[nfbmi-talk] betcha this wasn't brought up at staff meeting

[joe harcz Comcast]

Ah yes but this comprehensive reveiw must be a part of the state plan under 
the rehab act and I guess folks forgot about that and the fact that we're 
supposed to inform the public about this, let alone the commission in detail 
and that there are supposed to be open and public hearings on this state 
plan.

Guess what ... We've never done that in Michigan since I've been back here 
in 2001!

These are aalso supposed to be reported to RSA as part of its annual reveiws 
and on site monitoring too.

Also note the requirement for affirmative action in hiring of qualified 
blind folks right in here.

And requirments for qualifications.

Kind of goes to the minimal requirements for running the Training Center 
being only a high school diploma and two years of law enforcement or 
equivelent experience.

Oh, my did Cannon fire two blind folks in the past year and replace them 
with lesser qualified people including a lesser qualified sighted person by 
the name of Cheryl Hibeck?

Oh, my looks like a substantive violation of Section 503 and 504 for that 
matter going on here in Michigan.

Man, I loved his rope a dope on that issue during the last meeting.

And RSA just is loving his public comments blaming the RSA monitors for his 
groos derelictions of known duties, multiple violations of multiple laws, 
and so on and so forth.

Folks here's the ultimate issue, just like in Watergate we must "follow the 
money".

That's what this all is about ultimately. Money and personal power.

I keep waiting for Cannon to deliver a press conference to say, "I am not a 
crook."

Say, here's a thought maybe the state trooper they requisitioned to try to 
intimidate me from telling the truth at a public meeting could be used 
instead to haul his butt off to the hoosegow.

Oh it makes me sick to my stomache whenever I hear from these jokers and 
bigots and buffoons and scofflaws things like, "We're more inclusive than 
the minimum and mhave more consumer input than other states."

Compared to what?

One example is Maine just had public hearings widely notified in all sorts 
of media, by telephone, radio, web site, and so on and so forth on its VR 
State Plan.

Oh, yes we've got some updates on that due July 1, 2010. Betcha until I sent 
out the release to our commissioners they didn't even know that eh?

This is the sickest institution of its type I've ever seen and I thought the 
blended agency in New Hampshire was bad. This one doesn't even go through 
the basics and again the minimum of public input and public information. 
There is no sunshine in this state and on this agency or its sister agency 
MRS for example.

Hasn't it dawned on everyone that Michigan stands alone in the fact that it 
is the only state whose monitoring is incomplete among 18 agencies 
monitorred in FY 2009?

Elizabeth is corret in that Minnesota is finalized. So are states like 
California, Texas, Kentucky, IIowa, Arizzona and even the Marinas Islands 
and Guam!! Beleive me all states had issues. Some were big time. But 
Michigan stands alone in not having its monitoring report finalized because 
they found big time violations and now the powers that be here are trying to 
sweep this all under the rug.

Beleive me folks the hammer will fall and sadly, it will be those of us who 
are blind and other folks with other disabilities who will ultimately 
suffer.

These scofflaws in MCB and MRS are simply protecting some jobs and pensions 
for the time when the bovine scatology hits the fan with a new 
administrationnext year.

Again for fiscal year 2011 MRS will come up ten million dollars short and 
will go to an order of selection. That is already a part of the public 
record.

We haven't even heard any financial details of what will happen to MCB.

And God help us all if RSA decides to pull what I call the "nuclear option" 
on MCB and/or MRS and that is to withold all federal funding for 
non-compliance.

This can happen and might just happen too.

And if that happens we're not going to have any transitional services, basic 
rehab services (like the training center), employment placement/training 
including college, etc., etc., etc.

Until we develop other agencies that will comply with the letter and spirit 
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.

And in states like California and Arizona major cut backs on services have 
lalready taken place as the state foregoes some elements of RSA funding for 
lack of state match. By the way that is exactly why MRS will be out ten 
million next year. It was already announced that they can't abuse the cash 
match agreements they were using and they can't get two million from our 
bancrupt state for the federal share of eight million. So voila they get 
their budget cut by ten million out of a total of 80 million.

We can all do the math. That's a substantial bite and they/nor MCB will have 
American Recovery Act monies to play with in the next fiscal year.

Meanwhile Cannon and the jokers at DELEG think that consumer advocates on 
limited budgets can pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to search and 
deliver public information under the FOIA that should as Larry said at the 
last meeting be posted on the MCB web site to begin with!

It is no wonder that taxpayers have a jaundiced eye towards state employees. 
Not that they are all bad, but these types give all public employees a black 
eye.

Sigh...

