[nfbmi-talk] {Spam?} mcb report

[joe harcz Comcast]

This stuff is a day late and a dollar short! Man I didn't know about the mini adjustment program.

But more importantly note the State Plan was submitted to RSA and this wasn't even denoted to current commissioners or the public?

Outragious!

Joe

MCB REPORT

 

September 12, 2012

 

 

ACHIEVEMENT HONOR ROLL AWARDS

 

Plans are under way for the 2012 Achievement Honor Roll Awards presentation and luncheon in Lansing on October 19, scheduled to coincide with annual federal and state recognitions of the importance of employing people with disabilities.

 

For more than 20 years, the Michigan Commission for the Blind has presented awards to honor individuals for their accomplishments and partnership.  This year, as in recent years, the Achievement Honor Roll Awards will be presented to: 

1) MCB clients who are exemplary in achieving their goals for employment and/or independent living after vision loss, 

2) employers who have shown leadership in hiring people who are blind or visually impaired based on their abilities, and 

3) community partners recognized for their collaboration with MCB in increasing opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve independence and/or employment.  

 

At this time, the award nominee selection process is complete, and award recipients are being notified.  A Business Enterprise Program licensee has been selected to cater the luncheon.

 

 

ACCESSIBLE DRUG LABELS

 

The U. S. Access Board is leading an effort to develop guidance on making prescription drug labels accessible to people with vision impairments under a new law, the "Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act." The act, which includes measures to promote drug safety and to improve FDA procedures for reviewing new medicines and medical devices, authorizes the Board to convene a stakeholder working group to develop best practices for making information on prescription drug container labels accessible to people who are visually impaired.

 

The stakeholder group, which will include representation from advocacy organizations and from industry, will develop best practices for pharmacies on providing independent access to prescription drug container labels. The group will explore various alternatives, including braille, large print labels, and various auditory technologies such as "talking bottles" and radio frequency identification tags. The group's recommendations, which are to be developed within one year, will be advisory only, not mandatory, and will not have the force of guidelines or standards.

 

The law also calls upon the National Council on Disability to conduct an informational and educational campaign in cooperation with the stakeholder working group to inform the public, including people with disabilities and pharmacists, of the best practices. The Government Accountability Office will undertake a review at a later date to assess the extent to which pharmacies are following the best practices and to what extent barriers to information on prescription drug container labels remain.  For further information, visit the Board's website or contact Marsha Mazz at mazz at access-board.gov, (202) 272-0020 (voice), or (202) 272-0076 (TTY). 

 

 

ANNUAL FALL CONSUMER CONVENTIONS

 

The annual state conventions of the Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired (MCBVI) and the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan (NFBM) will take place this fall, as always, to offer a unique perspective on the voice of the consumer.

 

This year the MCBVI convention will be held in Lansing Thursday, September 13, through Sunday, September 16, at the Best Western Plus Hotel (formerly the Causeway Bay), at 6820 South Cedar Street.  The 2012 theme is “Let’s Plan Our Future Together!” and the speaker at the Saturday banquet will be Ardis Bazyn of Bazyn Communications, Burbank, California.  For more information about the convention, contact MCBVI Convention Chair Casey Dutmer at 616-534-0581 or Casey354 at comcast.net, or read the information on the MCBVI website at  http://www.blindmi.org/convention.html 

 

The NFB of Michigan state convention will be held in Dearborn Friday, October 19, through Sunday, October 21, at the Doubletree Hotel, 5801 Southfield Expressway, Detroit.  For more information, contact  NFB of Michigan President Larry Posont at 313-271-3058 or president.nfb.mi at gmail.com, or read the information on the NFBM website at http://nfbmi.org/convention

 

During the past several years, MCB has been well represented at both of these conventions by staff and commissioners, and it is expected that this year will be no exception.

