[nfbmi-talk] i urge all to go to rsa site for comment

[joe harcz Comcast]

May 4, 2010

 

This is the RSA page for programs monitored in 2009. Only Michigan’s is absent and to my knowledge no stakeholder has seen or been involved in any of this especially in the Michigan commission for the blind process. In fact consumers and stakeholders have been kept out of the process altogether and the state won’t even remit documents under the Freedom of Information Act. All of the stonewalling and exclusion typifies Michigan’s state agencies, particularly the MCB “out of control/out of compliance nature”. By the way I don’t think that any MCB commissioner has seen or even asked for key documents including the preliminary review and the rebuttal with the possible exception of MCB Chair Jo Anne Pilarski, but that is being kept pretty quiet as well.

 

Moreover, subsequent to the RSA monitoring in March of 2010 and especially after the monitoring review hit MCB’s desk in September two blind employees of MCB were fired including Ms. Christine Boone who was engaged with the monitoring visit and who headed the MCB Training Center a core rehabilitation center for Michiganians who are blind.

 

In addition students at that center have been intimidated from engaging in protests and even participation in MCB’s public meetings over her dismissal and a cut in program.

 

Further Administrative Law Judge determinations and grievances over the Business Enterprise Programs have escalated to an astounding degree and there is at least one law suit now in Federal District Court over overt discrimination against blind vendors by none other than MCB Director Patrick Cannon and MCB Board Chair Pilarski.

 

Prior to the RSA on site review one independently minded commissioner who asked to look at information, to have MCB follow laws like the Open Meeting Act and who demanded openness and accountability was purged by Director Cannon with an abuse of the State Ethics Act.

 

Prior to the monitoring review an organization of predominately African-American stakeholders and advocates who are blind had to picket MCB offices in Detroit and Lansing over chronic abuses in service delivery. They developed a multi-point list of grievances and solutions and no one listened. And prior to a mass appearance by this organization (Advocates for the Blind) Freedom of Information Act responses showed that Director Cannon had his office investigate not only security for public meetings like the contentious June 2008 meeting of MCB but also to look into bullet proof drapes. The implications were obvious and truly go to the bunker mind set of this agency and what it really thinks of the principles of consumer involvement, autonomy of the board and open governance in general.

 

Consumer and stakeholders are barred at every point by this renegade agency from participation let alone having a proper seat at the table in the RSA monitoring process.

 

Sincerely,

 

Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

 

 

 

EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS

RSA: FY 2009 Monitoring Reports on the Vocational Rehabilitation and Independent Living Programs

Required under Section 107

 

For fiscal year 2009, eighteen agencies in twelve states were reviewed.

 

Please take a moment to participate in a

survey

about RSA's performance on the FY 2009 monitoring of Vocational Rehabilitation agencies.

 

California

download files

MS Word

(463K) |

PDF

(472K)

Updated as of December 24, 2009

 

Indiana

download files

MS Word

(657K) |

PDF

(615K)

Updated as of March 17, 2010

 

Iowa

download files

MS Word

(987K) |

PDF

(1.0M)

Updated as of February 19, 2010

 

Kentucky

download files

MS Word

(523K) |

PDF

(490K)

Updated as of January 21, 2010

 

Massachusetts

download files

MS Word

(743K) |

PDF

(641K)

Updated as of December 16, 2009

 

Michigan

Report will be uploaded in the near future. Please check back.

Updated as of March 18, 2010

 

Missouri

download files

MS Word

(849K) |

PDF

(780K)

Updated as of February 2, 2009

 

North Dakota

download files

MS Word

(298K) |

PDF

(403K)

Updated as of December 16, 2009

 

Texas

download files

MS Word

(537K) |

PDF

(560K)

Updated as of December 16, 2009

 

Utah

download files

MS Word

(448K) |

PDF

(1.18M)

Updated as of December 16, 2009

 

Guam

download files

MS Word

(522K) |

PDF

(1.35M)

Updated as of September 17, 2009

 

Northern Marianas

download files

MS Word

(366K) |

PDF

(343K)

Updated as of September 08, 2009