[nfbmi-talk] Fw: short summary of exclusion from monitoring process

[joe harcz Comcast]

Blast from the past....The agency knows of past and ongoing violations and 
does nothing!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "McManus, Craig" <Craig.McManus at ed.gov>
To: "joe harcz Comcast" <joeharcz at comcast.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 10:20 AM
Subject: RE: short summary of exclusion from monitoring process


Good morning Mr. Harcz,

Thank you for providing this information to RSA regarding your concerns.  I 
have consulted with my colleagues in the Randolph-Sheppard Program and they 
are aware of many of the issues that you identified in you correspondence.

RSA is currently working on the FY 2009 Michigan 107 monitoring report and 
plan to have it finalized in the near future.  Please note that this report 
will be made accessible to the public for anyone to review.

Sincerely,

Craig McManus
Financial Management Specialist
Rehabilitation Services Administration
550 12th Street, S.W. Room 5033
Washington, D.C., 20202
202-245-6579
craig.mcmanus at ed.gov


-----Original Message-----
From: joe harcz Comcast [mailto:joeharcz at comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2010 7:14 PM
To: McManus, Craig
Subject: short summary of exclusion from monitoring process

May 4, 2010



This is the RSA page for programs monitored in 2009. Only Michigan's is 
absent and to my knowledge no stakeholder has seen or been involved in any 
of this especially in the Michigan commission for the blind process. In fact 
consumers and stakeholders have been kept out of the process altogether and 
the state won't even remit documents under the Freedom of Information Act. 
All of the stonewalling and exclusion typifies Michigan's state agencies, 
particularly the MCB "out of control/out of compliance nature". By the way I 
don't think that any MCB commissioner has seen or even asked for key 
documents including the preliminary review and the rebuttal with the 
possible exception of MCB Chair Jo Anne Pilarski, but that is being kept 
pretty quiet as well.



Moreover, subsequent to the RSA monitoring in March of 2010 and especially 
after the monitoring review hit MCB's desk in September two blind employees 
of MCB were fired including Ms. Christine Boone who was engaged with the 
monitoring visit and who headed the MCB Training Center a core 
rehabilitation center for Michiganians who are blind.



In addition students at that center have been intimidated from engaging in 
protests and even participation in MCB's public meetings over her dismissal 
and a cut in program.



Further Administrative Law Judge determinations and grievances over the 
Business Enterprise Programs have escalated to an astounding degree and 
there is at least one law suit now in Federal District Court over overt 
discrimination against blind vendors by none other than MCB Director Patrick 
Cannon and MCB Board Chair Pilarski.



Prior to the RSA on site review one independently minded commissioner who 
asked to look at information, to have MCB follow laws like the Open Meeting 
Act and who demanded openness and accountability was purged by Director 
Cannon with an abuse of the State Ethics Act.



Prior to the monitoring review an organization of predominately 
African-American stakeholders and advocates who are blind had to picket MCB 
offices in Detroit and Lansing over chronic abuses in service delivery. They 
developed a multi-point list of grievances and solutions and no one 
listened. And prior to a mass appearance by this organization (Advocates for 
the Blind) Freedom of Information Act responses showed that Director Cannon 
had his office investigate not only security for public meetings like the 
contentious June 2008 meeting of MCB but also to look into bullet proof 
drapes. The implications were obvious and truly go to the bunker mind set of 
this agency and what it really thinks of the principles of consumer 
involvement, autonomy of the board and open governance in general.



Consumer and stakeholders are barred at every point by this renegade agency 
from participation let alone having a proper seat at the table in the RSA 
monitoring process.



Sincerely,



Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.







EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS

RSA: FY 2009 Monitoring Reports on the Vocational Rehabilitation and 
Independent Living Programs

Required under Section 107



For fiscal year 2009, eighteen agencies in twelve states were reviewed.



Please take a moment to participate in a

survey

about RSA's performance on the FY 2009 monitoring of Vocational 
Rehabilitation agencies.



California

download files

MS Word

(463K) |

PDF

(472K)

Updated as of December 24, 2009



Indiana

download files

MS Word

(657K) |

PDF

(615K)

Updated as of March 17, 2010



Iowa

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MS Word

(987K) |

PDF

(1.0M)

Updated as of February 19, 2010



Kentucky

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MS Word

(523K) |

PDF

(490K)

Updated as of January 21, 2010



Massachusetts

download files

MS Word

(743K) |

PDF

(641K)

Updated as of December 16, 2009



Michigan

Report will be uploaded in the near future. Please check back.

Updated as of March 18, 2010



Missouri

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MS Word

(849K) |

PDF

(780K)

Updated as of February 2, 2009



North Dakota

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(298K) |

PDF

(403K)

Updated as of December 16, 2009



Texas

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(537K) |

PDF

(560K)

Updated as of December 16, 2009



Utah

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(448K) |

PDF

(1.18M)

Updated as of December 16, 2009



Guam

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(522K) |

PDF

(1.35M)

Updated as of September 17, 2009



Northern Marianas

download files

MS Word

(366K) |

PDF

(343K)

Updated as of September 08, 2009