[nfbmi-talk] you can't make this stuff up

joe harcz Comcast joeharcz at comcast.net
Wed Mar 14 12:09:26 UTC 2012


Hi,

Here is the final chain from my requests, a very simple request for the DVD 
and after filing DOJ complaints...By the way at no time did I ask for it to 
be described or captioned. Of course, the clowns did expend funds to have it 
captioned. They don't know the simple difference between a blind person and 
a deaf person.

I know from this if I requested Braille they would likely scramble after 
months of wrangling to supply me with a sign language interpretor.

Regardless here is the chain and note cin the last item Cannon knew of 
obligations to make meetings accessible including materials and he should be 
sued, sued, and more sued for his persistent and willful violations of the 
ADA and 504 over years along with his sick pals in LARA!

Joe

Chain related to DVD:






email request (attached) is granted. The information/records requested are 
as follows:



--Vendor; Communication Works of the Deaf (CWD)



--Contract/Purchase Order Number; 641P1300218



From: joe harcz Comcast [mailto:joeharcz at comcast.net]

Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 5:06 PM

To: Farmer, Mel (LARA)

Subject: Re: FOIA Emails RE: J Harcz



Hi,



Thanks could you please give me the name of the vendor and a contract number 
for this project?



Thank you.



Sincerely,



Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.



Block quote start



----- Original Message -----



From:

Farmer, Mel (LARA)



To:

'joe harcz Comcast'



Cc:

Arwood, Steve (LARA)

;

Brown, Melanie (LARA)

;

Morrow, Mario (LARA)

;

Cannon, Patrick (DELEG)

;

Haynes, Carla (DELEG)

;

'sally.conway at usdoj.gov'

;

Przekop-Shaw, Susan (AG)



Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 3:31 PM



Subject: FW: FOIA Emails RE: J Harcz



Mr. Joseph Harcz, this notice is in follow up to my July 8, 2011 email 
response (enclosed) regarding your June 30, 2011 request for a copy of the 
DVD of

the  June 17, 2011 MCB general meeting in accessible format. As you were 
previously informed, the Department does not have the in-house capability to 
convert

the DVD of this 6 1/2 hour meeting into the accessible format you requested; 
and, thusly, the Department must contract a private- sector vendor to 
perform

this service. The vendor indicates that it does not expect to have the DVD 
conversions completed until the end of this week, or the first part of the 
week

commencing Monday, July 18, 2011. Further, when the vendor provides the 
Department the DVD, the Department will need 2-3 days to add the audio 
description

portion to it.



Also, in follow up to the Department’s July 6, 2011 response to your July 2, 
2011 request for records you describe as “…a line item accounting of how 
much

this video recording cost the taxpayers or any records related to costs such 
as inter agency transfers from the MCB/LARA or a third party vendor for 
filming

the event to begin with.”, please be informed of the following:



--Filming Cost: At minimum, the wage/benefits of the Department’s lowest 
paid employee capable



 of recording the MCB meeting (General Office Assistant 5) at $25.10/hr X 
6.5hrs = 163.15



--Private Sector Vendor Cost: The vendor informed the Department that its 
actual charge is



  $3,750.00.



--Audio Description Cost: Estimated to take 2-3 days and cost about 
$1,200.00.



--Postage: Estimated to cost about $6.00



The total estimated cost to film and convert this requested DVD into the 
accessible format



requested is about $5,119.15.



From: Farmer, Mel (LARA)

Sent: Friday, July 08, 2011 1:21 PM

To: 'joe harcz Comcast'

Cc: Cannon, Patrick (DELEG); Haynes, Carla (DELEG); Arwood, Steve (LARA); 
Brown, Melanie (LARA); Morrow, Mario (LARA); Jo Anne Pilarski MCB, Chair; 
Luzenski,

Sue (DELEG); Kline, Steve T (LARA)

Subject: RE: FOIA Emails RE: J Harcz



Mr. Harcz, the Department’s/MCB email/letter of June 30, 2011 regarding your 
request for a copy of the DVD of the June 17, 2011 MCB general meeting 
indicated

that the Department would respond by July 13, 2011 as additional time was 
needed to make copies of the DVD in the accessible format you requested and 
to

determine any applicable costs not subject to federal regulations to comply 
with your request.



