[Nfbc-info] Nfbc-info Digest, Vol 123, Issue 12

Fri Aug 14 18:19:46 UTC 2015

What meeting will be on September 13? Is that for the nfbc board, or the tri valley chapter?

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 12, 2015, at 5:00 AM, nfbc-info-request at nfbnet.org wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
> 
>   1. Tri-Valley chapter meeting notice (Carl Martin)
>   2. Reminder At Large Chapter meeting Thursday evening (Mary Willows)
>   3. Agency Employing People With Disabilities Under Investigation
>      Amid Fraud, Corruption Allegations (Clark, Ted A at DOT)
>   4. Congratulations to Tiffany Thomas and Kyle Woodard (Joy Stigile)
>   5. Condolences requested (ramona.longoria)
>   6. Condolences requested (ramona.longoria)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2015 10:35:52 -0700
> From: Carl Martin <w6rgh at att.net>
> To: NFB of California List <nfbc-info at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [Nfbc-info] Tri-Valley chapter meeting notice
> Message-ID: <55CA3278.3010405 at att.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
> 
> Hi felow federationist,  Below is a message we are sending to our local 
> members.  Please share it with anyone you know in our Tri-Valley area 
> (Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin and beyond)   All are invited..
> 
> What, when and where - The Tri-Valley Chapter of the NFBC meeting WILL 
> be HELD on Saturday, August 15 from 1 to 2:45 p.m. in Livermore.We meet 
> in Cafeteria Room 2 at Valley Memorial Hospital, 1111 East Stanley 
> Blvd., which is across the street from Trader Joe?s.Call Carl if you 
> have any questions or need directions at 449-9362.
> 
> Agenda:After a quiet summer this might be a good time to talk about 
> activities we might get involve with during the winter and spring.I hope 
> we can get a report from Mary Willows on the national convention which 
> was held inJuly.I believe the September meeting wil be on the 13^th .
> 
> Bus directions - The number 10 Wheels bus (east bound)comes from the 
> Pleasanton/Dublin Bart station, and stops in front of the old Valley 
> Memorial Hospital just east of Fenton Avenue at 12:50.The west bound bus 
> arrives at 12:30 on the opposite side of the street. Try to arrive on 
> one of these Buses and we will meet you. It is a 5 minute walk to the 
> meeting room.Call Carl, at 925 449-9362 for more info or to let us know 
> if we should meet you.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2015 12:46:15 -0700
> From: "Mary Willows" <mwillows at sbcglobal.net>
> To: "'NFB of California List'" <nfbc-info at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: <ouryard at comcast.net>,    <kirbyknits at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Nfbc-info] Reminder At Large Chapter meeting Thursday
>    evening
> Message-ID: <002601d0d46e$62cc1f60$28645e20$@sbcglobal.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Hello All:
> 
> I am excited to tell you that we have some new members in our affiliate and
> we want to get them involved.
> 
> On Thursday evening, the At Large Chapter will meet by conference call at
> 7:00 P.M.
> 
> The purpose of the chapter is to allow those who cannot attend regular
> monthly chapter to stay informed and get involved in affiliate activities.
> Our California convention is coming up on October 30, 31 and November 1 and
> we want to start making plans.
> 
> Hope to see you on the At Large Chapter conference call. Please call
> 
> (712) 432-0175 passcode 184220 pound.
> 
> 
> 
> Best-
> 
> Mary Willows
> 
> 
> 
> The National Federation of the blind knows that blindness is not the
> characteristic that defines you or your future.  Every day we raise the
> expectations of blind people because low expectations create obstacles
> between blind people and our dreams. 
> 
> You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
> 
> 
> 
> National Federation of the Blind of California (NFBC)
> 
> 3934 Kern Court
> 
> Pleasanton, CA 94588
> 
> 925-462-8575
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Mary Willows, President NFBC
> 
> <mailto:mwillows at sbcglobal.net> mwillows at sbcglobal.net 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2015 22:06:56 +0000
> From: "Clark, Ted A at DOT" <ted.clark at dot.ca.gov>
> To: 'NFB of California List' <nfbc-info at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [Nfbc-info] Agency Employing People With Disabilities Under
>    Investigation Amid Fraud, Corruption Allegations
> Message-ID:
>    <2E8D946AF23C794FAAF94E5EC7191379C1F3BC at 057-SN2MPN1-023.057d.mgd.msft.net>
>    
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> 
> 
> By Kaitlyn D'Onofrio
> 
> 
> 
> The Department of Justice has launched an investigation into SourceAmerica and the AbilityOne program it oversees. The news comes just days after the 25-year anniversary of the signing of the ADA<http://www.diversityinc.com/news/ada-25-years-later-definite-progress-but-hiring-gaps-remain/>.
> 
> SourceAmerica is a national nonprofit that was established to oversee and implement AbilityOne, which was created in 1938 and trains and employs individuals with severe disabilities or who are blind.
> 
> According to CNN<http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/27/us/disabled-work-program-investigation/>, "illegal operations, financial fraud, mismanagement, operating in violation of the law, steering of contracts, and possibly obstruction of justice" are all among the charges being investigated.
> 
> Companies under contract with AbilityOne pledge that at least 75 percent of their employees have a severe disability and would be unable to work in a traditional job. An estimated $3 billion of taxpayer's money goes to AbilityOne per year, and this money is supposed to fund these contracts. Supposedly, however, half of the companies in these contracts do not meet the required percentage of employees with severe disabilities.
> 
> AbilityOne is supposed to approve which companies receive these contracts, but sources have now come forward explaining that this doesn't happen. More often than not, AbilityOne simply goes with the companies referred to them by SourceAmerica.
> 
