[nfbmi-talk] why not mcb

[joe harcz Comcast]

Note here the draft meeting minutes of the Michigan Rehabilitation Council are routinely made available albeit in pdf form on their web site but Cannon and MCB can't even respond in a timely manner to requested draft meeting minutes let alone affirmatively post them.

This failure is a continued and ongoing violation of Section 504 and other elements of the very Rehabilitation Act that creates MCB along with PA 260. It is a continued and conscietious violation of Title II, subpart e, of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And it is also a continued violation of the Michigan Open Meetings Act and the FOIA.

These acts of overt, and malicious violations of civil rights laws are malicious acts of discrimination by the very agency and director who is supposed to take the lead on these issues.

Now, if one has to continually fight for draft public meeting minutes then what in the world needs to be said about the day to day violations of effective communications requirements between customers and staff of MCB including receiving such items as IPEs and other critical documents in the most effective format and in a timely manner for that individual?

Sincerely,

Joe Harcz

Attachment:
 

 

Draft meeting minutes mrc nov 2011 from pdf1 

ACTION ITEM 

DRAFT 

 2 

 3 

 4 

MICHIGAN REHABILITATION COUNCIL 5 

3490 Belle Chase Way, Suite 110 6 

Lansing, MI 48911 7 

 8 

Business Meeting Minutes 9 

Lexington Hotel 10 

Lansing, MI 11 

Thursday November 10, 2011 12 

 13 

Members Present: Carol Bergquist, Cecily Cagle, Anthony Carmichael, Eleanor Chang, Beth 14 

Childress, Shon Halacka, Susan Fitzmaurice, Joanne Lamar, James Lewis, Tracie Lewis-Jennings 15 

(Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs LARA-MRS), Deanna Middlebrooks, Jaye Porter 16 

(LARA-MRS), Lisa Rutledge, Felix Sirls, Dennis Stanford, Jackie Thomas. 17 

 18 

Members Excused: Adolph Cwik, Sheryl Diamond, Caryn Pack Ivey, Luke Zelley. 19 

 20 

Guests Present: Lou Adams (LARA-MRS), Sigrid Adams (LARA-MRS), Paula Brzezinski (LARA-MRS), 21 

Christina Chang, Julie Eckhardt (LARA-MRS), Teddy Fitzmaurice, Margie Hadsell (LARA-MRS), 22 

Malinda Lott (LARA-MRS), Mary Luxton (LARA-MRS), Ruth O’Connor (LARA-MRS), Paula Sirls, Jean 23 

Williams (LARA-MRS). 24 

 25 

Staff Present: Rachelle Bangela, Marlene Malloy. 26 

 27 

Staff Excused: Shori Teeple. 28 

 29 

 30 

Call to Order 31 

The meeting was called to order by Chairperson C. Bergquist. Roll call determined that a quorum 32 

was present. 33 

 34 

Welcome & Introductions 35 

C. Bergquist welcomed Council members and guests. Introductions were made. Shon Halacka read 36 

opening remarks from the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Rehabilitation Act Preamble. 37 

 38 

Agenda 39 

The draft agenda for November 10, 2011 was reviewed by the membership. A request was made 40 

for an additional action item for the Council to support the MRS Order of Selection for Services 41 

(OSS) Position Statement during the Executive Team Report. 42 

 43 

A motion was passed to approve the agenda as amended. 1 

Minutes 2 

The membership reviewed the draft September 16, 2011 business meeting minutes. 3 

 4 

A motion was passed to approve the minutes as presented. 5 

 6 

Old Business 7 

Draft committee minutes from FY 2011 (Public Policy Agenda (PPA) - July and Service Delivery 8 

Effectiveness (SDE) - August) were reviewed by the membership. 9 

 10 

A motion was passed to approve the minutes (PPA July 2011 and SDE August 2011) as presented. 11 

 12 

New Business 13 

Partnering with Tribal Workforce Programs Task Force 14 

The Hannahville Indian Community has had a third party agreement with MRS for almost 20 years, 15 

the longest continual agreement of its kind in the country. It was the first cash match between a 16 

tribe and a public vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency in the nation. Hannahville also has a 121 17 

federal grant. Tribes have nonfederal discretionary money. A meeting took place with the MRS 18 

