[nfbmi-talk] College Policy Board Correspondence

Sun Sep 11 17:31:18 UTC 2011

Hi Brightsmile!

thank you.  We can only hope.

Warmest Regards,

Fred

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Mary Ann Robinson
Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2011 11:20 PM
To: NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] College Policy Board Correspondence

I want to commend you on your well written comments, Fred.  I hope that the
commission board pays close attention to them and takes action to remove the
supplemental financial form.

Mary Ann Robinson

----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at att.net>
To: "larry Posont" <President.nfb.mi at gmail.com>; "'NFB of Michigan Internet
Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>"
Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2011 9:03 PM."m
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] College Policy Board Correspondence""

> Here is an email version of my Board correspondence for those who
> do
> attachments.  The formatting may be less acceptable than the original.
>
>
>
> Warmest Regards,
>
>
>
> Fred
>
>
>
> Fred J. Wurtzel
>
> 1212 N. Foster Avenue
>
> Lansing, MI  48912
>
>
>
> September 10, 2011
>
>
>
> Dear Commissioners:
>
> I just read, with interest, the agenda for the upcoming Commission
> meeting.
> I was happy to see the college policy on there.  As you may know, the
> Commissioners passed the college policy last year and promised to review
> it
> in a year.  Well, a year has passed.  The board is being responsible and
> keeping its promise.  I commend you.
>
>
>
> I cannot comment on all aspects of whether the policy is working as well
> as
> hoped.  I can say, without a doubt, the supplemental financial form
> portion
> of the policy is not working.  I have 2 nearly identical examples of the
> extreme and mindless enforcement of this superfluous and unnecessary
> policy
> in my possession.  I am only at liberty to share 1 example, but, this is
> more than sufficient to demonstrate the point.  I wish I could say that
> both
> examples were limited to 1 counselor or regional office.  Each was from a
> different regional office.  I have also heard a verbal report of yet
> another
> similar case in yet another regional office, though, unlike the other 2, I
> do not have written documentation... If these individuals have had the
> courage to risk reprisals from -MCB and report these problems, I can only
> conjecture there are others who are too intimidated to speak up.  The
> intimidation is real, palpable and demonstrated below.
>
>
>
> As a member of the Consumer Involvement Council, I brought this up in our
> meeting this past week.  Leamon Jones came into the meeting to discuss the
> issue.  I suggested that the form is not necessary for eligibility or to
> determine whether Commission support of a student is otherwise legal.  Mr.
> Jones did not disagree with this.  I said that if the Commission wanted
> such
> a form, it is fine; just take the student out of the loop.  The student is
> not needed to accomplish the goal of collecting information from the
> college.  Also, the student has no control over whether the college
> completes the form, accurately completes the form or returns the form in a
> format that the Commission deems acceptable, yet as the example below
> demonstrates, the student is held responsible for the performance of the
> college with possible jeopardy to their ability to make progress toward
> their academic goal.
>
>
>
> Mr. Jones said it is good for students to be responsible for their
> relationship with MCB and asked me whether I thought students have a
> responsibility in their college endeavors.  I told him that, yes, they do.
> I reiterated that this form is unnecessary and thus is not a reasonable
> cause to keep a student from attending college. He opined that it is "good
> for a student" to be responsible and do things for themselves.  I replied
> that this is paternalistic nonsense."
>
>
>
> If the Commission is going to paternalistically require students to do
> things that are "good for them," just because they are good for them, then
> students ought to be required to get to bed early, study for exams, turn
> in
> all homework on time, not drink alcohol or at least not in excess, not
> smoke, eat a healthy diet, get lots of exercise and so on.  Except for
> whether the form is returned on time, this form will not change whether
> MCB
> provides service or not. Further, it asks about Social Security benefits.
> I
> remind you that MCB may not use Social Security benefits to pay for
> rehabilitation services, so it is unclear why such information is
> included.
> Furthermore, this information is provided in the intake process, since SSI
> and SSDI clients are automatically eligible for rehabilitation services.
>
>  The FASFA form also provides similar information
>
>
>
> Here is a small portion of the interchange between the student and her
> counselor.  The entire chain of emails is very long and includes the
> allegedly incomplete document from the University of Michigan in Dearborn.
> I will happily supply the entire document upon request.  It has been
