[CT-NFB] FW: Notice of Public Hearing- Proposed BESB Vocational Rehabilitation Policy Update on Personal Adjustment Training

Tue Nov 3 04:03:58 UTC 2020

Hamit:

In short, what BESB has currently been doing is to limit residential
adjustment to blindness training to 12 weeks.  This policy removes this
12-week limit in favor of considering how the student has progressed in the
curriculum.  NFB of Conneccticut wholeheartedly agrees with this change!

Nathanael

From: CT-NFB [mailto:ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of hamitcampos---
via CT-NFB
Sent: Monday, November 02, 2020 7:08 PM
To: 'NFB of Connecticut Mailing List'
Cc: hamitcampos at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [CT-NFB] FW: Notice of Public Hearing- Proposed BESB Vocational
Rehabilitation Policy Update on Personal Adjustment Training

I'm not really sure what we should make of these. Well the underlined stuff
I don't know what's underlined and can't remember at the moment how to check
with JAWS. I guess I'm just wandering hmmmm if these changes were made good
bad ugly? Like the 12 week thing unless I'm misunderstanding it could be a
problem for programs like the NFB ones that go longer than 12 weeks. I don't
know I don't really get what's being said here.

From: CT-NFB <ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Elizabeth Rival via
CT-NFB
Sent: Monday, November 2, 2020 5:50 PM
To: 'NFB of Connecticut Mailing List' <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Elizabeth Rival <erival at comcast.net>
Subject: [CT-NFB] FW: Notice of Public Hearing- Proposed BESB Vocational
Rehabilitation Policy Update on Personal Adjustment Training

From: Sigman, Brian [mailto:Brian.Sigman at ct.gov] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2020 4:42 PM
To: DORS-DL BESB <DORS-DLBESB at ct.gov>
Subject: Notice of Public Hearing- Proposed BESB Vocational Rehabilitation
Policy Update on Personal Adjustment Training

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The State of Connecticut, Department of Aging and Disability Services,
Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB) will be conducting a
public hearing on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
by teleconference. The purpose of the hearing is to offer the public,
consumers, advocates, agencies and organizations the opportunity to provide
comments pertaining to proposed changes to the Vocational Rehabilitation
Program policies that govern the provision of Personal Adjustment Training.
The proposed policy changes are available for review immediately below and
also at  <https://portal.ct.gov/AgingandDisability>
https://portal.ct.gov/AgingandDisability in the BESB
<https://portal.ct.gov/AgingandDisability/Content-Pages/Bureaus/Bureau-of-Ed
ucation-and-Services-for-the-Blind>
<https://portal.ct.gov/AgingandDisability/Content-Pages/Bureaus/BESB-Vocatio
nal-Rehabilitation-Services>  section. To request an accommodation in order
to participate in the teleconference public hearing, please email
<mailto:lisa.tanguay at ct.gov> lisa.tanguay at ct.gov by no later than November
6, 2020.

Comments may be submitted orally at the public hearing teleconference, or
may be submitted at any time during this public comment period via email to:
<mailto:brian.sigman at ct.gov> brian.sigman at ct.gov;  mailed to Brian Sigman,
Bureau of  Education and Services for the Blind, 184 Windsor Avenue,
Windsor, CT, 06095, or recorded onto voice mail at (860) 602-4008. To
participate in the public hearing through teleconference, please call (877)
926-0531 and enter passcode 4506731# at any time between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30
p.m. on November 18, 2020. All comments received prior to the close of
business on Friday, November 20, 2020 will be fully considered. 

BESB Vocational Rehabilitation Program Policy: Personal Adjustment Training 

KEY:  Proposed changes are found in the wording in between asterisks ( * ).
Proposed additions to existing policy are underlined and proposed deletions
to existing policy are in between brackets. 

POLICY

Personal Adjustment Training refers to any training given for one, or a
combination, of the following reasons: (A) To assist an individual to
acquire personal habits, attitudes, and skills which will enable the
individual to function effectively with a disability; (B) To develop or
increase work tolerance prior to engaging in pre-employment or vocational
training or in employment; (C) To develop work habits and to orient the
individual to employment; or (D) To develop skills or techniques for the
specific purpose of enabling the individual to compensate for the loss of a
member of the body or the loss of a sensory function.

Prior to making a determination that out of state residential personal
adjustment training programs are necessary for achievement of the employment
outcome as identified in the Individualized Plan for Employment or
subsequent amendment, the client will participate in an independent living
evaluation with a Rehabilitation Teacher and a mobility evaluation with an
Orientation and Mobility Instructor employed by the Bureau. Services
available through an in-state option as documented in the rehabilitation
teaching evaluation or mobility evaluation shall be provided by staff of the
Bureau. In situations where no feasible in-state option exists to address
the client's employment outcome, the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and
client shall review the options available for residential personal
adjustment programs in order for the client to make an informed decision. 

For training at community rehabilitation programs, the Bureau may use the
approved fee schedules from other agencies, including rates established by
the public Vocational Rehabilitation Programs of the applicable state. In
addition, the Commissioner of the Department of Rehabilitation Services may
negotiate and establish rates.  

Progress reports are required *[at periodic intervals agreed to between the
provider and the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor] in an accessible
format at two month intervals for the duration of the training program
curriculum. [, and continued] Continued* authorizations for training should
be based on the demonstration of reasonable progress *toward mastering the
personal habits, attitudes, and skills identified in the training provider's
curriculum,* and the documented need for additional training.  

*[The Vocational Rehabilitation Program shall not fund more than 12 weeks of
attendance at a residential independent living program, including the
assessment period, unless the State Director has preapproved an extension
beyond that timeframe. In requesting an extension of funding from the State
Director, the vendor must include the following information:  

(A) The list of skills that were not mastered during the first 10 weeks of
attendance;

(B) The reason(s) the skills cannot be mastered in the remaining portion of
the 12 week period;

(C) The basis for concluding that the skills could be mastered with
additional training beyond 12 weeks; 

(D) The anticipated length of time required for the client to master these
additional skills; and  

(E) The measure that will be used as the benchmark to demonstrate the skills
were mastered.]*

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