[nfbmi-talk] questions we asked Pat Cannon at convention
fred olver
goodfolks at charter.net
Fri Nov 12 18:21:49 UTC 2010
Larry, Any chance of placing his answers on the list as well. Oftentimes the
answers are more telling than the questions.
Fred Olver
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Posont" <president.nfb.mi at gmail.com>
To: "NFBofMichigan List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2010 10:42 AM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] questions we asked Pat Cannon at convention
> These are the questions we gave to Pat Cannon at State Convention on
> October 30. He answered some of them at Convention, and said
> that he would answer the rest via email.
>
>
>
> Larry Posont
>
>
>
> Question 0 We think this would be a good beginning statement before true
> questions even begin.
>
>
>
> You are on this stage as a guest of the national Federation of the Blind
> of Michigan. You must recognize that in our view you have
> maliciously attacked this organization and our members by firing them,
> besmirching their reputations and reducing their future
> earnings as retirees in the Business Enterprise program in an attempt to
> thwart and reduce our ability to advocate on behalf of
> blind people. You have used your political influence and inside knowledge
> to load the Commission Board with your picks. You have
> failed to inform us of reductions in Newsline funding thus putting the
> NFBMI in a supplicant role to vainly attempt to neuter us and
> prevent us from our rightful role as advocate and watchdog. Do you promise
> to fully and honestly answer our questions for the
> record?
>
>
>
> Question 1
>
> During the March Commission board meeting, it was said that the Michigan
> Commission for the Blind would hire a nonbiased moderator
> to help facilitate the ongoing discussion regarding the college policy.
> However, it seems clear that the person who was hired to
> facilitate the June college policy meeting was bias towards the agency,
> against consumers, and did not possess a positive belief
> about blindness in general. Can you explain why your agency decided to
> hire a facilitator who had personal connections with a member
> of the Commission Board rather than hire someone who was completely
> neutral to these issues?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 2
>
> This week there were 13 facilities on the BEP bid line. To our knowledge
> at least 2 blind people, one with a bachelor's degree in
> foodservice requested work. They were refused. Meanwhile, the MCB is
> presumably hiring sighted people who regularly do not pay
> their fees to work. Another operator with significantly below the minimum
> income for a highway vending operation has repeatedly
> been denied merging of her facility with other surplus facilities.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Can you explain how you can justify denying jobs to blind people in a
> program designed to employ them?
>
>
>
> Can you provide any reasonable justification for withholding income from
> other blind persons when there are not enough blind people
> trained to fill positions available.
>
>
>
>
>
> How can you explain the lack of planning that has led to this crisis.
>
>
>
> Can you plausibly deny that you may have had an inkling that there would
> be an early retirement incentive program?
>
>
>
> question 3 and 3.5
>
> It has been reported widely that you told Andy Levin that you did not fire
> Christine Boone because of the marksmanship class. So if
>
> you did not fire her for the marksmanship class than what did you fire her
> for?
>
>
>
> Question 3.5
>
> Well Pat, if you can't discuss Christine or her case at this time, how is
> it that you have been able to talk about her, the
> marksmanship class and related issues, with people like Andy Levin and
> Sherri Heibeck??
>
>
>
> Question 4
>
> What is your classification under civil service? If it is an LTA, which is
> limited term appointment, when was it completed and who
>
> approved it?
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 5
>
> Blind students across the state encounter a wide variety of problems
> getting a quality education. Some districts do a good job
> while others fail their blind pupils. We are aware of testing issues in 2
> districts, currently. Through our encounters with blind
> students from across the state we are aware that few of them are
> reasonably fluent in Braille and are not reading at grade level.
>
>
>
> Public Act 260 states in part:
>
>
>
> 393.356 Employment and duties of educational consultants; informing
> commission of
>
> schools with visually handicapped students; liaison and program
> coordination.
>
> Sec. 6.(1) The commission may employ qualified educational consultants to
> assist
>
> public or private school teachers responsible for teaching visually
> handicapped students.
>
> Educational consultants shall assist public and private school teachers by
> providing
>
> methods and materials for teaching visually handicapped students. The
> superintendent
>
> of public instruction shall inform the commission of the schools in which
> visually
>
> handicapped students are enrolled.
>
> (2) The director or a person designated by the director shall be the
> liaison between
>
> the commission, the schools for the blind, and the superintendent of
> public instruction,
>
> and shall coordinate all programs affecting blind students.