Joe
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at comcast.net>
To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 11:13 AM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] betcha this wasn't brought up at staff meeting


> Hey joe,
>
> The answer is simple.  Pat has the 20/20 plan.  By 2020 all staff will 
> have
> 20/20 vision.  They will have 2 or 3 years of experience as security 
> gaurds
> at K-mart or a similar place.
>
> Warm Regards,
>
> Fred
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of joe harcz Comcast
> Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 10:41 AM
> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] betcha this wasn't brought up at staff meeting
>
> Sec. 361.18  Comprehensive system of personnel development.
>
>
>
>    The State plan must describe the procedures and activities the
>
> State agency will undertake to establish and maintain a comprehensive
>
> system of personnel development designed to ensure an adequate supply
>
> of qualified rehabilitation personnel, including professionals and
>
> paraprofessionals, for the designated State unit. If the State agency
>
> has a State Rehabilitation Council, this description must, at a
>
> minimum, specify that the Council has an opportunity to review and
>
> comment on the development of plans, policies, and procedures necessary
>
> to meet the requirements of paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section.
>
> This description must also conform with the following requirements:
>
>    (a) Data system on personnel and personnel development. The State
>
> plan must describe the development and maintenance of a system by the
>
> State agency for collecting and analyzing on an annual basis data on
>
> qualified personnel needs and personnel development, in accordance with
>
> the following requirements:
>
>    (1) Data on qualified personnel needs must include--
>
>    (i) The number of personnel who are employed by the State agency in
>
> the provision of vocational rehabilitation services in relation to the
>
> number of individuals served, broken down by personnel category;
>
>    (ii) The number of personnel currently needed by the State agency
>
> to provide vocational rehabilitation services, broken down by personnel
>
> category; and
>
>    (iii) Projections of the number of personnel, broken down by
>
> personnel category, who will be needed by the State agency to provide
>
> vocational rehabilitation services in the State in 5 years based on
>
> projections of the number of individuals to be served, including
>
> individuals with significant disabilities, the number of personnel
>
> expected to retire or leave the field, and other relevant factors.
>
>    (2) Data on personnel development must include--
>
>    (i) A list of the institutions of higher education in the State
>
> that are preparing vocational rehabilitation professionals, by type of
>
> program;
>
>    (ii) The number of students enrolled at each of those institutions,
>
> broken down by type of program; and
>
>    (iii) The number of students who graduated during the prior year
>
> from each of those institutions with certification or licensure, or
>
> with the credentials for certification or licensure, broken down by the
>
> personnel category for which they have received, or have the
>
> credentials to receive, certification or licensure.
>
>    (b) Plan for recruitment, preparation, and retention of qualified
>
> personnel. The State plan must describe the development, updating, and
>
> implementation of a plan to address the current and projected needs for
>
> personnel who are qualified in accordance with paragraph (c) of this
>
> section. The plan must identify the personnel needs based on the data
>
> collection and analysis system described in paragraph (a) of this
>
> section and must provide for the coordination and facilitation of
>
> efforts between the designated State unit and institutions of higher
>
> education and professional associations to recruit, prepare, and retain
>
> personnel who are qualified in accordance with paragraph (c) of this
>
> section, including personnel from minority backgrounds and personnel
>
> who are individuals with disabilities.
>
>    (c) Personnel standards.
>
>    (1) The State plan must include the State agency's policies and
>
> describe the procedures the State agency will undertake to establish
>
> and maintain standards to ensure that all professional and
>
> paraprofessional personnel needed within the designated State unit to
>
> carry out this part are appropriately and adequately prepared and
>
> trained, including--
>
>    (i) Standards that are consistent with any national or State-
>
> approved or -recognized certification, licensing, or registration
>
> requirements, or, in the absence of these requirements, other
>
> comparable requirements (including State personnel requirements) that
>
> apply to the profession or discipline in which that category of
>
> personnel is providing vocational rehabilitation services; and
>
>    (ii) To the extent that existing standards are not based on the
>
> highest requirements in the State, the steps the State is currently
>
> taking and the steps the State plans to take to retrain or hire
>
> personnel to meet standards that are based on the highest requirements
>
> in the State, including measures to notify State unit personnel, the
>
> institutions of higher education identified under paragraph (a)(2)(i)
>
> of this section, and other public agencies of these steps and the
>
> timelines for taking each step. The steps taken by the State unit under
>
> this paragraph must be described in a written plan that includes--
>
>    (A) Specific strategies for retraining, recruiting, and hiring
>
> personnel;
>
>    (B) The specific time period by which all State unit personnel will
>
> meet the standards described in paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section;
>
>    (C) Procedures for evaluating the State unit's progress in hiring
>
> or retraining personnel to meet applicable personnel standards within
>
> the time period established under paragraph (c)(1)(ii)(B) of this
>
