sent directly to board members.

MCB DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Mr. Cannon referred the Board to the written MCB Report previously submitted to the Board and posted on the MCB website, and highlighted some items.

Mr. Cannon reported good representation by MCB at the Michigan Rehabilitation Conference held November 15-16-17 in Traverse City, including three presentations by staff and the MCB Cultural Diversity Committee.

Mr. Cannon reported his attendance at the adjacent conferences of the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation and the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind held in San Francisco, November 17-22. MCB staff, Elizabeth White and Christine Boone, also attended the conferences, which covered topics including the reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act, Title IV of the Workforce Investment Act; the Randolph Sheppard Act, which is undergoing scrutiny by the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to include other people with disabilities; and the letter issued by the Office of Special Education, U.S. Department of Education, stating the expectation that all Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) will enter into Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with their respective state vocational rehabilitation agencies.

Regarding a topic which has drawn of lot of discussion, Mr. Cannon noted a lawsuit regarding accessible currency brought against the U.S. Treasury, in which a federal court recently ruled in favor of the claimant, the American Council of the Blind. The U.S. Treasury has ten days to file a response.

Mr. Cannon reported attendance by approximately 20 MCB staff and commissioners at each of the consumer conventions held in October and November. Both organizations passed resolutions concerning MCB which will be forwarded to the board upon receipt.

Mr. Cannon reported four mini adjustment programs are planned for 2007 in Sterling Heights, Big Rapids, Escanaba and Ann Arbor.

MS. TAECKENS MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MR. GRANT, TO ACCEPT THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT, AS PRESENTED. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REPORT

Mr. Michael Flanagan, Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), said that while the main topic of his presentation would be graduation requirements for Michigan students, he wanted to express his conviction and his goal on accepting his position, was that ALL Michigan students must be successful in obtaining higher levels of achievement, particularly in math and science. Mr. Flanagan said the decline of the automotive industry in Michigan, which provided a strong economic foundation in the state for so long, has had a severe impact on the economy of the state and that to contend with the resultant decline in employment opportunities, the Governor has worked hard to improve the standard of education. The new education requirement signed into law by the legislature has sent a strong signal that Michigan is very serious about student achievement, and has been successful in drawing new companies such as Google to Ann Arbor.

Mr. Flanagan said now that the higher graduation requirements are signed into law, it will be a challenge to achieve them, particularly the requirement for all children to pass Algebra II. The State's Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test has been changed to American College Testing (ACT) with 25 percent of the math section comprising Algebra II, and Mr. Flanagan said if students are not thoroughly prepared, they will not only fail the test but also will have no chance to earn the State of Michigan's new merit award program, Michigan Promise, a $4,000 college scholarship. Second languages, which are essential in a global economy, are also required now and will begin in elementary school when children learn languages more easily.

Mr. Flanagan said that there are no waivers on the 16 credit requirements for graduation for any child, and that the system must adapt to accommodate all students to help them achieve graduation with specialized instruction, supports, modifications, accommodation, etc. This includes all kids, whether they have impairments, disabilities, poor or troubled backgrounds, etc., and others who may have previously been written off. The State and the community needs to work together to ensure that these requirements, the toughest in the nation, are achieved.

Ms. Taeckens said that some students, who may have learning disabilities, have been able to get their diplomas through accommodation or certificates of completion. Ms. Taeckens also noted a reduction of funding to skill center programming which previously helped students who were better in hands-on learning than academia. Mr. Flanagan said that the skills center will help teach required credits; however, individual school districts determine how funding is spent. Regarding children with special needs, approximately 81 percent are in the normal cognitive range, and the system will have two failsafe supports: first, the federal No Child Left Behind, where districts have to make adequate yearly progress, which is not obtainable unless larger numbers of students achieve success; secondly, MDE will also take statistics on the personal curriculum plans for students. The MDE system will determine whether the Individual Employment Plan (IEP) will trump the graduation requirements, and as the person responsible for the system, Mr. Flanagan says it is not his intention to allow this unless he is assured all possible efforts have been expended. Mr. Flanagan said that poverty above all is the greatest obstacle students can face, not disabilities, not race, and that with a national drop-out rate of 25 percent, the Governor worked hard to create the merit scholarship award and encourage students to continue their education.

Mr. Cannon said that raising expectations is consistent with the mission of the MCB, and that Mr. Flanagan had in a previous discussion with him, referred to the need for teachers to learn different ways in which to teach. Mr. Flanagan said MDE has a commission comprised of deans and citizens that every five years reviews the 32 teacher preparation institutions in the state, which he noted are ranked overall the best in the country. Issues such as alternative teaching methods will be studied by this commission. Mr. Flanagan said he believed that eventually all students will have IEPs.