>
> I draw your attention to part 2 of this section. It says that you or your
> designee SHALL coordinate all programs for blind students
> in Michigan. To our knowledge you play no such role, why not. Are you
> violating the law by not complying? Do you plan to begin to
> follow the law? What is your plan to do so? Are you receiving a list of
> all schools where blind students attend? Does someone
> from MCB meet these students and parents to help prepare them for the
> future? If the list is not provided, how do you intend to
> gain access to it? What steps have you taken to get such a list?
>
>
>
> Question 6
>
> The state accounting system, once known as MAIN (Michigan Administrative
> Information Network) has never been fully accessible to
> blind state employees, some of whom need to use it in their job duties.
> There have been successful ADA lawsuits in other states on
> this very topic, thus putting Michigan at risk for a similar suit. You
> have been the state ADA Coordinator for most of the Granholm
> Administration. Many blind employees in MCB and throughout state
> government are prevented by this lack of accessibility from
> competing on a level playing field with their sighted colleagues. What
> have you done to correct this violation of sections 504 and
> 508 of the Rehabilitation Act which you are directly responsible for, and
> the ADA, not to mention Michigan Public Act 220? Why
> haven't you done more to resolve this issue? Is there any plan in motion
> to fix MAIN? What have you, personally done to fix this
> problem? Is this a failure of your leadership as ADA coordinator? Why
> haven't you made this a top priority as ADA coordinator?
>
>
>
> Question 7
>
> The Randolph-Sheppard Act requires "active participation" of blind
> operators in the "major administrative decisions" of the agency.
> The Michigan legislature has passed a law that requires that Blind
> operators in the Business Enterprise Program be considered state
> employees for retirement purposes. You allowed blind operators retirement
> to be reduced by 10%. There were no hearings; there was
> no request to the Elected Operator's Committee to consider this major
> change. The Commission Board did not consider this change.
> Under what authority did you take future income from blind retired
> operators? Why did you not properly enforce the
> Randolph-Sheppard Act by requiring a full discussion of this change which
> reduces the incomes of blind people for years, by the
> Elected Operators Committee and the Commission Board?
>
>
>
> Question 8
>
> You personally travelled to the General Office Building at the state
> Secondary Complex and removed a blind person from her job with
> no due process. Your illegal actions were rightfully overturned by the
> Commission Board. Why did you, personally, violate the
> Randolph-Sheppard Act? When this was pointed out to you, why didn't you
> reverse your mistake? Was it because the operator was the
> President of the Merchant's Division of the NFB? Were you retaliating
> against her for her advocacy on behalf of blind vendors to
> enforce the catering policies and exclusive rights to sell food and
> related products on state property? Is the fact that the
> violator was in the bureau of retirement and you were actively seeking to
> illegally reduce blind vendor's retirements?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 9
>
> You used your influence in the Democratic Party and in the Governor's
> office to remove Mark eagle from the Commission Board through
> the inexcusable use of an ethics investigation. Why did you choose a
> means of removing a Commissioner, a very young person who is
> actively working to pursue public office, which besmirches his reputation
> and which will follow him for the rest of his life? Was
> it because he was advocating on behalf of students who wished to fully
> participate in the development of a quality college policy?