From: joe harcz Comcast [mailto:joeharcz at comcast.net]

Sent: Friday, July 08, 2011 12:20 PM

To: Farmer, Mel (LARA)

Subject: Re: FOIA Emails RE: J Harcz



So Mr. Farmer,



When are you going to send me the requested video of the MCB meeting now 
that you know once again this is an ADA, 504 and even title I issue of the 
Rehabilitation

Act?



Sincerely,



Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.



Block quote start



----- Original Message -----



From:

Farmer, Mel (LARA)



To:

'joe harcz Comcast'



Cc:

Cannon, Patrick (DELEG)

;

Haynes, Carla (DELEG)

;

Arwood, Steve (LARA)

;

Brown, Melanie (LARA)

;

Morrow, Mario (LARA)

;

'sally.conway at usdoj.gov'

;

'Jo Ann Pilarski'



Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2011 2:45 PM



Subject: FW: FOIA Emails RE: J Harcz



Mr. Joseph Harcz, this notice is in response to your July 2, 2011 emailed 
request to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs 
(LARA)

for copies of nonexempt public information/records under the state’s Freedom 
of Information Act (FOIA), MCL 15.231 et seq., you describe as:



 1. “…related to the video recording of the June 17, 2011 Michigan 
Commission for the Blind



         meeting.”



2. “…a line item accounting of how much this video recording cost the 
taxpayer or any records



        related to costs such as inter agency transfers from the MCB/LARA to 
DTMB or a third



        party vendor for filming the event to begin with.”



 3. “…any memorandums discussing the requirements to caption and describe 
this production of



         a Michigan Commission for the Blind public meeting.”



Please be informed that, pursuant to MCL 15.235, Section 5(2)(c) of the 
FOIA, your request is partially granted and partially denied.



As regards the granted portions of your request, enclosed, as part of this 
response, are copies of records responsive to your request.



As regards the denied portion of your request, the Department does not 
possess a line item accounting of the cost, interagency transfers, or third 
party

vendor costs of the video recording of the June 17, 2011 MCB meeting. 
Thusly, pursuant to MCL 15.235, Section 5(4)(b) of the FOIA, we must deny 
this portion

of your request; and certify that the public record requested does not exist 
in this Department.



Under MCL 15.240 of the FOIA, you may submit a written appeal regarding the 
denial of any portion of your FOIA request to Steven H. Hilfinger, Director,

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Mike 
Zimmer, Chief Deputy Director, Ottawa Building, 4th Floor, P.O. Box 30004, 
Lansing,

Michigan 48909. Your written appeal must include the word “appeal” and state 
the reason(s) for reversal of the denial(s). You may also seek judicial 
review

in circuit court within 180 days of the Department’s final determination. If 
you prevail in such action, the court shall award reasonable attorney fees,

costs and disbursements. If the court finds the Department’s action(s) to be 
arbitrary and capricious, the court shall, in addition to any actual or 
compensatory

damages, award punitive damages in the amount of $500.00.



From: Brown, Melanie (LARA)

Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2011 12:15 PM

To: Morrow, Mario (LARA); Turney, Susan (DELEG)

Cc: Edmonds, Keli (LARA); Cannon, Patrick (DELEG); Luzenski, Sue (DELEG); 
Kline, Steve T (LARA)

Subject: Re: DRAFT MCB Commission Board Meeting Advisory, for release today 
or as soon as possible



LARAs Division of Media and Technology is approved to tape.

Thanks



From: Morrow, Mario (LARA)

To: Turney, Susan (DELEG)

Cc: Edmonds, Keli (LARA); Brown, Melanie (LARA); Cannon, Patrick (DELEG); 
Luzenski, Sue (DELEG)

Sent: Wed Jun 08 11:42:54 2011

Subject: Re: DRAFT MCB Commission Board Meeting Advisory, for release today 
or as soon as possible



DMT would like to tape these.



