[nfbmi-talk] Fw: Resolution concerning employment of blind people

[Larry Posont]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Gregory Grabowski 
To: president.nfb.mi at gmail.com 
Sent: Monday, January 24, 2011 9:57 AM
Subject: Resolution concerning employment of blind people


Dear Mr. Posont:

Leader Dogs for the Blind strongly agrees with you and the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan that qualified blind persons can serve in many positions within our organization.  When we have positions open in our organization, we do seek qualified candidates that are visually impaired and blind.  We are currently posting all of our positions and working with the following organizations, so as to search for as many visually impaired and blind candidates.  The organizations we are working with are as follows:  BLIND, Inc. was referred to us by The National Federation of the Blind, and we have spoken with Dick Davis, the Assistant Director for Employment Programs at BLIND, Inc.  We are posting on the American Council of the Blind web site (we have spoken with them), American Foundation for the Blind and Disability Work.com.  We have reached out to NFB regarding their job listings through NFB Newsline. Additionally, our Human Resources Department has been working closely with the Michigan Commission for the Blind and we are currently sending our position openings to them. We have been working with counselors who work with blind persons looking for employment opportunities. We recently interviewed a candidate last week identified by one of their counselors. 

Further, we have suggested several ways in which Leader Dogs for the Blind and the Michigan Commission for the Blind could more strategically partner in delivering services and thus far the commission has declined our offers.

On the board level this concern is shared and monitored by our Program and Services Committee of the Leader Dogs for the Blind Board of Trustees whose chair as well as our current Board Chair are blind persons. We currently contract with five blind individuals on a regular per diem basis with an additional four on a more part time basis, who live in various parts of the country, who represent Leader Dogs for the Blind, and who travel independently, speaking, raising money and recruiting clients for our organization.  We have two blind teenagers in the position of camp counselors for our summer leadership camp for blind teens and have one employee who is visually impaired on campus. 

We will continue to recruit visually impaired and blind candidates for position openings and do very much want to have our work force be more representative of those we serve.  We currently have positions open in our apprentice training program and we aspire to be the first dog guide organization with a blind and/or visually impaired instructor.  

We have offered employment to visually impaired and blind individuals in the past, who have declined our offer because we have no form of mass transportation in our area.  We have met with the appropriate local, state and federal government agencies responsible for mass transit and have gotten no where.  In fact our former blind employee, whom we lost to cancer, spent time lobbying our local government and agencies with no success. We do continue to seek solutions to this challenge.  

We are most open to any assistance the National Federation of the Blind Michigan can provide as we seek to employ more visually impaired and blind individuals.  

Mr. Posont, my apologies as a new President and CEO of Leader Dogs for the Blind, (that is not so new anymore) it is overdue for us to meet.  So I will reach out in the near future for us to speak and/or perhaps meet so that I can introduce myself. 

Best 

Greg 

Gregory Grabowski

President & CEO

Leader Dogs for the Blind

 

Executive Assistant: Leigh Gladding                                  

1039 S. Rochester Road

Rochester, MI 48307

248.650.7100

Toll Free 888.861.1460

 

Our Mission: To enhance the lives of people who are blind and visually impaired.

 

Please contact us at: www.Leaderdog.org

 

            

 

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Leader Dogs for the Blind 
1039 S. Rochester Rd.
Rochester Hills, MI 48307
The mission of Leader Dogs for the Blind is to enhance the lives of people who are blind and visually impaired. Visit us online at leaderdog.org to find out more!