Ms. Pilarski referred to the issue of expectations of blind children, and asked whether parents of blind children are at the table for discussion of their needs. Mr. Flanagan said a representative of the special needs community is always present, dependent upon the issue, and that he and Mr. Cannon have frequent interaction.

Mr. Flanagan thanked the commission for the opportunity to speak and said that what MDE currently does with the use of IEPs for children who are blind or have other disabilities may be the model for the future, and that in a global economy, Michigan students needs to be competitive with not only Indiana, but India as well.

Recessed for lunch at 11:45 a.m.

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The meeting was reconvened at 12:50 p.m.


MCB ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Mr. Leamon Jones, Director of Consumer Services, and Ms. Sherry Gordon, Acting West Region Manager, announced several awards honoring individuals, employers and community partners who were successful in their goals in 2006. Most recipients were able to accept congratulations in person, or via teleconference. Awardees are as follows:

Certificates of Recognition were awarded to the following:

Consumers: Ms. Ann Bratsberg, Ms. Lillian Grzyb, Ms. Rhonda Selby, and Ms. Darlene Wilson.

Community Partners: Disability Network/Lakeshore, Ms. Ruth Stegeman, director; Hope Network, West Michigan (unable to participate); and MicroEnterprise Works of Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, Mr. Rick Wier, manager, and Ms. Marcia Crocetto, business consultant.

Plaques were awarded to several honor roll awardees, as follows:

Consumers of the Year: Ms. Jessica Burt, Ms. Ava Carruth, Mr. Timothy McKibben and Mr. Larry Washburn.

Community Partners of the Year: Saginaw Special Needs Vision Clinic, Ms. Dolores Kowalski, director; Upper Peninsula Library for the Blind and People with Disabilities, Ms. Suzanne Dees, director; Washtenaw County Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled, Ms. Margaret Wolfe, director.

Employers of the Year: A & F Wood Products, Ms. Donna Rickerd and Mr. Steve Korte; and Stathhakis, Inc., Ms. Rebecca Murphy (unable to participate).

Mr. Jones congratulated all the recipients for their dedication and hard work.


MCB CONSUMER SERVICES REPORT

Mr. Leamon Jones, Director of the Consumer Services Division, referred the board to the written MCB report.

Mr. Jones said that regarding some of the educational requirements for students outlined in Superintendent Flanagan's presentation, MCB is continuing to work on transition activities to help blind students meet those standards. Technology is an important component in helping the students.

The teacher program has been consolidated so that all the Independent Living and Rehabilitation teachers will be providing teacher services to improve outcomes, reduce duplication of service area and travel. Mr. Jones said this is a necessary step in preparation for the growing baby boomer population which is expected to generate far more potential clients. Mr. Jones said that outreach has been very successful, which is also resulting in additional referrals to be managed by the staff.

Mr. Jones reviewed some personnel changes in the Lansing, Grand Rapids, Gaylord and Detroit offices and commented on the presentations by MCB staff at the Michigan Rehabilitation Conference.

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

MCB TRAINING CENTER REPORT

Ms. Christine Boone, director of the MCB Training Center, expressed her appreciation to staff, who have been welcoming and receptive to her as she becomes familiar with the routine of the center. In efforts to build a strong team and address issues and ideas, the entire staff meets every two weeks. Some ideas from the meetings are already being considered for implementation, such as videotaping the students in classes and sending the tape home with them, so that their family members may see and understand the training better.

A seminar for all students to talk about issues of blindness is held every Monday from 4-4:45pm, with staff encouraged to attend.

Ms. Boone also reported progress made by the new maintenance supervisor at the center, Dan Grover, in taking care of the grounds, placing new signage throughout the center, and making modifications to comply with ADA requirements. Recommendations made in a security audit conducted a year or so ago are also being implemented, such as a sign-in policy for all non-Center staff and students who are visiting, in order to be able to account for everyone in the event of an emergency. Other changes being implemented include: Dog owners are also responsible for learning how to pick up after their animals; students who move into apartments will pay a $25 deposit out of their own funds, which is returned if the apartment is clean when they depart; Business Enterprise Program (BEP) trainees will also pay this $25 deposit, as they do not have room checks while they are at the center; BEP trainees will also work on an individual basis with cafeteria staff who will show them all aspects of working in the cafeteria and give them a good working experience in equipment, food preparation, serving, storing, cleaning, etc.

MS. ALLEN MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MS. TAECKENS, TO ACCEPT THE MCB TRAINING CENTER REPORT, AS PRESENTED. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REPORT

Ms. Sherri Heibeck, Administrative Services Manager, reported on the budget for Fiscal Year 2007, which she said is still not published as the federal government had not yet finalized its appropriations for the year. It is hoped the budget will be completed by late January and Ms. Heibeck said MCB's budget is expected to be about $20 million. However, the Department of Labor and Economic Growth is also asking all bureaus to submit proposed funding cuts of 5 percent, in the event state funding for lost revenue is not replaced. Cash match agreements are vital for MCB to match federal funding in order to achieve maximum spending. Expenses are also increased, especially in retirement costs, although it is expected these costs will eventually decline statewide over the next few years as state employees in the defined benefits system are replaced by new employees in the defined contribution system. Additional expenses may be anticipated for repair or replacement of old equipment, such as the boiler and generator, at the Training Center.

