[nfbmi-talk] sent to rsa commissioner just now

[joe harcz Comcast]

June 11, 2010

 

Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.

Mt. Morris, MI  48458

E-mail: joeharcz at comcast.net

Phone: 810-516-5262

 

Rehabilitation Services Commissioner Lynnae Rutledge

Washington, DC

(Via e-mailJ

 

Lynnae.rutledge at ed.gov

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Commissioner Rutledge,

 

I am an advocate who is blind, who has been denied among other things access to any of the preliminary findings or rebuttals of the RSA monitoring of both the Michigan Commission for the Blind and Michigan Rehabilitation Services in stark violation of the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. Moreover, no consumer organization of the blind was engaged in any way in this process. Finally, even our supposedly “autonomous” and “consumer driven” Michigan Commission for the Blind doesn’t have any relevant information related to the RSA monitoring including the preliminary report issued in September or of course, MCB’s responses. This includesMCB Vice-Chair Michael Geno who along with other Commissioners at the MCB Special Meeting of May 3, 2010 openly stated he hasn’t received or reviewed the monitoring report or responses. I have the recording of that meeting and Geno’s and other comments  in that regard were made  in direct response to a public comment referencing my and National Federation of the Blind of Michigan President Larry Posent’s Freedom of Information Act requests for RSA monitoring information. So not only are advocates, and consumer groups kept in the dark about RSA monitoring, but so are important stakeholders including the very MCB board! This is incredible to me especially as this board has fiduciary and legal obligations that it cannot possibly perform reasonably without such critical information. Moreover, to not have any of this information made public more than a year after the on site monitoring review and more than six months after preliminary reports and responses were made speaks for itself. Frankly, both MRS, and especially MCB have simply been hiding their activities in these and other regards from the public, individual citizens and advocates, and even the MCB Board. MCB contends, and especially Director Cannon that MCB is “inclusive”, almost to a fault, yet the opposite as the public record attests is true.

 

These facts  also contradict the purported consumer involvement referenced here in the MCB Report for the June 18, 2010 MCB board meeting quoted in toto:

 

“

RSA COMMISSIONER MEETS WITH MCB AND MRS IN LANSING

 

Newly appointed Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Commissioner Lynnae Ruttledge was in Lansing, May 20, to visit the state’s two rehabilitation

agencies – Michigan Rehabilitation Services and the Michigan Commission for the Blind – as part of a nationwide series of get-acquainted visits.

 

In her introductory comments at a joint meeting of MCB and MRS managers, Commissioner Ruttledge emphasized that her visit was not related to RSA monitoring

or RSA’s final monitoring report that MCB and MRS have yet to receive, but rather an opportunity to share some of her goals for public rehabilitation and

to listen to concerns and issues identified by state program representatives.

 

Commissioner Ruttledge shared some of the goals she was committed to as the new Commissioner, which included increasing the visibility of RSA, increasing

the employment of people with disabilities by working closely with VR agencies and working with state rehab partners to draft an American Rehabilitation

Journal to celebrate the upcoming 90th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Program.

 

Commissioner Ruttledge also met with MCB and MRS staff during separate meetings with each agency.  In her meeting with MCB managers and Commission Vice

Chair Michael Geno, topics discussed included the utilization of special federal stimulus funds in Michigan for the MCB Client Intern Program and strengthening

relationships with consumers and consumer organizations and other community partners and stakeholders.  The Commissioner also asked about efforts in Michigan

to modernize the Business Enterprise Program, saying it’s a question she is asking of every state.

 

Commissioner Ruttledge noted that Michigan’s commitment to successful collaboration and partnerships is impressive and spoke to the importance of engaging

partners in program and policy development.  She also said that MCB must be more expeditious in adopting policy and that the agency is accountable for

doing so.  She also noted that RSA needs to be more timely in its work with state rehab agencies, citing the final RSA monitoring report that MCB has been

awaiting for more than a year.

 

She said she enjoyed her visit to Michigan and the opportunity to meet with staff of both agencies face to face. Since she became RSA Commissioner at the

end of December, Commissioner Ruttledge has been reaching out to every state agency administrator, either in face to face meetings or by telephone.  She

also said that she will be conducting a national teleconference in July to engage other rehab agency personnel.”

 

I wonder if you find this an accurate portrayal of your meeting with MCB?

 

 

There are very serious problems with MCB here and this is only the tip of the proverbial ice berg.

 

I would respectfully request that you call me at: 810-516-5262 to detail these concerns which are very grave indeed.

 

Respectfully,

 

 

Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

 

 

Cc: file

Cc: Larry Posant President, National Federation of the Blind of Michigan