> published on the MCB 2020 list and the NFB of Michigan list.  An excerpt
> is
> printed below:
>
>
>
> ". . .>> Hello Mr. Jones, It remains confusing to me that your agency is
> even
>
>>> called the Michigan Commission for the Blind. I have met with
>
>>> Continual resistance from Mr. Nelson since he has become my counselor
>
>>> In the spring of 2010.
>
>>> This
>
>>> is the third time that he has told me that I may not attend my next
>
>>> Semester at the University of Michigan Dearborn. I have continually
>
>>> asked him if we could work on the same team to obtain my educational
>
>>> success so that I may become gainfully employed. I am not able to
>
>>> attend school full-time because of family responsibilities. If he
>
>>> were to become interested in my education he would find out that I am
>
>>> scheduled to take Environmental Education this fall. This class is
>
>>> required for my Environmental studies degree. It will not be offered
>
>>> Again for two years. I was on track to graduate in the spring of 2013.
>
>>> However, it will now take another year because once a student is a
>
>>> Senior as I am required classes are not offered each semester and in
>
>>> my school of study some are offered every two years. I will comply
>
>>> with his order for me to not attend school this fall. However, I
>
>>> believe it is not sound financial planning or a good use of Michigan
>
>>> resources. In conclusion I believe that it would be more accurate to
>
>>> say that I am a client of the Michigan Commission Against the Blind.
>
>
>
>
>
>>
>
>>>> Hi Donna,
>
>>>> I nor my secretary cannot open this email to access the information
>
>>>> I need which is the financial letter )award or denial letter) for
>
>>>> fall 2011. I must have access to print copy today. Email me copy of
>
>>>> a printed letter in "word" attached so that I can print it out by
>
>>>> today. If I do not have it  by 5 p. m. today, I cannot support you
>
>>>> for the fall 2011 and you Will have to have your letter to me by
>
>>>> november 1, 2011 for the winter.  I have informed Mr. Leamon Jones
>
>>>> about this and he is aware of this.  Thank you.
>
>>>. . ."
>
>
>
> As can be observed, above, the client is very frustrated.  You can also
> observe that the Commission was in possession of the financial information
> from the college.  You can also tell that Leamon Jones was aware of the
> plight of the student.  To me it is inexcusable to put a student through
> this for no gain.  Fortunately this student publicized this mistreatment
> and
> through intervention she was, to my knowledge, eventually provided
> service.
>
>
>
> I say there is no gain in requiring any student to jump through a hoop of
> submitting a form to a college and hoping the college will return the form
> on time and, apparently, in a required format for the Commission to show
> that the student was being "responsible."  Again, I want to be clear, if
> MCB
> feels this form is beneficial in some way, and they wish to use precious
> staff time collecting and processing the information, instead of returning
> client's phone calls,  then, have at it.  I call upon you, the Commission
> Board, the entity that adopted the policy, to fix this unjust and abusive
> portion of the policy and allow students to be responsible for the
> important
> work of getting good grades, graduating and getting a job.
>
>
>
> In conclusion, aside from eliminating the requirement for the form from
> the
> college policy, I, again, strongly suggest that you, as a board, stop
> using
> your limited meeting time receiving meaningless and self-promoting verbal
> reports from the staff.  Such reports may be made in writing.  Instead, I
> respectfully suggest you use your time to meet with consumers, staff and
> MCB
> administration to constructively determine how to reform the MCB to
> eliminate such paternalistic, bullying and intimidating policies and
> practices and to provide staff training that puts customers ahead of
> bureaucracy, oh and by the way get jobs for blind people.
>
>
>
> An example of the impotent nature of the administration was reflected in
> comments from Bob Robertson.  He said in a discussion of the lack of
> return
> phone calls from agency staff that this has been an identified complaint
> from consumers for years.  He said no one knows how to get counselors or
> others to call customers back within 48 hours.  There is 1 term that will
> address this - data-driven, humane expectations of accountability from top
> management to include all staff.  This begins with the Commission Board
> holding the Director accountable for these issues.
>
>
>
> Blind people are citizens, not subjects.  Blind people shall not be
> bullied
> and kept in a submissive and dependent role.  To me, it is clear from the
> example above; the MCB has no means beyond bullying and intimidation to
> guide its training or administration of programs for blind people.  I
> truly
> hope you can use whatever time you can to develop a clear vision and
> philosophy for MCB and implement a serious training program to accomplish
> these goals.
>
>
>
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