Executive Team to explore funding options and plans were made to form a task force that will 19 

communicate with Michigan tribes, most likely beginning with a meeting of the United Tribes of 20 

Michigan. The next meeting date for the United Tribes of Michigan has not been set. C. Bergquist 21 

discussed cash match agreements (CMAs) with T. Miller, Council Member of the Sioux Tribe, 22 

regarding money to be used for direct services for people with disabilities. A tribal person would 23 

serve as liaison for the tribes. Hannahville currently offers intervention for people in jeopardy of 24 

losing their jobs; they also provide intervention for people who are high risk hires. Tribes with 25 

gaming facilities hire more than just Native Americans. They hire 20% native and 80% non-native. 26 

It is an opportunity to help other rural underserved populations. 27 

 28 

J. Porter mentioned that the Council for State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) 29 

had recently presented on Native American partners and praised the partnership between 30 

Hannahville and MRS. All that has been learned about outreach for Native Americans can be 31 

applied to other underserved groups. Further discussion took place about how the Council can 32 

support this initiative 33 

 34 

A motion was passed to support the initiative to explore options for working with tribal councils to 35 

explore options for cash match funding agreements. 36 

 37 

Report of the Executive Committee (EC): C. Bergquist, Council Chairperson 38 

Members reviewed the draft Executive Committee minutes (July, August, and September 2011). 39 

 40 

A motion was passed to approve the Executive Committee Minutes 41 

(July, August, and September 2011) as presented. 42 

 43 

Members reviewed the September 2011 Financial Statement. 44 

 45 

A motion was passed to accept and place on file the Financial Statement (September 2011) as 1 

presented. 2 

 3 

Brief discussion took place on the MRS Order of Selection for Services (OSS) Position Statement. 4 

 5 

A motion was passed to support the MRS OSS Position Statement as presented. 6 

 7 

Report of the Executive Director (ED): Marlene Malloy 8 

Members were directed to the written staff report in the meeting packet. A productive strategic 9 

planning day for the Council took place yesterday. Members met in large and small groups to 10 

update the strategic plan, work teams were established, and next steps were discussed. Ruth 11 

O’Connor (MRS Customer Rights Representative and Hearings Manager) has joined the Program 12 

Evaluation and Data Work Team. 13 

 14 

MRS Champion Awards 15 

The Champion Awards event went well last month. MRS presented awards in four categories to 16 

eight individuals. The comments made as the winners accepted their awards were very moving 17 

and inspirational. There were approximately 80 attendees. As the Council staff have managed the 18 

planning for this event, they have established a relationship with Representative Joan Bauer’s 19 

staffers, who for the second year in a row has waived the $500.00 room rental fee, in recognition 20 

of the importance of the services provided by the MRC and MRS. 21 

 22 

National Coalition of State Rehabilitation Councils (NCSRC) 23 

The NCSRC Sunday Session took place in Arizona last month. The Sunday Session went well and 24 

people appreciated Commissioner L. Ruttledge spending the day with them. CSAVR invited the 25 

NCSRC to an educational legislative session on Saturday afternoon. S. Wooderson (CSAVR Chair) 26 

has recognized the value of the SRCs’ ability to speak to members of Congress about topics that the 27 

VR agencies cannot. The NCSRC Steering Committee has had discussion about meeting with the 28 

CSAVR Executive Team to discuss position statements, documents and/or talking points to take to 29 

Congress in April 2012. NCSRC has a short term task force to draft a position statement from SRCs 30 

on the Rehabilitation Act and transition age youth being priority candidates under OSS. 31 

 32 

MRS Oak Park Office Open House 33 

An open house was recently attended at the MRS Oak Park Office to celebrate Investing in Abilities 34 

month. Customers and employers shared their success stories of working with their local MRS 35 

offices to find employment and/or hire people with disabilities. A congresswoman was present 36 

who encouraged the MRC to educate Congress about VR. 37 

 38 

Audit 39 

An annual audit of the MRC’s finances will take place next week. The ED anticipates that once again 40 

there will be no exceptions noted. 41 

 42 

Technical Assistance Circular (TAC) about SRC appointments 43 

A TAC was recently released from Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), which highlighted 44 

the following two important issues related to SRCs: 1) The mandated SRC member representing VR 45 