 

 

MINI ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM IN FLINT

 

MCB will conduct its third Mini Adjustment Program Workshop of 2012, at the Holiday Inn Gateway Center, September 16-21, in Flint, with 36 MCB consumers expected to participate.  Commission clients attending the week-long Mini-Adjustment Program workshop are introduced to a variety of skills of blindness, such as cane travel, Braille, managing time and money, adaptive kitchen skills and other skills to enhance independence.

 

In conjunction with the workshop, the Commission will also conduct an Employment Readiness Seminar, September 20, for 6 Commission clients who have advanced to the job-readiness stage of their rehabilitation program.  Consumers attending the seminars learn about various approaches to job searching, Michigan Works!, the Talent Bank, interview preparation and resume development.  They also participate in mock interviews and hear from local employers on their workforce needs.  Additionally, consumers receive information about social security benefits and work incentives, as well as information about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how it relates to employment of persons with disabilities.

 

The last 2012 Mini Adjustment Program and Employment Readiness Seminar will be held October 28 through November 2, at the Crowne Plaza Auburn Hills Hotel, in Auburn Hills.  Plans are being finalized for the 2013 Mini Adjustment Programs, tentatively being scheduled in Escanaba/Marquette, Holland, Bay City and Detroit.

 

 

CONSUMER SERVICES REPORT

 

During this quarter, the Consumer Services Division completed and submitted the 2013 State Plan and its amendments.  The plan was submitted to the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) after conducting the five public meetings and compiling the comments from those meetings.  There was also a Commission Board meeting where comments were made regarding the 2013 State Plan and these comments were included in the overall summary.  

 

 

MCB Summer Transition Programs

The agency was successful in conducting ten summer transition programs for intermediate school district youth.  There were 102 students who participated in these programs.  The programs were structured in a way that they focused on the individuals needs in the development of soft skills, pre-vocational assessments, career exploration, job shadowing and employment opportunities.  The College Prep Program provided the attendees with the opportunity to gain insight and preparation for college attendance, as well as additional skills in technology.  MCB purchased the iPod Touch for college prep students to provide them with specialized training to use the device to assist with time management, and information and referral resources, as well as to connect with email and the web.  The equipment worked out very well for participants.  These programs played an intricate part in the transitioning of youth from school to work and from school to secondary education. 

 

Two of MCB’s 2012 summer youth programs were the subject of video media stories.  Channel 9 & 10 did a brief story on Camp Transition Zone at Camp Daggett in Petoskey, which appeared on the August 14 evening news throughout northern Michigan.  In addition, the Detroit Summer Youth Program was the subject of a five-minute video report produced by the LARA Communications Office for the August 10 LARA News Link, which was posted on the LARA website, Facebook page, and YouTube site.  

 

 

National Deaf/Blind Equipment Distribution Program

MCB was instrumental in obtaining a grant through the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to provide training and technology equipment for eligible deaf/blind individuals in the state of Michigan.  The National Deaf/Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) is a two-year grant program with a possibility of three years.  The working title is iCanConnect.  The program will be administered by MCB through collaboration with the Perkins School for the Blind and the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf/Blind Youth and Adults.  MCB will provide a coordinator for the program to provide training and distribution of equipment to deaf/blind consumers.  The agency will be working with a variety of organizations and agencies to identify persons who will be eligible for the program.  Cindy Caldwell will be the coordinator for this program.

 

 

Staff Meeting

The Central and West Regions of the Consumer Services Division met together for a three day staff meeting in July.  At the meeting there was a variety of topics discussed, as well as speakers from Hadley School for the Blind, Statler Center for the Blind and the National Telecommuting Institute.  The Hadley School for the Blind speaker emphasized the importance of small businesses and provided tips regarding establishing small businesses, as well as micro businesses.  The Statler Center for the Blind’s representative provided information regarding their training programs.  The center provides blind and visually impaired individuals with hotel and motel training.  The center also has a customer service training program.  The National Telecommuting Institute provides job ready consumers opportunities to work from their homes as customer service representatives with various companies.  The meeting provided an opportunity for staff to have breakout sessions to dialogue on counselors and teachers best practices.