> According to Rich Beutel, former congressional investigator, "The contracts are now being funneled to a very small group of 10 large companies that are getting way more than their fair share."
> 
> Beutel, who now lobbies for a company that is suing SourceAmerica, explained that SourceAmerica officials actually have connections to the companies receiving these contracts in many instances.
> 
> "So [then] you have actual advisers and board members in these private organizations who are themselves business owners; and so they can award themselves potentially contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars," he said. "It's a perfect setup for waste and abuse."
> 
> In a statement to CNN, SourceAmerica insisted it follows up and takes appropriate action when necessary:
> On average, SourceAmerica staff annually visits nearly 200 of the roughly 500 nonprofit agencies with active AbilityOne contracts to provide training and technical guidance to ensure that every organization with an AbilityOne contract receives the necessary amount of support to meet their contractual requirements. As such, every nonprofit agency with an AbilityOne contract receives an on-site visit at least once every three years, with more frequent visits depending on individual circumstances. SourceAmerica staff does not determine compliance; only the U.S. AbilityOne Commission is authorized to do so.
> 
> According to several sources, however, neither SourceAmerica nor AbilityOne follow up with the companies who receive contracts to make sure they actually have the required number of severely disabled employees. Mary Joan Willard is the executive director of the Boston location for NTI, a company formerly under contract with AbilityOne. According to Willard, NTI lost its contract to Peckham Industries, a company which she states does not maintain the mandatory 75 percent.
> 
> "[AbilityOne's] definition of 'verified' is they look at a piece of paper that Peckham has signed saying, 'We are in compliance ... these people are severely disabled.' And that, to me, is not verification," said Willard.
> 
> Another source, who wished to remain anonymous but is a former hiring manager at a company who received many AbilityOne contracts, corroborated Willard's explanation.
> 
> "The majority of the individuals that were being hired were not severely disabled," said the source. "I would say in my experience in the AbilityOne contracts that I worked on, maybe 10 to 20 percent were truly severely disabled; they truly did not have the ability to find gainful employment elsewhere. Everybody else - they were capable of finding employment elsewhere."
> 
> And, to the source's knowledge, there was never any follow-up from SourceAmerica or AbilityOne to verify this: "As long as you have a report that says 75% of my staff is disabled, there's no other checking," the source explained.
> 
> Supposedly, the only way to know if companies are not meeting their requirements is through their own reports to SourceAmerica - and companies rarely report their own shortcomings. Even in the cases when they did, though, no legal action was taken against the companies.
> 
> According to SourceAmerica's statement, "SourceAmerica places a high value on integrity and has zero tolerance for any actions that undermine our ability to create more employment opportunities for people with disabilities." AbilityOne refused to speak about the matter, citing pending litigation.
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2015 17:36:35 -0700
> From: "Joy Stigile" <joystigile at gmail.com>
> To: "'NFB of California List'" <nfbc-info at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: "'Mary Willows'" <mwillows at sbcglobal.net>, <kirbyknits at gmail.com>,
>    <ouryard at comcast.net>
> Subject: [Nfbc-info] Congratulations to Tiffany Thomas and Kyle
>    Woodard
> Message-ID: <00de01d0d496$f24670f0$d6d352d0$@gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Hello Tiffany and Kyle,
> 
> Congratulations on your wedding engagement announcement!  I am so happy and
> pleased for you.  
> 
> It's wonderful that you met at last year's California state convention and
> now at this year's state convention we all get to wish you all the best on
> your upcoming wedding on November 14!
> 
> I know from personal experience how fantastic National Federation of the
> Blind of California relationships are.  They are a good foundation for
> building a wonderful marriage!
> 
> best Wishes, Robert and Joy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 5
> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2015 20:04:10 -0700
> From: "ramona.longoria" <ramona.longoria at gmail.com>
> To: "nfbc-info at nfbnet org" <nfbc-info at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Ramona Longoria <ramona.longoria at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Nfbc-info] Condolences requested
> Message-ID: <ym7wg6qrmwhqv8r3qf9195cc.1439348089945 at email.android.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
> 
> Please join me in expressing our condolenses to our chapter member Denise Bravell in the loss of her father. ?Many of you know Denise as she has been an NFB member for many years. Keep Denise and her family in your thoughts and prayers.
> Mona Longoria
> Escondido Chapter
> 
> 
> Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 6
> Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2015 21:35:24 -0700
> From: "ramona.longoria" <ramona.longoria at gmail.com>
> To: "nfbc-info at nfbnet org" <nfbc-info at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Ramona Longoria <ramona.longoria at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Nfbc-info] Condolences requested
> Message-ID: <jgwag8rg168eesjtynfh54bv.1439354054220 at email.android.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
> 
> For those wishing to express their condolences to Denise in the loss of her father, you can email her at: dbravell.samobile.net
> Thank you
> Mona
> 
> Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
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> ------------------------------
> 
> End of Nfbc-info Digest, Vol 123, Issue 12
> ******************************************