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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Good evening Florida Federationists,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The State of Florida Department of Education has disseminated several notices today that we as blind consumers need to be aware of. Below you will find both of those notices, and I urge you to read them carefully. If you do not have a clear understanding of what this means to blind and low vision consumer’s in our state, I will provide a simple explanation.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If both agencies (Division of Blind Services “DBS” and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) unified, we as blind and low vision individuals will surely have our services reduced or not be provided. The combination of agencies in other states have illustrated that the blind consumer have been left at the bottom of the picking order when these agencies are combined. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>The Florida Affiliate is in contact with our national office and we are waiting for a directive. We will continue to monitor these circumstances closely.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Here is the first notice:<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Dear Stakeholder,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As an important partner to Florida’s Division of Blind Services (DBS) and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), I wanted to personally share information about an important step the Florida Department of Education is taking to strengthen coordination and enhance outcomes for individuals with disabilities across our state.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Before I do, however, I would like to briefly introduce myself to those with whom I have not had the opportunity to connect with yet. My name is Kelly Rogers, and I have served over 25 years leading programs to improve outcomes for Florida’s families, including the state’s early intervention program for infants and toddlers with disabilities, programs to improve maternal and child health outcomes, and Florida’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to elevate workforce outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Most recently, I served as Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Today, under the leadership of Commissioner Henry Mack, the Florida Department of Education is announcing an organizational change that will strengthen collaboration and enhance services for Floridians with disabilities. The DVR and DBS will now be aligned under my leadership as Chancellor within a new organizational title known as the Division of Employment Opportunity and Independence (DEOI). By bringing these two Divisions together, we have an opportunity to create more seamless pathways to independence, education, training, and meaningful employment for individuals with disabilities while building on the strong foundation each Division has established.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>As we move forward, I want to emphasize that individuals currently receiving services through DVR or DBS will experience no disruption as a result of this organizational change. The new Division will preserve the specialized services, expertise, and support currently provided through both DVR and DBS. Division staff, counselors, subject matter experts, administrators, and provider networks will continue serving the distinct needs of the individuals and families who rely on these critical programs. You will continue to work with the same experienced professionals and trusted leaders at both the local and state level.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>While I am honored to serve as Chancellor, my most important role is that of a mother of two children, including an adult son with autism who has benefited from services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act. That experience shapes my commitment to listening to the individuals we serve, their families, providers, employers, and partners. In the coming months, I will travel throughout Florida to learn from you to identify ways to reduce bureaucratic barriers, make services easier to navigate, and improve outcomes for the individuals we serve.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>The DEOI reflects a broader commitment to reduce barriers, improve accountability, and build a more coordinated system centered on the people it serves. I am grateful for your partnership and look forward to working alongside you as we continue advancing our shared mission of improving outcomes for Floridians with disabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Here is the notification from the Department of Education website:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Florida Announces New Chancellor and a New Division: Division of Employment Opportunity and Independence<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Vocational Rehabilitation and Blind Services will aim to create more seamless pathways to independence, education, training, and meaningful employment for individuals with disabilities<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>today, Commissioner Mack announced that the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) and the Division of Blind Services (DBS) will now be supervised by one administrator, Chancellor Kelly Rogers, under a new organizational title, the “Division of Employment Opportunity and Independence (DEOI)”. Unifying DVR and DBS will create more seamless pathways to independence, education, training, and meaningful employment for people with disabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Kelly Rogers has over 25 years leading programs to improve outcomes for Florida’s families, including the state’s early intervention program for infants and toddlers with disabilities, programs to improve maternal and child health outcomes, and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Most recently, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>“Ending the dual bureaucracy while protecting specialized disability and blind services is critical to the future of the Florida economy and the individuals we aim to uplift,” said Dr. Henry Mack, Commissioner of Education. “Floridians with disabilities do not live in two separate worlds, yet we still run two rehabilitation bureaucracies—two leadership teams, two plans, two IT systems, two sets of offices and compliance monitoring, two employer services teams—to do the same federally funded job. Every counselor, every dollar, every employer relationship should be pointed at one outcome: competitive, integrated employment for all Floridians with disabilities seeking competitive and integrated employment.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Drawing on her professional experience and that of a mother of an adult son with autism, Chancellor Rogers brings the leadership, vision, administration, resources, reporting, and strategic planning of DVR and DBS into a unified structure. The new division will focus on more seamless pathways to independence, education, training, and meaningful employment, along with stronger connections between Floridians with disabilities and employers seeking talented workers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Both divisions already operate under the same federal Rehabilitation Act and the same Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) Combined State Plan. The new division head will allow the Department to preserve and strengthen both programs' specialized services, while removing silos and barriers for critical workforce services for Floridians with disabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Specialized staff, counselors, subject matter experts, administrators, and provider networks will continue serving the distinct needs of individuals who rely on DVR and DBS services.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>The new model demonstrates opportunities for stronger coordination, operational efficiency, accountability, statewide consistency, and alignment with federal performance and reporting requirements. Florida will apply stakeholder feedback, fiscal and operational analysis, and the unique needs of the communities served by both programs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>“I am honored to return home to Florida and committed to ensuring that Floridians with disabilities receive high-quality, fiscally responsible and individualized services that lead to meaningful employment and independence,” said Chancellor Kelly Rogers. “By leading both DVR and DBS, we will establish a seamless system with one mission: strengthen Florida’s economy with the many skills and talents individuals with disabilities bring to the workforce system.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>In the coming months, the Commissioner and Chancellor will listen to feedback from individuals with disabilities, families, staff, providers, employers, advocates, partners, educators, and community organizations. The feedback received will help shape the establishment and implementation of the Division of Employment Opportunity and Independence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Fast Facts:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>• DVR served 45,727 jobseekers in 2025-26, completed 14,198 employment plans, and closed 5,144 cases with employment (up 5.5%). It operates with 878 authorized positions and 89 field offices. Its federal VR grant was $218.9 million in FY 2026.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>• DBS’s vocational rehabilitation program serves about 5,000 clients a year and recorded 1,018 employment successes in the most recently completed year—the highest in the agency’s history. It has approximately 280 positions. Its federal VR grant was $44.8 million in FY 2026.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>• Combined, the two divisions represent more than 1,150 positions and well over $350 million in annual resources, plus overlapping employer outreach, eligibility work, case-management system processes, and administrative infrastructure.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>• Florida still has a large employment gap: an estimated 2.83 million working-age Floridians have a disability (13.7% of the population). Only 23.9 percent of working-age Floridians with a disability are employed, compared with 63.7% of those without a disability.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>• Florida already requires a cooperative agreement between the two divisions because the same person can be eligible for both programs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:5.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Jorge Hernandez <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>1<sup>ST</sup> Vice President<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>National Federation of the Blind of Florida <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></body></html>