From: Turney, Susan (DELEG)

To: Morrow, Mario (LARA)

Cc: Edmonds, Keli (LARA); Brown, Melanie (LARA); Cannon, Patrick (DELEG); 
Luzenski, Sue (DELEG)

Sent: Wed Jun 08 11:34:32 2011

Subject: DRAFT MCB Commission Board Meeting Advisory, for release today or 
as soon as possible



Mario and Melanie, attached is the draft MCB June 17 Commission Board 
meeting news advisory for your review.



We would like this to go out to all media statewide (both print and 
broadcast) today or as soon as possible.



Keli, please let me know when this is released, and send me a copy of the 
final release if there are any changes in the text.



I’ll be at the Braille and Talking Book Library conference at the state 
library building most of the day today.  If you need to reach me, my 
personal cell

phone is 517-243-4691.



Thank you.



Susan Turney



Communications & Outreach Coordinator, Michigan Commission for the Blind



Michigan Department Licensing and Regulatory Affairs



direct line:  517-241-8631; fax:  517-335-5140



MCB toll-free: 1-800-292-4200



201 N. Washington Square, Second Floor,



P.O. Box 30652; Lansing, MI 48909



www.michigan.gov/mcb



From: Morrow, Mario (DELEG)

Sent: Friday, June 10, 2011 11:54 AM

To: Cannon, Patrick (DELEG)

Cc: Pohl, Allan (DELEG); Brown, Melanie (LARA); Turney, Susan (DELEG); 
Luzenski, Sue (DELEG); Duell, Elsie (DELEG)

Subject: Re: Commission Recording



Consider the cost of production a gift to you and your clients. However, 
client request for copies is another issue. We will work it out. please do 
not

worry or lose sleep over this. It is all taken care of.



From: Cannon, Patrick (DELEG)

To: Morrow, Mario (LARA)

Cc: Pohl, Allan (DELEG); Brown, Melanie (LARA); Turney, Susan (DELEG); 
Luzenski, Sue (DELEG); Duell, Elsie (DELEG)

Sent: Fri Jun 10 11:40:57 2011

Subject: RE: Commission Recording



Thanks, Mario, for the update.



BTW, what about the cost of the video recording.  Is this something your 
office and/or LARA is otherwise absorbing?  I ask now, Mario, specifically 
because

Al Pohl has advised us that MCB is under a “HARD FREEZE” on our spending and 
hiring, meaning that we cannot spend any amount of money on anything not 
considered

to be an expenditure essential to service delivery.



Please provide us with reassurance that we will not be charged for this 
service.



Best always,



Pat



From: Morrow, Mario (LARA)

Sent: Friday, June 10, 2011 6:36 AM

To: Cannon, Patrick (DELEG)

Cc: Turney, Susan (DELEG); Brown, Melanie (LARA); Arwood, Steve (LARA); 
Kline, Steve T (LARA)

Subject: Commission Recording



Pat –



I am so pleased that DMT is finally able to record the commission meetings. 
This is long overdue. Just as an FYI, there is no need to pre-announce our 
tapings.

You or the chair can certainly make note of it at the beginning of the 
meeting. We are doing this as a service to our clients. I will provide more 
information

as to how to obtain copies next week.



Have a great weekend.



Mario



Mario L. Morrow



Director of Communications



Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs



Ottawa Office Building



611 West Ottawa Street



4th Floor



Lansing, Michigan 48933



Phone: (517) 373-9280



Fax:       (517) 241-1580



From: Cannon, Patrick (DELEG)

Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 8:25 AM

To: Morrow, Mario (LARA)

Cc: Brown, Melanie (LARA); Turney, Susan (DELEG); Luzenski, Sue (DELEG); 
Kline, Susan

Subject: Requirements for Captioning and Audio Description of Video 
Productions



Hello Mario,



Something to consider regarding video productions by LARA is the 
accessibility requirements of the ADA and the Administrative Guide to State 
Government

(which is inserted below and attached), specifically the requirements to 
provide captioning and audio description.  The applicable language of the 
state

guidance is:



“Video or Other Media Production:



Video or other media production produced or distributed by Departments will 
be made accessible through open and closed captioning, descriptive video, or

other methods.