Counselors should be an MRS counselor, but retain ex officio status, and 2) Council members 1 

should abstain from voting when there is conflict of interest related to their occupation. 2 

Investing in Abilities Month 3 

An Investing in Abilities event will be held October 1, 2012 on the Capitol lawn. Partners will be 4 

invited to be involved with planning for and hosting the event. 5 

 6 

Member Recognition 7 

Tote bags and clocks were presented to members of the previous Executive Committee. Clocks 8 

were presented to all members in recognition of their service to the MRC. 9 

 10 

FY 2012 – Work Teams 11 

Program Evaluation/Data (PED) Team – B. Childress, Chair 12 

At the Strategic Planning session, PED work team members reviewed goals from the previous SDE 13 

Work Team #1 and made slight changes to the work plan. Goal 1 will be expanded from 911 Data 14 

to include other data including RSA monitoring reports, national evaluation standards, outcomes, 15 

demographics, wages and earnings. Goal 2 will include an ongoing relationship with Project 16 

Excellence (PE) and MRS for the Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment (CSNA). PE hours 17 

dedicated to the MRC through the contract with MRS will be utilized. When working with Goal 3, 18 

Client Assistance Program (CAP) and Customer Rights Representative/Hearings Manager reports 19 

will be reviewed to identify trends and particular needs in different geographic areas. Goal 4 will 20 

be added to handle emerging issues related to data on topics such as Cash Match Agreements 21 

(CMAs) and OSS. 22 

 23 

Customer Satisfaction/Investigation Team (CSI) – E. Chang, Chair 24 

Work team members reviewed goals from the previous SDE Work Team #2 and decided to keep the 25 

same two goals: 1) Collect Customer Input and 2) Collaborate with MRS and Project Excellence on 26 

the Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS). They will also work on ways to increase Customer 27 

Response Rates. 28 

 29 

Partners and Policy Makers Team (PPT) - D. Stanford, Chair 30 

Members reviewed goals from the previous PPA Committee work plan. Following discussion, 31 

determinations were made for Goal 1 to focus on work with partners that influence work related 32 

issues. R. Craig from the Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) will be invited to do a 33 

presentation. Goal 2 will focus on informing and educating policy makers and those in Congress 34 

about issues related to MRS. They will work on strengthening relationships with the legislature and 35 

their staff members. Goal 3 will be to work with MRS to strengthen employer relationships. 36 

 37 

Special Projects - C. Cagle, Chair 38 

C. Cagle will chair various short term work teams that will be assembled as needed. 39 

 40 

Report of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs - Michigan Rehabilitation Services 41 

(LARA-MRS) State Director: Jaye N. Porter 42 

 43 

Budget 44 

LARA will request 3.6 million additional dollars for MRS from General Fund General Purpose 1 

(GFGP). The funds will be limited to direct customer services and will not be used to fill staff 2 

vacancies. MRS still needs approximately 1.5 – 2 million to close the gap if they get the 3.6 million 3 

in GFGP. MRS continues to pursue match for funds. L. Adams also mentioned that they still have 4 

an 8 million dollar hit on the budget for pensions. 5 

Educating the Legislature 6 

J. Porter thanked the Council for recently educating and informing the legislature. The legislature 7 

understands the money issue, but still doesn’t understand the staffing issue. 8 

Ongoing education of our elected officials about the nuances that are MRS is critical to the ongoing 9 

success of the agency. 10 

 11 

Staffing Issues 12 

With MRS being considered a large entity in LARA, the Department wonders if MRS can be 13 

streamlined. MRS had to make a commitment to hold fast to 530 staff limit. The message should 14 

be that MRS needs both money and staff. VR counselors provide services they can’t contract out. 15 

While MRS is trying to fill a budget analyst position, J. Porter wants to fill all manager and counselor 16 

positions. Managers are needed to train counselors or you have counselors who don’t do the job in 17 

addition to accountability issues. 18 

 19 

Performance 20 

Performance goals have been exceeded, with 256 more rehabilitation outcomes achieved, which is 21 

due in part to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. At the national level, CSAVR 22 

is making a case that this is what VR can do with additional funding. MRS is in the top 2 for average 23 

wage for general programs. 24 

 25 

Dash Board Metrics 26 

The dash board metrics include employment and service outcomes as well as employer services. 27 

