[Nfb-or] OCB

[T. Joseph Carter]

Tamara,

You are entitled to due process and an appeal of any and all of the 
commission's decisions if you believe they are not doing what they 
need to be doing.  The bureaucratic machine depends upon a sense of 
learned helplessness in order to allow bureaucrats to do as little 
actual work as possible.  Any time there are processes, forms, 
procedures, and appeals in place, there is another opportunity for 
the end user of the bureaucracy (that's you) to give up.

Likewise, there is a built-in-incentive for people within the machine 
to avoid having to actually address problems, accomplish tasks, or 
otherwise do the hard stuff as long as you are completing the various 
bits of the process.  I'm sure I'm not saying anything here about the 
nature of the bureaucratic machine you haven't said yourself (and 
probably using more colorful language at least in your mind), but the 
point is that few people ever see the process through to the end.  
That's why there is so much process--to get you to give up before you 
get to the end!

So I advise that you go through the entire process, methodically, and 
as calmly as possible, and without missing a step.  You can take it 
as far as it needs to go until either you're found to be wrong or 
you're found to be right and the appropriate changes are made.

Joseph


On Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 10:10:21PM -0700, Tamara Smith-Kinney wrote:
>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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