[Nfb-or] OCB

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

Alena,

I think that getting together to work collectively would be the best way to
do it.  Especially those of us who have been clients in recent years and can
city specific instances of failure to provide service in a timely manner or
to follow state and federal VR law or to follow their express policies and
procedures.

Meanwhile, I'm looking for ways I can effect the changes I feel are needed.
It would be nice if I could get the tools I need to get back into my career,
but I do not want to see what happened to me happen to anybody else!  And I
don't like what I have found through my information gathering process over
the past three years while I've been physically recovering from my time with
them -- because they did not follow their own policies and procedures or VR
law or simple norms of behavior.  We still have a 70 percent unemployment
rate among the blind in Oregon, and that says a lot.  I was actually one of
the 30 percent until three years ago.  And I had been blind for 7 and a half
years by then.  And I still am getting nowhere in my attempt to get the
tools I need to get back to my vocation now that I am becoming physically
able to so agan -- at great expense, I might add!  Since I spent 6 years,
while blind, in an economically disadvantaged area and continued to build my
career there as a small business owner, then took an entry-level position in
a new, more urbanlike town when my then-husband transferred there and was
promoted to management within 6 months, there is no reason for them to
withhold now based on the job market here.  It's still better than there at
any time, and the transportation options are far better, and the loss of
corporate jobs is ideal for an experienced consultant.

So far, they are simply not bothering to respond, although they do send me
periodic letters saying they are going to close my case because I don't stay
in touch.  Sigh.  They can't even send them in the right medium or to the
right address. 

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-or-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-or-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of alena roberts
Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 8:18 PM
To: NFB of Oregon mailing list
Subject: Re: [Nfb-or] OCB

Jeff,

I think that is some great insight. The commission for the blind is
for us, so we should have a say in how it's run and how we're served.
Who do you think would be the best person to contact about getting the
visually impaired community more involved, and how many people should
we have backing this idea before we go to the commission? I would
really be interested in participating in whatever way I can.

-- 
Alena Roberts
Blog: http://www.blindgal.com/

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