MRS met all goals with the exception of employer services. They will take a look at whether or not 28 

their goal is too high. Additionally, all performance standards were met except for the 29 

Rehabilitation Rate. 30 

 31 

National Level 32 

CSAVR and RSA are trying to develop a consistent Return on Investment model. At MRS, we are 33 

trying to access return on investment for every program, including the Executive Office. In 34 

addition, every unit is asked what they would do if told to take a 10% cut. There is emphasis on 35 

transition at the national level as well. 36 

 37 

Agreement with the Department of Special Education 38 

A new agreement was signed with the Department of Special Education. MRS is in agreement on 39 

their goals and both have talked about how to work together so MRS can participate without being 40 

at all Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or be there when most needed. 41 

 42 

OSS 43 

MI Works has asked J. Porter to attend a meeting and inform them about where MRS is at with 44 

OSS. The One Stops are worried about more people with disabilities coming through their doors 45 

and are trying to get more VR funds at the national level. MRS does not have more funds to give 1 

them. A question was asked if there would be people with contact information to offset some of 2 

the misinterpretation that could occur when the OSS Position Statement is rolled out. In response, 3 

yes, there will be people to contact and public hearings will take place for follow up. 4 

 5 

Population shift and funding 6 

A question was asked about whether funds would shift when the census data comes in. With 7 

population shifts and projected expenses, resources are allocated based on disability population. 8 

Michigan lost people but not a proportionate amount of people with disabilities. MRS won’t know 9 

the effects of the population shift until they review the data. 10 

 11 

Champion Awards and Advocacy Day 12 

J. Porter thanked the MRC for a successful Champion Awards event. Champion Awards and 13 

Advocacy Day events have a significant impact on showcasing the positive aspects of the MRS 14 

program, much more than brochures or pamphlets can have. 15 

 16 

Audit results 17 

MRS did well on the audit that focused on expenditures for all aspects for the MRS program. 18 

Concerns noted were related to: vehicle purchases, documentation of decisions, and retrieving 19 

equipment from customers once they exit the agency. The issue with equipment is that it can be 20 

so personalized that most times MRS staff do not have other customers who would benefit from its 21 

use. 22 

 23 

Long Term Plan 24 

MRS may not develop another five year plan this time. Instead, they may develop a strategic plan 25 

and update it from year to year. They plan on starting the process soon. They are still working on 26 

their corrective action plan with regard to the RSA monitoring report. Technical Assistance and 27 

Continuing Education (TACE) will help bring in J. Connelly for detailed training on cooperative 3rd 28 

party agreements for all MRS managers. 29 

 30 

Motivational Training 31 

It has been excellent. There are techniques to work with customers in a nonjudgmental manner so 32 

customers can make informed choices. 33 

 34 

CSAVR 35 

J. Porter co-chairs a subcommittee on management services. They have been looking at forms and 36 

gathering data. They will start looking at program evaluation and quality. A request was made for 37 

a MRC member to join this CSAVR committee, believing that the presence and involvement of the 38 

SRC would add value to their work. 39 

 40 

Innovations 41 

There have been several successful new initiatives this year, including the Key to Excellence Portal 42 

and Virtual Orientation. Moving the Executive Strategy meeting outside of Lansing during good 43 

driving weather months was also helpful. 44 

 45 

ARRA Funds 1 

At the CSAVR Conference, the RSA Commissioner presented awards for those who spent all of their 2 

ARRA money. MRS spent their allotment, but was not recognized. A question was asked if the new 3 

administration in Michigan understands the correlation between ARRA funds and employment 4 

outcomes. J. Porter indicated that they continue to educate the LARA administration of the 5 

correlation between ARRA funds and customer outcomes. 6 

 7 

Status Update – Order of Selection for Services (OSS) – Lou Adams, LARA-MRS, Deputy Director 8 

 9 

ARRA Funding 10 

With ARRA funding, MRS placed an additional 950 people into employment that they wouldn’t 11 

have been able to do otherwise. Physical structure improvements were also made to the Michigan 12 

Career and Technical Institute (MCTI) West campus. As a result of extra money, MRS was able to 13 

do things differently. They found On the Job Training (OJTs) and internships were very successful. 14 