Video recordings intended for internal investigative processes or 
documentation such as depositions, video recorded inspections, etc. are not 
covered by

this policy.”



The ADA connection to these requirements can be found in the “Program 
 Access” portion of Title II of the ADA, which requires that all programs, 
services

and activities of state government must be readily accessible to and usable 
by people with disabilities.



I’m sharing this with you, Mario, because I believe that we can anticipate 
that a blind person who requests the video recording of our Commission 
meetings

might insist that it be described and, further, we cannot charge anything 
for the cost of making it accessible because the ADA would consider that 
being

tantamount to assessing a surcharge for access, which is prohibited. 
Fortunately, though, our media technology office has expertise in the art of 
audio

description, perhaps more so than in any other department.



Give me a call if you’d like to chat about this at 373-3125.



Best always,



Pat



Policy 1650.00 – Accessibility



1650.00 ACCESSIBILITY



Issued September 19, 2007



SUBJECT: Accessibility



APPLICATION: Executive Branch Departments and Sub-Units.



PURPOSE: To comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Sections 
504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended), the State Deaf 
Persons’

Interpreters Act (PA 204 of 1982), and the Michigan Persons with 
Disabilities Civil Rights Act (PA 220 of 1976), this policy defines 
Departments’ requirements

for printed materials, meetings, electronic technology and services, and 
their availability to persons with disabilities in accessible formats when 
requested.

This document covers employees and any individual, including the general 
public, who is served by Departments.



Note: This policy does not apply to Department of Corrections prisoners.



CONTACT AGENCY:



Office of the State Employer



400 S. Pine St.



Lansing, MI 48913



TELEPHONE: 517-373-7400



FAX: 517-373-3771



Commission on Disability Concerns



201 N. Washington Square, Suite 150



Lansing, MI 48913



TELEPHONE: 517-335-6004 TTY/V



Toll Free: 877-499-6232 TTY/V



FAX:  517-335-7773



Note: TTY/V = Teletypewriter/Voice.



SUMMARY: Departments must ensure that all printed materials, meetings, 
electronic technology, and services are accessible to persons with 
disabilities,

such as employees, applicants, program participants, or members of the 
public participating in Departments’ activities.



Printed Material and Documents:



All printed material or documents issued by Departments will be available 
upon request in alternative formats, unless this process would result in a 
fundamental

alteration in the nature of a program or activity or an undue financial or 
administrative burden. Subject to these limitations, Departments will 
provide

materials in an accessible format usable to the requestor.



Materials published by Departments will contain a notice that the material 
is available in an accessible format. In addition, Departments shall take 
steps

to provide information to the general public about the availability of 
documents in accessible formats.



Meetings and Events:



Events and meetings planned and sponsored by Departments will be accessible, 
unless this would fundamentally alter the nature of a program or activity or

an undue financial or administrative burden would occur.



“Accessible” means that all who are qualified to attend can attend, 
participate in all activities, and access information in the needed 
accessible formats

in a timely manner. At a minimum, the site will be barrier-free, and 
additional accommodations will be provided upon request with advance notice. 
This



includes, but is not limited to, meetings open to the public, conferences, 
educational events, press conferences, staff training, and retreats.



Departments shall include on Event and Meeting notices a statement regarding 
accessibility and list contact information for requesting an accommodation

and the timeframe for requests, in advance of the Event or Meeting.



Video or Other Media Production:



Video or other media production produced or distributed by Departments will 
be made accessible through open and closed captioning, descriptive video, or

other methods.



Video recordings intended for internal investigative processes or 
documentation such as depositions, video recorded inspections, etc. are not 
covered by

this policy.



