[nfbmi-talk] Board Correspondence college policy

[Elizabeth]

Dear Commission Board,

They say that the only thing constant in life is change, but in most cases, 
it is not uncommon for us to resist change. Therefore, I greatly appreciate 
the work you are doing to forge a path of change within an agency that seems 
to be resistant to change. Specifically, I greatly appreciate the fact that 
you are willing to uphold a decision made by the previous Commission Board 
by taking the time to review the college policy after a year of its 
adoption. I commend you for keeping this promise to ensure students receive 
the best possible services from the Michigan Commission for the blind.

Since staff administrators took a considerable amount of time to receive 
input from students and consumers, we had high hopes that the agency would 
keep the promises it made during the formation process. However, we feel let 
down by the agency, as it does not appear as though they have kept these 
promises. We are particularly disappointed with the misuse of the new 
financial needs form. I have attached a copy of this form for your 
convenience.

Throughout the formulation process, students and consumers were promised 
that the new financial needs form would not create a means test for college 
students. We were also promised that the parent's assets would not be used 
to determine how much a student could contribute to the cost of the student's 
education. And finally, we were promised that students would not be asked to 
financially participate in the cost of receiving services from the Michigan 
Commission for the Blind if they received Social Security benefits including 
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance 
(SSDI). However, it seems as though the new financial needs form they have 
chosen to use breaks all of these promises.

First, it asks the college to list all financial resources available to the 
student. These resources include the Expected Family Contribution, Pell 
grants, other grants and scholarships, need based loans, and work study 
programs. In most cases, the Expected Family Contribution is based on the 
financial resources of the parents along with the financial resources of the 
student. Since most blind students cannot afford to pay the Expected Family 
Contribution on their own, they most likely will need to turn to their 
parents to provide them with this financial resource that the Michigan 
Commission for the Blind will not provide.

The form then asks the college to add all of these financial resources 
together, and then subtract the amount it will cost for the student to 
attend the college or university. The form calls this figure the student's 
unmet need. It appears as though this figure is used by the Michigan 
Commission for the Blind to determine how much financial assistance they 
will give to a student.

If room and board is provided by the college or university, the form states 
that it is important for this to be indicated on the form as it helps the 
Michigan Commission for the Blind to "properly plan" services with students 
who receive Social Security benefits. Although it does not directly state 
this on the form, it would appear as though the Michigan Commission for the 
Blind is looking to use the student's Social Security benefits to help pay 
for room and board. Asking students to use their Social Security benefits to 
pay for rehabilitation services is in violation of the Rehabilitation Act.

I understand this may sound rather confusing, but in the end, it seems as 
though the use of this new form only hurts the student. If you notice, the 
agency is asking the college to provide them with this information, and not 
the student. If the college or university fails to submit this form by a 
specific deadline, the student will not receive any financial assistance 
from the Michigan Commission for the Blind. This means that the student is 
punished by actions that are no longer within their control. I do not 
believe this practice serves the best interest of the student, and I call 
upon you to continue to uphold the promise you have made to blind students 
by eliminating the use of this new financial needs form.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Mohnke
President, Michigan Association of Blind Students




I understand all of this may sound confusing, but there is a rather simple 
solution to this problem. As the Commission Board, you can continue to 
uphold your promise to college students by eliminating this unnecessary form 
from the college policy. In the end, it seems as though this form only hurts 
the student as it is the responsibility of the college or university to fill 
out this form. If the college or university fails to return the form to the 
Michigan Commission for the Blind by a specific deadline, the student will 
not receive any financial assistance for that particular semester. In short, 
the student is punished for not doing something that is beyond their 
control. I do not believe this serves the best interests of college 
students, and I ask you to
 
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