The Business Network Unit (BNU) worked with districts to place people with the most significant 15 

disabilities. They had 50 OJTs with 25 ending in employment. ARRA staff placed 78 people into 16 

OJTs and 44% of those have been placed into employment so far. 12 of those customers achieved 17 

full time regular employment with the State of Michigan, with an average pay of $16 an hour with 18 

benefits, which has also increased the number of state employees with disabilities. There is an 19 

employee group the Alliance of State Employees with disabilities that works with Civil Service and 20 

the department of Technology Management and Budget on accommodations and assistive 21 

technology. They are the voice of people with disabilities. The OJTs were ground breaking because 22 

they were thought of more as internships where no job was guaranteed at the end. With the BNU, 23 

occupational therapists were involved to really make it work for people with disabilities and help 24 

keep them employed. Customers were hired by both local and state wide businesses. 25 

 26 

MCTI East 27 

MCTI East will be continued for the next couple of years. It is experimental with employer based 28 

training, which is where the employers come into MCTI East and offer training. Beal Construction 29 

trained 22 people and placed 18 with full time employment. They train people and then possibly 30 

hire them. 31 

 32 

Transition Youth 33 

Youth caseload is up slightly from last year. 14-28 year olds earnings are up. 22- 25 age group 34 

earnings are up but lower than the other age group. The number of hours they are working is up 35 

and the service cost is up as well. We are at 32% of overall population, but we want to be higher. 36 

We’ve been around 30-35% for a number of years. 37 

 38 

Performance 39 

MRS obtained 103% of their goals for rehabilitation closures. The closures in the Significant 40 

category was 63% while the Most Significant category was 23%. Our adjusted rehab rate is 50%. 41 

The federally required level is 55.8%. We would like it to be higher. 42 

 43 

OSS 44 

MRS will collaborate with the MRC for advocacy, but when the result is insufficient to serve all 1 

customers, MRS is required by law to implement an OSS. Priority goes to the categories as follows: 2 

Most Significantly disabled then significantly disabled then Disabled. Annually, they will do an 3 

analysis of projected resources and spending. This year they will stay out of OSS. There are three 4 

potential reasons for MRS to go into OSS: 1) loss of budget, 2) hiring freezes, and 3) spending 5 

restrictions from the State. Furlough days mean salaries for those days can’t be matched and 6 

workloads get backed up. The trend has been that they are likely to go into OSS. They are looking 7 

at policy revisions and centralized disability. There is concern about what would happen to match 8 

if they only serve the most significantly disabled. It’s not as bad as they assumed. Even 77% of 9 

youth fit the Most Significant category. They are working on motivational interviewing and 10 

speeding up the delivery process. Some districts loan staff to other districts to help out. MRS is 11 

working to inform partners and vendors about OSS. The OSS Workgroup Communications 12 

Subcommittee is identifying customized messages to various partners. They are also drafting a 13 

State Plan revision. 14 

 15 

The Brutal Facts 16 

MRS learned just before FY 2011 that they will have an eight million dollar increase in cost due to 17 

the state charging MRS for pension costs. Although they had carry forward money, the money will 18 

be gone next year if the trend continues. Since they can’t fill vacant positions and MRS can only 19 

afford 530 employees, employees are stressed and stretched thin. They will probably be in OSS by 20 

October 1, 2012. The reasons include: 8 million loss, loss of cash match for 9.2million and 22 staff, 21 

10.3 million lost from partnerships and Social Security. This totals 27 million less funds in 2012 22 

than in 2011. 23 

 24 

MRS Focus 25 

MRS needs to honor individualized services. Standardized processes won’t work for people with 26 

disabilities. Even with less money and less staff, MRS needs to keep to proven principals; the reach 27 

may be smaller but they will continue to serve with integrity and quality. Energy must continue to 28 

go into the MRS Mission. 29 

 30 

MRS will have an increased focus on return on investment. They will review partnerships and 31 

deliverables. They need more for their money; partnerships will benefit from an increase in 32 

accountability. Those that do well will get more business. 33 

 34 

MRS has faced challenges, but has also transformed the lives of people with disabilities. The 35 

challenges continue to be large so the response needs to be of the same scale. 36 

