[Nfbf-l] Fwd: [fcb-l] another story on dbs chanel 6

[Carlos Montas]

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Montas, Carlos" <Carlos.Montas at dbs.fldoe.org>
> Date: January 17, 2013, 1:02:43 PM EST
> To: <carlos.montas at gmail.com>
> Subject: FW: [fcb-l] another story on dbs chanel 6
> 
>  
>  
>  
>  
> Carlos Montas
> Senior Rehabilitation Specialist
> Division of Blind Services
> 1185 Dunn Avenue
> Daytona Beach, Florida  32114
> Phone: 386-254-3807 
> Fax: 386-239-6107
> Email: carlos.montas at dbs.fldoe.org
>  
> From: fcb-l-bounces at acb.org [mailto:fcb-l-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf Of Easy Talk
> Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2013 6:20 AM
> To: fcb-l at acb.org
> Subject: [fcb-l] another story on dbs chanel 6
>  
> Tallahassee, FL - The parents of a visually impaired girl are raising new concerns
> about Florida's Division of Blind Services.
> They say they're not getting the help for their daughter DBS promised.
> They're so concerned, the family drove all the way from St. Augustine to Tallahassee
> to talk to us about it.
> Victoria Parson is an 11 year old sixth grader.
> Visually impaired since birth, Victoria only has limited sight in her left eye.
> She says it makes school work especially difficult.
> "I do stress a lot keeping up with work and stuff and finding proper ways to do things,"
> said Victoria.
> To help with that school work, Victoria and her parents entered into a verbal agreement
> with Florida's Division of Blind Services to have Victoria use a machine.
> The reader or CCTV machine scans and magnifies pages to help Victoria read them.
> Tammy Parson says as part of the August, 2010 deal, DBS agreed to take care of the
> reader's maintenance for three years.
> But Tammy says it's broken down twice, hasn't worked for months and despite her best
> efforts to get DBS to fix it, it hasn't happened.
> "They haven't called to say let's try something else, let's see about getting another
> one, let's take another route," said Tammy. "They just called and said they weren't
> fixing it or paying any more money and that's it," she said.
> What also troubles Tammy is she was told by her DBS case worker the machine was new,
> even though she gave it to her without a box.
> However, when she checked after it broke a second time, she found an invoice showing
> DBS bought the machine in 2008, more than two years before it was given to Victoria.
> "I don't feel they were honest," said Tammy.
> Additionally, the vendor listed on the invoice is not the same one who Tammy says
> she was directed to contact after the machine broke down.
> She says that vendor told her she used to work for Blind Services, but quit her job
> to start her business.
> As we reported last month, four DBS employees, including former Director Joyce Hildreth
> either resigned or were fired in the wake of a private vendor scandal.
> The bottom line for Tammy is getting Victoria the help she needs.
> "I've called numerous times asking questions, never get any answers," Tammy said.
> "I get the runaround or I'm told I ask too complicated questions," she said.
> "I think they should help me considering that I am visually impaired and my needs
> are going to be different from everybody else's," said Victoria.
> A Blind Services Spokeswoman tells us the agency can't comment on individual clients.
> However, she also says DBS is investigating the buying process for Victoria's machine
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