Ms. Heibeck said the move to System7, the web based client tracking system was completed. Some glitches were experienced, however, the new system allows for almost immediate fixes which is a tremendous benefit. The BEP system should be moved over to System7 in January.

Regarding BEP related activities, Ms. Heibeck reported that DLEG auditors have completed their audit of the BEP central office and their report should be received shortly. The auditors are now beginning a four year audit, reviewing approximately 25 BEP operators a year. Four new potential operators have completed training and there are eight potential new trainees.

Ms. Heibeck complimented the BEP's Elected Operators Committee (EOC) and the work of their subcommittees. She said they have been very productive and cooperative in working with MCB staff to improve service delivery. Ms. Heibeck said Commissioner Grant had joined the last meeting with the EOC and found the meeting to be very informative.

Several consumer organizations have partnered to form the Entrepreneur Alliance, which has hired Catriona MacDonald to work in Washington, D.C. on its behalf on national issues impacting the Randolph Sheppard program. Ms. Heibeck said Ms. MacDonald is very knowledgeable and will be very beneficial in addressing issues such as troop dining cafeterias and the proposed inclusion of all people with disabilities in the Randolph Sheppard Act. Ms. Heibeck said it has been proposed to invite Ms. MacDonald, or a similar representative, to an EOC meeting in the near future to promote grass roots efforts to oppose changes to the Randolph Sheppard Act.

Ms. Heibeck said that approval has been received to fill the BEP Manager's position and it will be posted very shortly.

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

CONSUMER INVOLVEMENT COUNCIL REPORT

Mr. Casey Dutmer, chair, said he believed he was making his final report as chairman of the Consumer Involvement Council (CIC), as his term was up and, at the present time, the new appointee to CIC had not been announced by the Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired. Mr. Dutmer referred the board to his previously submitted written report, and said he felt the CIC had accomplished its goals regarding client packages, information on the website, etc.

Mr. Dutmer said a suggestion had been made for the CIC to work with EOC on promoting skills of potential operators, and said he hoped this might be brought up at a Service Delivery Design Team or Planning and Quality Team meeting.

Mr. Dutmer said the next CIC meeting will be held in Lansing on January 22, 2007 with a May meeting proposed in Kalamazoo. Meeting dates for 2007 will be set at the January meeting and may include phone conferences.

Mr. Dutmer thanked Ms. Lisa Kisiel, MCB staff liaison to the CIC, for her help in the last year. Ms. Kisiel said her first year had been a learning experience for her and she looked forward to a successful 2007.

MS. ASHCRAFT MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MS. ALLEN, TO ACCEPT THE CONSUMER INVOLVEMENT COUNCIL REPORT, AS PRESENTED. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Mr. George Wurtzel, Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind (OUB), talked about past, present and future plans for OUB and Camp Tuhsmeheta (Camp T), including a joint Rights Law conference, March 23, hosted by Parents of Blind Children and Michigan Parents of Children with Visual Impairments, a tandem bike weekend before Memorial Day, a sailing adventure trip on Lake Michigan, and a summer math program.

Mr. Fred Wurtzel, president, National Federation of the Blind of Michigan (NFB-M), requested time on the February board meeting agenda on various issues of blindness and to present resolutions passed at their November convention. Mr. Wurtzel also expressed NFB's opposition to the lawsuit to make changes to U.S. currency.

Ms. Brunhilde Merk-Adam said a great deal more thought should be made, including investigation of the success of currencies in other countries, prior to making any changes to the U.S. currency.

Mr. Casey Dutmer said he felt that good progress had been made both in the consumer dialogue and at the PAQ meetings, to include consumer input. He hopes to see tangible results.

Ms. Kim Walsh, Detroit Radio Information Service, said it had been a great meeting and wished everyone a great holiday.

On behalf of Mr. Joe Harcz, Mr. Mike Ellis relayed a telephone message called in, in which Mr. Harcz wanted to know where MCB stood on the matter of currency, and on the application of Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act and other civil rights laws impacting people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise disabled.

ADJOURNMENT

MS. ALLEN MOVED, SUPPORTED BY MS. TAECKENS, TO ADJOURN THE MEETING. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:10 p.m. The next meeting will be held on Friday, February 23, 2007 at the Leader Dogs for the Blind, Rochester. The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m.

Jo Ann Pilarski, Chairperson

Date