 37 

Working with MCTI East 38 

A question was asked about how employers can work with MCTI. In response, it’s a negotiated 39 

process. Interested people should contact A. Shaw (MCTI East), P. Mulka (MCTI West) or the BNU. 40 

It needs to be a growth industry so if people are not employed by one employer, they will have a 41 

chance with another similar employer. Another question was asked whether there anything parent 42 

groups can do about match? In response, if they are members of the Lions Club or United Way 43 

board, they can encourage these groups to provide money. Although they can’t say it will go to a 44 

specific vendor, if it meets the long term plan, it will work. 45 

Transition Question 1 

A question was asked about what to do if an Intermediate School District refuses to hold transition 2 

planning until a student has graduated. In response, a suggestion was made to contact Special 3 

Education and Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service. 4 

 5 

Public Comment 6 

There was no one present to make public comment. 7 

LARA – MRS Staff Development Unit Presentation – Margie Hojara-Hadsell, Division Director 8 

The MRS Staff Development Unit (or ‘the Unit’) members introduced themselves. Everyone in the 9 

room was then asked to introduce themselves. 10 

 11 

Overview of the Unit 12 

135 trainings were held this past year with over 3,550 participants. They get staff energized in 13 

developing relationships between employers and customers. They present and receive information 14 

about what is working and not working in the agency in order to figure out what the Unit can do to 15 

mitigate challenges. They receive funds from MRS with Title 1 money and report on how they 16 

spend the funds. 17 

 18 

S. Adams manages the Unit, for which there are two main components: 1) training requests and 2) 19 

performance management. In performance management, they explore issues and get staff 20 

performing at the necessary levels. The Unit has plans to do more performance management in 21 

the future. 22 

 23 

Business Services 24 

J. Williams is doing creative work in the Policy Business Services Unit in Detroit. She works to train 25 

staff and find ways to better suit customers’ needs. Other trainings focus on management, small 26 

business development for customers, soft skills training, policy, culture of poverty, and many more. 27 

Data is collected to determine how MRS can better serve customers. 28 

 29 

Future Plans 30 

Trainings planned include: Allen Anderson (Motivational Interviewing), a refresher course in 31 

customer services for Rehabilitation Assistants (RAs), OSS, assistive technology, issues with mental 32 

illness, consultant training, and transition youth with an emphasis on training for working with 33 

customers who have Autism Spectrum disorders. There is a heavy focus on vocational skills of 34 

counselors, leadership development and succession planning. Underserved racial and ethnic 35 

populations, older workers and multigenerational workplaces are all priorities as well. 36 

 37 

Managing with fewer staff 38 

Since they cannot do it all, Unit staff are finding ways to provide training using available resources. 39 

Each office gets a particular number of slots. Geography is also a factor. 40 

 41 

Enhancing Employment Outcomes 42 

The training is being offered to vendors who work with customers on getting a job. This model 43 

recognizes that if people have a visible barrier, the employer perception will destroy any chance 44 

they have. Job developers will ease that by explaining that the person may not be a traditional 45 

employee, but he or she will meet the employers’ needs. Vendors are getting excited about Allen 1 

Anderson. One design flaw was not to train the managers first. Support means a lot to people. 2 

 3 

Motivational Interviewing 4 

Motivational Interviewing started with work in the substance abuse and criminal justice systems. It 5 

is person centered. People are in different stages of change. People come to MRS and say I want a 6 

job but they may not be in that stage. People are treated as individuals and it is based on the 7 

person’s values. Cassie Jackson is the trainer and counselors have opportunities for skill building 8 

where their counseling sessions are recorded and critiqued. It is built on sound counseling skills; 9 

stages of change are not a way of labeling people. 10 

 11 

Technology Overview 12 

P. Brzezinski is in charge of the MRS intranet and website, as well as the learning needs of staff that 13 

may not make face to face sessions, which often involves videotaping and creating webinars. She 14 

also travels to offices around the state and trains staff on use of webcams and other technology. 15 