Electronic and Information Technology:



Departments are required to work within the accessibility standards for 
disseminating information, website development, and information on websites, 
including

computers, software, and electronic office equipment and all technologies 
covered by the law. For additional information, contact the Department of 
Information

Technology, E- Michigan Web Development.



APPLICABLE FORMS: None



REFERENCES: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-336) 
(42 U.S.C. §§



12101 et seq.)



Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended), Sections 504 (29 U.S.C. § 794) and 
508 (29 U.S.C. § 794d)



State Deaf Persons’ Interpreters Act (PA 204 of 1982) (MCL 393.501, et seq.)



Michigan Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act (PA 220 of 1976) (MCL 
37.1101, et seq.)



Resource: State of Michigan Accessibility Resource Guide

http://www.michigan.gov/dmb/0,1607,7-150-9131-170876--,00.html.



* * *



Block quote end

Block quote end

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christine Boone" <christine_boone at comcast.net>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2012 3:28 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] you can't make this stuff up


Joe, Are you saying that there is someone describing the actions of the 
people who attended this board meeting?  And are you further saying that 
said description casts some of our Commissioners and/or some of the other 
folks who attended that meting in a less than favorable light?

Just asking.

Christine

On Mar 8, 2012, at 8:39 AM, joe harcz Comcast wrote:

> BTW they spent $1,800 on captioning this which is an accommodation I did 
> not request. Moreover, I didn't  even ask for it to be described for the 
> record. I simply asked for a copy of what they did which, again for the 
> record I'm the only one on the planet to have this video,all captione and 
> all described and all that,  with the possible exception of some LARA 
> staff who apparently abuse this video recording for their own perverse 
> amusement. Perhaps this is all a sort of new fangled perverse activity I 
> never heard of you know like the sick folks who like dog fighting or 
> so-called "dwarf tossing". But these clowns spent the taxpayer's monies on 
> this garbage and their pornographic interpretation of events which is 
> totally outragious by any measure and should be deemed as the waste, fraud 
> and abuse it is by either Democrat or Republican and indeed anyone in the 
> state who has his or her marbles some what intact.
>
>
> I applaud you Fred for being so... Well so relatively calm in the wake of 
> this and the other outrages.
>
> I am not so. I take my civil rights and those of my brothers and sisters 
> very personally, not that you don't by the by.
>
> I'm just saying that I cannot and will not be so nice as you are here in 
> the wake of these insults.
>
> Again this is by no means an attack upon yourself, for you are a patriot 
> and a true good guy on these issues.
>
> No, this agency under the collapsing regime of that total Narcissist 
> Cannon has destroyed lives and livelihoods of people I care about deeply.
>
> Worse, he and the agency hacks have taken it upon themselves to destroy 
> the future.
>
> I have a nephew with RP, and I advocate for the youth who have no, and I 
> repeat no prospects here in Michigan if they happen to be blind because of 
> these selfish and ludicrous plutocrats.
>
> Sadly when my niece told me that my nephew was diagnosed with RP and when 
> she asked me what to do I had to say, "Move out of this wonderful state."
>
> I said that not out of a political claim against this or that, but only as 
> a practical statement.
>
> As angry as I am at injustice I am even more so simply sad at all of these 
> terms of events and the gross paternalism, waste and fraud and abuse 
> herein and more so between the lines. Do we not forget the "bullet proof 
> drapes" of MR. and Ms. "Paranoia"? Yup that was Cannon's response to 
> African Americans who were blind and wanted some sort of services 
> including a call back in their lifetime.
>
> This type of thing is real Nazi or real Soviet style stuff in that it 
> denigrates each and everyone of us, making us pawns and not people for the 
> gratification, and edification of some bureaucrats.
>
> As one State senator told me the other day, "You just can't make this 
> stuff up."
>
>
>
>
> Joe Harcz
>
> BLIND PEOPLE DID NOT DO THESE THINGS
>
>
>
> The National Federation of the Blind of Michigan has not stood by while 
> services to blind people have continually gotten worse.  We have 
> steadfastly and proudly fulfilled our role as watchdogs on behalf of all 
> blind citizens in our wonderful state.  We have diligently, vociferously, 
> and relentlessly called for and worked to achieve exemplary results from 
> the Michigan Commission for the Blind.  The Michigan Commission for the 
> Blind, with $25 million to spend to help blind people get good jobs: we 
> cannot expect less.  With $25 million to spend on improving the employment 
> of blind people we, blind people, have no recourse except to hold those 
> who are mandated to provide those services accountable to produce the best 
> services available.  $25 million is a lot of money.  Shouldn’t we expect a 
> prompt return phone call, Braille documents, and freedom from fear of 
> reprisals for speaking out about quality services?
>
>
>
> Since 2008 the declining quality of management and services received from 
> the MCB have been the subject of thousands, possibly tens of thousands of 
> hours of meetings.  We have attended Commission Board meetings, Consumer 
> Involvement Council meetings, Elected Operator Committee meetings, 
> Planning and Quality Team meetings, Services Delivery Design Team 
> Meetings, College Policy Task Force meetings, Small Business Policy 
> meetings, BEP Task Force Meetings, Training Task Force meetings, 
> Maintenance Policy meetings and on the list goes.  Blind people have taken 
> an active role in working to develop legal and quality policies for the 
> agency.  We have demonstrated with our shoe leather, our sweat, our 
> knowledge, our passion and freely-given volunteer time in meetings with 
> well-paid state employees our commitment to creating the best agency in 
> the country.
>
>
>
> In return blind Commission employees have been illegally fired; blind 
> Business Enterprise Program entrepreneurs have had their licenses 
> illegally revoked. We have been met with negativity, rejection, attempts 
> to close meetings, denial of documents in Braille and other accessible 
> formats and ever-increasing levels of poor services from MCB as an agency.
>
>
>
> This author heard, today, that a client from Detroit who moved to Florida 
> more than a year ago received a return call from a counselor that she had 
> placed over 2 years ago.  This has to be a world’s record on delay in 
> returning a call.  It is only 1 example of the poor responsiveness to 
> phone calls which have been raised for more than 5 years.  It is routine 
> for callbacks to take weeks and months.
