[Nfb-or] Action Needed: OCB Proposed Plan

[T. Joseph Carter]

Art Stevenson asked me to post this:

Tomorrow (Friday, April 2nd), Oregon Commission for the Blind 
director Linda Mock intends to present her plan to remove 
state-operated facilities from its Randolph-Shepperd vending program 
in this state.  This would reduce the program from its current size 
to just four people.

Any program Ms. Mock might propose in its place would operate without 
the legal protections afforded by the Randolph-Shepperd Act and its 
companion state legislation.  These protections include the loss of
priority access to vending sites, the requirement that the blind 
themselves are given full participation in the administration of the 
program, and a prescribed remedy for redress of grievances.

As such, it seems this plan directly contradicts the stated mission 
of the Oregon Commission for the Blind, and Ms. Mock's mission as its 
director.  Moreover, Ms. Mock appears to be working to fast-track the 
approval of this plan before its impact is realized.  It affects not 
only those in the program today, but also the blind youth still 
reeling from the loss of our School for the Blind.

Only we can prevent this detrimental plan from moving forward now.  
If you can be in the Portland area at the Commission for the Blind 
for the 4pm meeting at which Ms. Mock will present this plan, please 
attend.  If you cannot attend, please call the Commission's Portland 
office at 971-673-1588 or toll free (within Oregon) 888-202-5463.  
Tell them what you think of this plan, and ask them to pass the 
message on to Ms. Mock and to the Commissioners.

If you call, PLEASE DO BE POLITE!  The people who answer the phones 
are not responsible for this plan, and they do not deserve the brunt 
of anyone's anger.

Thank you.