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<DIV><SPAN class=578205703-01032012><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial>It's a
sad day in Michigan. Don't ever think we are immune to such actions in our
Kentucky Office for the Blind.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=578205703-01032012><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=578205703-01032012><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial>Cathy</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left><FONT size=2
face=Tahoma>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Freeh, Jessica
[mailto:JFreeh@nfb.org]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, February 29, 2012 4:11
PM<BR><B>To:</B> Alpidio Rolon; Amy Buresh; Art Schreiber; Beth Rival; Bill
Packee; Bob Kresmer; Carl Jacobsen; Cassandra McNabb; Cathy Jackson; Charlene
Smyth; Christine G. Hall; Dan Hicks; Daniel Burke; Donna Wood; Duane Iverson;
Elsie Dickerson; Frank Lee; Franklin Shiner; Fred Schroeder; Garrick Scott; Gary
Ray; Gary Wunder; Grace Pires; J.W. Smith; James Antonacci; Jeannie Massay;
Jennifer Dunnam; Joe Ruffalo; John Batron; John Fritz; Joy Harris; Joyce
Scanlan; Ken Rollman; Kim Williams; Kimberly Flores; Larry Posont; Lynn
Majewski; Mary Willows; Melissa Riccobono; Michael Barber; Michael Freeman; Mika
Pyyhkala; Nani Fife; Pam Allen; Parnell Diggs; Patti Chang; Patty Estes; Rena
Smith; Ron Brown; Gardner, Ron; Sam Gleese; Scott LaBarre; Shawn Callaway; Terry
Sheeler<BR><B>Subject:</B> National Federation of the Blind of Michigan Calls
for Reversal of Executive Order on Commission for the Blind<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></DIV>
<DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">CONTACT:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Fred Wurtzel, Spokesperson<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">National Federation of the Blind of <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">(517) 485-0326<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">(517) 256-5575 (Cell)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">f.wurtzel@att.net<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt" align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">National Federation of the Blind of
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State></st1:place> Calls
for Reversal <BR>of Executive Order on Commission for the
Blind<o:p></o:p></SPAN></H1>
<H2 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt" align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><EM>Blind Citizens to Protest Order
Tomorrow<o:p></o:p></EM></SPAN></H2>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT
face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Dearborn
Heights, Michigan (February 29, 2012):</SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> The National Federation of the Blind of Michigan,
the voice of blind citizens in Michigan, calls upon Governor Rick Snyder and the
Michigan Senate and House of Representatives to rescind Executive Order 2012-2
and conduct an open and transparent review of services to blind citizens.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In response to legitimate concerns about
mismanagement, poor performance, and a high degree of consumer dissatisfaction
over the past ten years that reached a crescendo this year, Governor Snyder
issued Executive Order 2012-2 abolishing the Michigan Commission for the Blind
and transferring its remnants to the Michigan Department of Human Services (the
welfare department) and the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and
Budget.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
vigorously objects to Executive Order 2012-2 on several
grounds:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type=disc>
<LI
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It appears to violate federal
laws and regulations regarding rehabilitation and it jeopardizes nearly 15
million dollars in federal funds targeted to provide rehabilitation and
training to approximately 2,500 blind <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State></st1:place> citizens.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI></UL>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type=disc>
<LI
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It threatens the jobs of more
than forty blind persons who operate vending facilities on federal property
and along <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State></st1:place>’s interstate highways plus an
additional sixty employees of these blind
entrepreneurs.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI></UL>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type=disc>
<LI
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It abolishes the Michigan
Commission for the Blind, a consumer-driven board that sets policy for the
agency serving blind persons.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Three of the five persons on the board are required to be blind.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This arrangement assured that blind
citizens have oversight of services to the blind of the
state.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI></UL>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type=disc>
<LI
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Neither the Governor, nor his
staff, consulted with the board of the commission or any other blind person or
organization representing blind persons.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>No staff of the agency was consulted about the necessity, viability, or
legality of the executive order.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI></UL>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type=disc>
<LI
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Blind people object to being
served by the Department of Human Services (the welfare department).<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Blind people want work, not
welfare.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI></UL>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">“Given the Governor’s emphasis on open, transparent,
and data-driven decisions in state government, we are astonished by the
poorly-thought-out executive order and the potential negative consequences it
brings to blind people and the citizens of Michigan,” said Larry Posont,
president of the National Federation of the Blind of
Michigan.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">“Where will the forty blind vendors go for work?”
Posont continued.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“What will happen
to their families?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This will force
more people into unemployment and on to welfare rather than creating jobs as the
agency is designed to do.” <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">“We do not have any problem with the legal structure,
the staff, or the funding of the commission,” said Mike Powell, the National
Federation of the Blind of Michigan’s first vice president.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“It is the mismanagement of services and
programs, the lack of results, and the lack of responsiveness to which we
object, not the legal structure of the commission.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We want a strong commission board that
will make good public policy, set high goals for job placement, and raise
respect for blind people here in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State></st1:place>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We call upon the Governor and the
legislature to consult with the representatives of blind citizens in this state
to craft a better approach than this ill-considered executive
order.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Members and supporters of the National Federation of
the Blind of Michigan will gather at noon tomorrow in front of the
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Romney</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Building</st1:PlaceType> in <st1:City w:st="on">Lansing</st1:City> to
protest the executive order and inform the public about the negative impact that
it will have on blind citizens of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State></st1:place>, their families, and their
employees.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">###<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">About the
National Federation of the Blind of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The National Federation of the Blind of Michigan is
the state’s oldest and largest organization of blind consumers.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Founded in 1941, we have chapters in
most large cities in <st1:State w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State> and provide
advocacy, information about blindness, scholarships, and many other services
that work toward our goal to change what it means to be blind in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>