[nfbmi-talk] Board Correspondence college policy

[Fred Wurtzel]

Hi Elizabeth,

Great job.  Good idea including the form.

Warmest Regards,

Fred

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Elizabeth
Sent: Monday, September 12, 2011 9:25 PM
To: larry Posont; JOHN SCOTT; laschuck at juno.com
Cc: LuzenskiS at michigan.gov
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Board Correspondence college policy

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