[nfbmi-talk] Michigan Commission for the Blind History Project

[joe harcz Comcast]

Hi Terri,

While not all you asked for here is a sstart:
>From the MCB web site at:







A Brief History of the Michigan Commission for the Blind -- Established 
October 1, 1978



Brief History of Services for the Blind in Michigan,



1903 to present



For the first half of the twentieth century, services for the blind 
consisted of a sheltered workshop in Saginaw and the blind concession 
program.  In the

1950s, the Michigan Department of Social Services (DSS) assigned a few 
caseworkers to a "blind-only" caseload to provide financial and employment 
assistance.

 A few years later, the DSS combined the workshop, blind concessions, and 
these caseworkers into a Division of Services for the Blind.



In the mid 1960s, a group of state legislators recognized that the 
broom-making workshop in Saginaw presented the wrong image of blind workers 
and should

be closed.  After studying other state programs, they decided that a new 
facility should be constructed that emphasized independence rather than 
sheltered

work.  As a result, the Michigan Rehabilitation Center for the Blind was 
opened in Kalamazoo , in 1970, for purposes of teaching blind persons the 
skills

necessary for independence.



In the mid 1970s, organized blind consumers initiated legislation to create 
an agency structure where blind persons would play a major role in planning

and policy making.   This initiative led to the passage of

Public Act 260 of 1978

on October 1, 1978, creating the Michigan Commission for the Blind (MCB), a 
five-member, governor-appointed commission, and requiring that at least 
three

commissioners be legally blind.  The act also transferred the agency from 
DSS to the Department of Labor, and made the Commission a partner with the 
federal

government in providing employment services and vending facilities for blind 
persons.  It also established a broad range of teaching and counseling roles

and responsibilities.



In the early 1980s, MCB gained state and federal funds to establish 
independent living services for older blind individuals, and state funds to 
establish

low vision services for blind and visually impaired youth.  In addition, the 
vending program was expanded to include cafeterias and highway vending 
locations

at welcome centers and rest stops, the center in Kalamazoo was renamed the 
Michigan Commission for the Blind Training Center, a statewide DeafBlind 
service

was established, and formal strategic planning began with the production of 
a mission statement. In 2000, MCB launched its Vision 2020 Initiative 
looking

toward the year 2020 to design customer responsive service systems.  The 
mission of the Commission is to assist blind persons to achieve independence 
and

employment.



The 1990s have been highlighted by the Americans with Disabilities Act, a 
major anti-discrimination statute designed to remove barriers in employment, 
government

services and public accommodations; and, the 1992 amendments to the 
Rehabilitation Act which calls for greater attention to client choice and 
independent

living services.  In 1996, MCB was transferred from the abolished Department 
of Labor to the Department of Consumer and Industry Services and then to the

Family Independence Agency (FIA).  In 1997, the Client Assistance Program 
was privatized.  In 1998, the Workforce Investment Act was enacted, 
incorporating

the newly-amended Rehabilitation Act, calling for greater interaction 
between rehabilitation agencies and local Workforce Boards.



In 2003, the Michigan Commission for the Blind moved into the newly created 
Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth, later renamed the Michigan

Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth (DELEG).  On October 1, 
2009, Executive Order No. 2009-36 abolished the Michigan Department of 
History,

Arts and Libraries and transferred that department's Service for the Blind 
and Physically Handicapped (SBPH) to the Michigan Commission for the Blind.

On October 1, 2010, SBPH was renamed the MCB Braille and Talking Book 
Library.



On April 24, 2011, DELEG (the department including the Michigan Commission 
for the Blind) became the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory 
Affairs

(LARA).



Today, the Michigan Commission for the Blind operates the MCB Braille and 
Talking Book Library and the MCB (residential) Training Center in Kalamazoo, 
and

provides vocational rehabilitation services, independent living services for 
Michigan' s older blind population, low-vision services for the state's 
youth,

DeafBlind services, entrepreneurial opportunities for blind persons through 
its Business Enterprise Program, and business services to employers with 
employees

who are blind or visually impaired.  MCB has a five-member board appointed 
by the governor and a staff of approximately 110 in offices throughout the 
state.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <trising at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NFBofMichigan List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2011 6:40 PM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Michigan Commission for the Blind History Project


> Dear Michigan Federationists:
>
>    Do any of you have information about the history of the Michigan 
> Commission for the Blind from its creation  until the present? If so, 
> would any of you share it with me, via emails, notes you give me over the 
> phone, or vignettes you might write yourself? I will take this information 
> and compile it into an article. I suspect it will show a trend toward less 
> value on consumers as time progresses.
>
> Sincerely,
> Terri Wilcox
> Secretary, National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
>
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