Webcams may also be used for customers so they can keep appointments in bad weather via 16 

webcam meetings with counselors. 17 

 18 

Key to Excellence Web Portal 19 

There is a wealth of information in the online portal, including best practices. The Key is intended 20 

to work well with Elearn and to empower staff. Plans are in place for travels around the state to 21 

show staff the best way to use the resource. It is hoped that the Key will assist with 22 

multigenerational challenges as well. Thanks to the MRC for facilitation of obtaining key-shaped 23 

flash drives for all staff, which have the link to the portal loaded onto each. A text only version of 24 

the Key is being developed, as well as others for individuals who speak different languages and/or 25 

are deaf and hard of hearing. 26 

 27 

Closed Captioning 28 

A question was asked if the webinars and DVDs are closed captioned. If they are live and have an 29 

interpreter they can have a camera on the interpreter. If a DVD is created, it is closed captioned. 30 

 31 

A question was asked about annual competency. In response, it was stated that the training unit 32 

will be working on annual competency for cultural training and eventually online orientation. 33 

There are levels of determining whether trainings are effective. Level one involves surveys after 34 

trainings. Level 2 involves stepping back to see if people are retaining the information. Level 3 is 35 

observed at the end of the fiscal year to look for changes in behavior. Follow up with training in 36 

districts then takes place to determine if it’s relevant. There may be barriers that prevent training 37 

from being implemented. 38 

 39 

Rehabilitation Assistants (RAs) – An Overview 40 

M. Luxton has been with MRS for 36 years and has performed many tasks. She assists with training 41 

for RAs, with a big focus on customer service and building teamwork in offices. She enjoys being a 42 

mentor to RAs. 43 

 44 

School for Leadership 45 

The School for Leadership has been open to staff at any level in the agency. Participants learn 1 

about leadership styles, how to be leaders, conflict resolution, resiliency and facilitation skills. 2 

 3 

Team Building 4 

A question was asked about counselors and team building. In response, it is a critical role although 5 

not all counselors are embracing it. It has been turned over to managers to build within offices. 6 

Differences could become monumental if they don’t keep an eye on them. You have to make 7 

people feel comfortable. It’s not a quick fix for cultural training. 8 

 9 

Cultural Training 10 

A question was asked whether cultural competency training is taking place. Training is ongoing 11 

although it may not be designed by the Staff Development Unit Staff development unit hasn’t 12 

taken a hard look at it within the unit recently. However the Michigan Rehabilitation Conference 13 

had numerous cultural competency sessions. They looked at competency in broader sense. 14 

 15 

In the past, a very successful workshop was titled ‘Walking in Two Worlds’. It was designed to 16 

bridge the gap with Counselors who felt uncomfortable working with Native Americans. The tribes 17 

helped fund it and they had Native providers. Everyone learned a lot about native culture. If you 18 

have an idea there are ways of pulling it together. Since 1994, universities have honed in on multi-19 

cultural issues and cultural competency. 20 

 21 

Partner Reports 22 

Client Assistance Program (CAP) – Brian Sabourin (Absent) 23 

No report was available. 24 

 25 

Council for Labor and Economic Growth (CLEG) – Lisa Rutledge 26 

They have not met during the new administration. 27 

 28 

Hannahville Indian Community - Carol Bergquist 29 

They are working on initiative with tribes of MI. They are going through data to determine if they 30 

have met their goals. 31 

 32 

Michigan Alliance for Families - Caryn Pack Ivey (excused) 33 

No report was available. 34 

 35 

MI Department of Education/Special Education (MDOE/SPED) – Sheryl Diamond (excused) 36 

No report was available. 37 

 38 

LARA-MRS Customer Rights Representative and Hearings Manager - Ruth O’Connor 39 

Report is included in the meeting packet. 40 

Michigan Statewide Independent Living Council (MiSILC) – Jackie Thomas 41 

MiSILC and the MRC received Hall of Fame awards at the Michigan Rehabilitation Conference. 42 

Disability Network/Michigan (DN/M) has hired Sara Grivetti as their new Chief Executive Officer. 43 

While DN/M has closed its office and laid off the majority of their staff, S. Grivetti will work from 44 

home. In effect they are a new organization now. They will review information at their Committee 1 

of the Whole meeting tonight. 2 

 3 

Adjournment 4 

The meeting was adjourned at 3:06 p.m. 5 

 6 

NEXT BUSINESS MEETING: 7 

February 8, 2012 Lansing MI 8