>
>
>
> We now have a strong and active Commission Board that has begun addressing 
> these questions. For the first time in over 10 years there were legally 
> mandated hearings on the Commission’s Rehabilitation State Plan.  The 
> Board convened a task force on training and the Board has asked for 
> improved and strengthened training for MCB employees.  The Board has set 
> Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Driven goals for the 
> MCB Director.  The Board gave an unsatisfactory evaluation in a chain of 
> ever declining annual evaluations of the Director.  The Board has asked 
> for and begun receiving hard data on new cases, cases closed as employed 
> and cases closed unsuccessfully.  The Board has asked for the costs of 
> successfully and unsuccessfully closed cases.  In other words this board 
> had begun to do as Governor Snyder has been advocating, creating a 
> data-driven results-oriented agency.
>
>
>
> Now, Governor Snyder has issued Executive Order 2012-2 that abolishes the 
> Michigan Commission for the Blind.  His order destroys the Michigan 
> Commission for the Blind Board, thus eliminating any direct involvement of 
> blind citizens in the policy development of services to blind citizens. 
> If people who fish and people who like to shoot bunnies get input into the 
> Natural Resources Commission or people who use our roadways get input into 
> the Transportation Commission on the way the Transportation Department is 
> managed, shouldn’t blind people with 70% unemployment get to say something 
> about how $25 million is spent to help them get jobs? This Executive Order 
> seems very contradictory to the Governor’s expressed goals.  The people 
> who are hurt are blind people, the same people who were being hurt by the 
> poor management of MCB.  Though the MCB Director job is abolished, there 
> is no reason to believe the Director will cease to be employed in the 
> management of the agency.  This seems to be a prime example of rearranging 
> the chairs on the deck of the Titanic.
>
>
>
> It cannot be said that blind people have not raised these issues to the 
> new administration.  It cannot be said that blind people have blamed or 
> criticized the Governor for these long-standing problems.  It will not be 
> said that blind people gave up and went home after this rebuke.  We will 
> be on the streets, in the Cadillac Place Building, the Escanaba State 
> Office Building, in the Grand Tower Building, in the Anderson Building, in 
> the Farnum Building in the Capitol Building, in the newspapers, in the 
> committee meetings of the legislature, in federal public hearings, and in 
> arbitration hearings of the Business Enterprise Program until we get $25 
> million worth of quality services.  We will not be told to sit down and 
> shut up and be grateful for second-rate jobs, second rate services and 
> second-rate citizenship.  We will not settle for receiving services from 
> the agency that provides food stamps, child protective services and the 
> social safety net.  We want jobs, not welfare.
>
>
>
> Following is a letter written to Steve Arwood about a secretive video 
> recording of a Commission Meeting.  To their credit Mr. Hillfinger, Mr. 
> Zimmer and Mr. Arwood met with some of our members following the receipt 
> of the letter to assure us that this would not happen again.  They 
> understood the issue it raised.  We were pleased that Mr. Arwood agreed to 
> work with us to attempt to reduce the number of Freedom of Information Act 
> (FOIA) requests.  This effort got off to a good start, then Mr. Arwood 
> felt it was no longer helpful, though progress was being made.
>
>
>
> As the letter below shows, even though we were unhappy about the actions 
> of MCB, we were not critical of Governor Snyder, his policies or 
> decisions.  Why did the Governor turn against blind people in this way? 
> Blind people are not the culprits here.  Why is our ability to affect our 
> services being reduced?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Thu 7/14/2011
>
>
>
> Dear Mr. Arwood:
>
>
>
> I received the item below describing the recent video recording of the 
> June Commission meeting from the National Federation of the Blind list 
> serve to which I subscribe.  I cannot imagine what people are thinking to 
> spend this kind of money in these supposedly strapped times of state 
> government.  What in the world is going on?
>
>
>
> First, this recording was made without the knowledge of meeting 
> participants who were blind, though many of my sighted friends were aware 
> and simply figured that we knew.  I was not alone in my ignorance of this 
> assault on my privacy.  I attended this meeting and did not know until the 
> following Monday that it was recorded on video.  Why was it recorded?  Why 
> was it so important to spend this kind of money to make such a recording? 
> I am dumbfounded that you and the other administrators of LARA would allow 
> such a frivolous and extravagant expenditure for such a small event.
>
>
>
> It is understandable that you are annoyed at the state of things with 
> regard to citizen dissatisfaction with MCB.  Can you imagine why blind 
> citizens are outraged about the mismanagement of such an important agency? 
> How can it be made any clearer: there is a 70% unemployment rate among 
> blind people?  Shouldn't citizens(taxpayers) be outraged  when such 
> offensive behavior as recording people in a public meeting by the 