> section; and
>
>    (D) In instances in which the State unit is unable to immediately
>
> hire new personnel who meet the requirements in paragraph (c)(1)(i) of
>
> this section, the initial minimum qualifications that the designated
>
> State unit will require of newly hired personnel and a plan for
>
> training those individuals to meet applicable requirements within the
>
> time period established under paragraph (c)(1)(ii)(B) of this section.
>
>    (2) As used in this section--
>
>    (i) Highest requirements in the State applicable to that profession
>
> or discipline means the highest entry-level academic degree needed for
>
> any national or State-approved or -recognized certification, licensing,
>
> registration, or, in the absence of these requirements, other
>
> comparable requirements that apply to that profession or discipline.
>
> The current requirements of all State statutes and regulations of other
>
> agencies in the State applicable to that profession or discipline must
>
> be considered and must be kept on file by the designated State unit and
>
> available to the public.
>
>    (ii) Profession or discipline means a specific occupational
>
> category, including any paraprofessional occupational category, that--
>
>    (A) Provides rehabilitation services to individuals with
>
> disabilities;
>
>    (B) Has been established or designated by the State unit; and
>
>    (C) Has a specified scope of responsibility.
>
>    (d) Staff development.
>
>    (1) The State plan must include the State agency's policies and
>
> describe the procedures and activities the State agency will undertake
>
> to ensure that all personnel employed by the State unit receive
>
> appropriate and adequate training, including a description of--
>
>    (i) A system of staff development for rehabilitation professionals
>
> and paraprofessionals within the State unit, particularly with respect
>
> to assessment, vocational counseling, job placement, and rehabilitation
>
> technology; and
>
>    (ii) Procedures for acquiring and disseminating to rehabilitation
>
> professionals and paraprofessionals within the designated State unit
>
> significant knowledge from research and other sources.
>
>    (2) The specific training areas for staff development must be based
>
> on the
>
>
>
> [[Page 4395]]
>
>
>
> needs of each State unit and may include, but are not limited to--
>
>    (i) Training regarding the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the
>
> amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 made by the Rehabilitation
>
> Act Amendments of 1998;
>
>    (ii) Training with respect to the requirements of the Americans
>
> with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
>
> and Social Security work incentive programs, including programs under
>
> the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999,
>
> training to facilitate informed choice under this program, and training
>
> to improve the provision of services to culturally diverse populations;
>
> and
>
>    (iii) Activities related to--
>
>    (A) Recruitment and retention of qualified rehabilitation
>
> personnel;
>
>    (B) Succession planning; and
>
>    (C) Leadership development and capacity building.
>
>    (e) Personnel to address individual communication needs. The State
>
> plan must describe how the State unit--
>
>    (1) Includes among its personnel, or obtains the services of,
>
> individuals able to communicate in the native languages of applicants
>
> and eligible individuals who have limited English speaking ability; and
>
>    (2) Includes among its personnel, or obtains the services of,
>
> individuals able to communicate with applicants and eligible
>
> individuals in appropriate modes of communication.
>
>    (f) Coordination with personnel development under the Individuals
>
> with Disabilities Education Act. The State plan must describe the
>
> procedures and activities the State agency will undertake to coordinate
>
> its comprehensive system of personnel development under the Act with
>
> personnel development under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
>
> Act.
>
>
>
> (Authority: Section 101(a)(7) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 721(a)(7))
>
>
>
>
>
> Sec. 361.19  Affirmative action for individuals with disabilities.
>
>
>
>    The State plan must assure that the State agency takes affirmative
>
> action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with
>
> disabilities covered under and on the same terms and conditions as
>
> stated in section 503 of the Act.
>
>
>
> (Authority: Section 101(a)(6)(B) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 721(a)(6)(B))
>
>
>
>
>
> Sec. 361.20  Public participation requirements.
>
>
>
>    (a) Conduct of public meetings. The State plan must assure that
>
> prior to the adoption of any substantive policies or procedures
>
> governing the provision of vocational rehabilitation services under the
>
> State plan, including making any substantive amendments to the policies
>
> and procedures, the designated State agency conducts public meetings
>
> throughout the State to provide the public, including individuals with
>
> disabilities, an opportunity to comment on the policies or procedures.
>
>    (b) Notice requirements. The State plan must assure that the
>
> designated State agency, prior to conducting the public meetings,
>
> provides appropriate and sufficient notice throughout the State of the
>
> meetings in accordance with--
>
>    (1) State law governing public meetings; or
>
>    (2) In the absence of State law governing public meetings,
>
> procedures developed by the designated State agency in consultation
>
> with the State Rehabilitation Council.
> _______________________________________________
> nfbmi-talk mailing list
> nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nfbmi-talk:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/f.wurtzel%40comc
> ast.net
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nfbmi-talk mailing list
> nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nfbmi-talk:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/joeharcz%40comcast.net