> Was it retaliation against his father who was advocating for blind
> vendors, some of whom were members of the NFB? Why did you
> testify to the Ethics Board that the major duty of the Commission Board is
> to review BEP complaints? Is this your view of the role
> of the Commission Board?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 10
>
> In October of 2009 the Governor ordered that Newsline funding be cut. The
> legislature acted on her order in January, yet you never
> notified the NFB or newsline officials of this critical matter. It was
> not until Newsline submitted a bill for services that the
> Commission notified Newsline of the funding cut. You sit on the
> Governor's council. You are the primary state executive for
> administrating the payment of Newsline costs. Did you do this to try to
> control the NFB by now offering a portion of the funding
> and trying to make us beholden to you? Is this why you have told
> consumers that this is your personal decision and that Commission
> Board members all toe the line and defer the decision to you? Are you
> playing politics with your authority and position to thwart
> the advocacy of this organization? Do you really think we can be bought
> off with money for newsline?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 11
>
> You have directly or indirectly caused all NFB members of your staff and
> leaders of the Business Enterprise Program to lose their
> jobs. Why are you conducting an attack on this organization? Do you
> think our advocacy will be reduced by your bullying and
> intimidation of our members? How can you justify your abuse of power by
> taking jobs and incomes away from good people who are
> actively involved in working to improve conditions for blind people? What
> about your claims that MCB ought to be a consumer driven
> agency when you are terrorizing blind people who speak up, whether on the
> Commission Board, The Business Enterprise Program or on
> your staff?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 12
>
> As you know, the Rehabilitation Services Administration has conducted a
> review of the MCB. To date, the results of this review are
> not available to the public. You have refused to release the preliminary
> results of this review to the public, under the FOIA or
> ADA. Why are you hiding this information? Will you release the
> preliminary report? When? Is there embarrassing or damaging
> information in the report which you don't want out before the election?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 13
>
> Why does the MCB not fully comply with the Rehabilitation Act by holding
> hearings on the required Plan updates?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 14
>
> Why did you send Commission reappointments in to the Governor so far in
> advance? Were you trying to get ahead of consumers who may
> be interested in applying?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 15
>
> In sworn testimony a Commission counselor testified that she has had a
> total of 4 weeks of specific blindness training. The NFBM
> approached the Commission Board to work to review and improve staff
> training. The Commission asked 2 consumers, 1 Commissioner and
> 1 MCB staff member to form a task force to work on this. You defiantly
> set up your own committee heavily loaded with MCB staff in
> an attempt to dampen and thwart consumer input. Why did you set up a
> parallel committee when you were aware the Commission Board
> was already working on this issue? Was this another attempt to interfere
> with the Commissioner's rightful role in policy
> development? Do you think that 4 weeks of blindness training is adequate
> for a Commission counselor? Are you willing to cooperate
> and participate in the Commission Board's plan to work on staff training?
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 16
>
> Many times when controversies erupt, you or someone in leadership raises
> the specter that if we can't get along the Commission may
> be merged with MRS. Is this a way to impede advocacy. Are you actively
> working on a plan to merge the 2 agencies? Is the Governor
> of the DELEG director working on such a merger? Would you see this as a
> punishment to the NFB for our questioning of management
> practices at MCB?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 17
>
> Why is staff continually telling clients that there is insufficient money
> to provide all the services they request while at the same
> time you maintain huge surpluses of money? Why haven't you spent
> available money to help blind people get training equipment and
> jobs as the legislature and congress have provided? Why have MCB staff
> called the NFBMI for donations of equipment for seniors when
> there is more than a million dollar surplus in the account to fund senior
> blind programs? Is this a way to intimidate and control
> blind clients?
>
>
>
> Question 18
>
> When do you plan to retire from MCB?
>
>
>
> Question 19
>
>
>
> I commend the agency for finally seeking the input of consumers when
> working on updating the college policy. However, it seems as
> though there was never an open honest dialog about the use of the new
> DELEG Financial Needs form. Can you explain why you and your
> agency were not willing to have an open honest conversation with consumers
> about the use of this new form?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 20
>
> During the college review process, I heard you as well as members of your
> staff say that there are several state agencies that use a
> form similar to the new DELEG Financial Needs form. Can you name any
> specific state vocational rehabilitation agencies that use a
> form similar to the new DELEG Financial Needs form?
>
>
>
> Question 21
>
> Will you work with us to get an intern that would help at the library
> with Newsline, calling folks, teaching the system etc. This
> would give a blind person experience with a job and being supervised.
>
>
>
> Question 22
>
> Will you put Nfb Newsline on the Web site and activity List?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 23
>
> Will you work with us to get a toll free number for Newsline
>
>
>
> Question 24
>
> Will you encourage the board to be supportive of Nfb Newsline and thus
> promote permament funding.
>
>
>
>
>
> Question 25
>
> Pat, how can you sleep at night, knowing that during the first 3 quarters
> of fiscal year 2010, MCB spent 130% of the budgeted amount
> for administrative salaries and wages; and during the same time period,
> you spent just 2% of the available funds for services to the
> older blind?
>
>
>
> Question 26
>
> The Commission for the Blind is supposed to be consumer driven. This
> important requirement is in some very important documents. How
> do you see this being exemplified by the Commission today? How do you see
> the Commission being consumer driven in the future?
>
>
>
> Question 27
>
> Why have you so incredibly failed at your duty to manage the Business
> Enterprise Program.
>
>
>
>
>
> Can you blame your employees when you have personally participated in the
> purging of the program of NFB members? By the way, all of
> the examples above happen to be NFB members. Can you plausibly disagree
> that you have attacked and continue to blatantly
> discriminate against people for being members of the NFB? Any denials of
> these points will be lies on their face.
>
>
>
>
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