> government without those people's knowledge and then compounding it by 
> spending more than $5,000 on top of it? This is money meant to help blind 
> people get jobs.  All this is carried out by responsible authorities? 
> Five thousand dollars is about what it takes to get a blind person a job 
> at MCB.  Was that film worth a blind person's job?  A job, a chance to be 
> a first-class citizen, a contributing taxpayer, a part of the fabric of 
> our community.  What kind of priorities are these?
>
>
>
> Mr. Arwood, I have heard that you are an experienced administrator.  Since 
> you are part of the Snyder administration, I would suppose you have some 
> general tendencies toward sensibility.  Despite the entire clamor, it 
> seems that this Governor is doing a very good job navigating in very 
> dangerous waters with the difficulties presented by taxation, unions, 
> declining revenues, international bridges and on and on.  Would the 
> Governor think this incident at MCB fits his vision of how state 
> government should be run?  Taking advantage of blind people to basically 
> spy on them and then spend money appropriated to help them get jobs seems 
> like a surrealistic juxtaposition of events not up to the high 
> expectations of this administration.  I need to say it one more time: "use 
> money intended to get jobs for blind people to insult and intimidate 
> them?"  It's amazing!
>
>
>
> I hope you reconsider your approach to MCB and begin to consider that 
> people like me with three decades of experience in government and an 
> advanced degree in administration are not out in left field.  After all, 
> we are on the outside; the problems are from the inside.  We did not 
> illegally fire anyone.  We did not mismanage the remodeling of the MCB 
> Training Center.  We aren't the ones who cannot fix the System 7 computer 
> system after 10 years of effort and heaven knows how much money.  We 
> aren't the ones under-spending the budget on services to unemployed blind 
> people while using this same precious money attacking those same people. 
> We are not the ones violating the Rehabilitation Act.  We are not the ones 
> scheduling meetings in inaccessible facilities.  We are not the ones 
> paying $5,000 to spy on and intimidate blind Michigan citizens.  We are 
> not the ones making these problems.
>
>
>
> We believe in the Rehabilitation Act and Public Act 260 of 1978.  I 
> believe in the Governor's abilities and motives.  This problem did not 
> arise on Governor Snyder's watch, it was inherited.  The video recording 
> did happen on his watch.  I respectfully request an explanation, from you, 
> of this seemingly insane event. I certainly hope it was an aberration and 
> does not signal future attitudes and actions.
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Fred J. Wurtzel
>
>
>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 3:58 PM
>
> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
>
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Fw: FOIA Emails RE: J Harcz
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
>
> From: Farmer, Mel (LARA)
>
> To: 'joe harcz Comcast'
>
> Cc: Arwood, Steve (LARA) ; Brown, Melanie (LARA) ; Morrow, Mario (LARA) ; 
> Cannon, Patrick (DELEG) ; Haynes, Carla (DELEG) ; 'sally.conway at usdoj.gov' 
> ; Przekop-Shaw, Susan (AG)
>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 3:31 PM
>
> Subject: FW: FOIA Emails RE: J Harcz
>
>
>
> Mr. Joseph Harcz, this notice is in follow up to my July 8, 2011 email 
> response (enclosed) regarding your June 30, 2011 request for a copy of the 
> DVD of the  June 17, 2011 MCB general meeting in accessible format. As you 
> were previously informed, the Department does not have the in-house 
> capability to convert the DVD of this 6 1/2 hour meeting into the 
> accessible format you requested; and, thusly, the Department must contract 
> a private- sector vendor to perform this service. The vendor indicates 
> that it does not expect to have the DVD conversions completed until the 
> end of this week, or the first part of the week commencing Monday, July 
> 18, 2011. Further, when the vendor provides the Department the DVD, the 
> Department will need 2-3 days to add the audio description portion to it.
>
>
>
> Also, in follow up to the Department's July 6, 2011 response to your July 
> 2, 2011 request for records you describe as "a line item accounting of how 
> much this video recording cost the taxpayers or any records related to 
> costs such as inter agency transfers from the MCB/LARA or a third party 
> vendor for filming the event to begin with", please be informed of the 
> following:
>
>
>
> --Filming Cost: At minimum, the wage/benefits of the Department's lowest 
> paid employee capable
>
>
>
> of recording the MCB meeting (General Office Assistant 5) at $25.10/hr X 
> 6.5hrs = 163.15
>
>
>
> --Private Sector Vendor Cost: The vendor informed the Department that its 
> actual charge is
>
>
>
>  $3,750.00.
>
>
>
> --Audio Description Cost: Estimated to take 2-3 days and cost about 
> $1,200.00.
>
>
>
> --Postage: Estimated to cost about $6.00
>
>
>
> The total estimated cost to film and convert this requested DVD into the 
> accessible format
>
>
>
> requested is about $5,119.15.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> From: Farmer, Mel (LARA)
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nfbmi-talk mailing list
> nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
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