 

 

Outreach

Each year the staff participates in a number of community and local events that provides an opportunity for the agency to share with its community partners and employers the types of services that are provided.  During this quarter, the Escanaba staff attended the U.P. State Fair.  The staff shared a booth with the Hannahville Indian Community and the 121 project.  This provided an opportunity for the staff to share with attendee’s information about the services that the agency provides to individuals who are blind and visually impaired. 

 

Project Search was showcased in an open house to kick off the program in the Kalamazoo area.  MCB’s staff are working in cooperation with the ISD to determine appropriate consumers to participate in this program and are excited to have the opportunity. 

 

The 16th Annual Deaf/Blind Workshop was held during the week of August 2nd.  There were approximately 25 deaf/blind attendees.  MCB’s Deaf/Blind unit assisted at the camp.  This workshop provided another opportunity to inform attendees of the variety of services that can be of assistance to this group.

 

 

BRAILLE AND TALKING BOOK LIBRARY REPORT

 

Subregional Libraries

The Oakland County Library for the Visually and Physically Impaired officially closed August 31st. Rochester Hills Public Library will assume services on October 1st as the Oakland Talking Book Service @ RHPL. BTBL is serving Oakland County patrons while the move is in progress.

 

The former LBPH in Marquette reopened on September 5th as an Advisory and Outreach Center (AOC). An AOC is a new subregional library model that provides all the services of a subregional library except for the shipping of books to patrons. Upper Peninsula patrons are calling reader advisors in Marquette for assistance, while BTBL is shipping the requested items from Lansing. The AOC model created enough of a cost savings for the library that they were able to reopen after having closed in 2009. The AOC is now known as the Great Lakes Talking Book Library.

 

The Grand Traverse Area LBPH is also undergoing major changes. As of October 1st the library will continue to serve 8 of the former 16 counties with the remainder transferring service to BTBL. Additionally, Traverse City will function as an AOC which means that books will ship from Lansing. These changes came about through negotiation with BTBL while the Traverse Area District Library Board was entertaining a motion to completely close the subregional library. 

 

 

Circulation Statistics

BTBL circulated 22,905 items during the month of August. Digital books account for 91 percent, cassette books for 8 percent and Braille books for 1 percent. 

 

 

Braille and Audio Recording Download (BARD) 

February 2012 statistics show that 666 individuals and 55 institutions are using BARD to download books, which is a combined increase of 62 BARD accounts since March.  During the month of July, this group downloaded 3,150 books and magazine issues.

 

 

Magazines

Sometime in the next few months, magazine subscriptions will begin to ship on digital cartridges instead of on cassette. In the same manner as talking book circulation, patrons will need to return the magazines to get the next issue. Each cartridge will contain all of the magazines a patron is subscribed to on a monthly basis. If subscribed to weekly magazines, more frequent shipping will occur.

 

 

 

TRAINING CENTER REPORT

 

During the last 2 weeks of June the Center held its annual College Assessment Program.  Though consumers may come to the Training Center throughout the year for a college assessment, these 2 weeks are set aside each year as a time for the majority of MCB’s college bound students to come together at one time to complete the assessment and to begin to build a network with one another.  Not only can they complete their assessment during this time, but they can become acquainted with other young blind students who are preparing for college.  For many of these students, this is their first meeting with anyone else who is blind.    This year’s group of 23 students was energetic and everyone completed the assessment, with 8 students deciding to return or remain for additional training in the Center.  

 

The Vocational Exploration and Career Planning class continues to add new resources to the curriculum. These additions include two new Audio/Video products: 

 

The Disabilities at Work Video shows how to turn an interview into a self-selling opportunity that focuses on what a disabled candidate can do, no matter how obvious her or his disability. Offering detailed pointers on preparing for an interview, including ways to project confidence and a positive attitude, the program also suggests approaching an interview as a chance to dispel stereotypes and improve a prospective employer’s understanding of disabilities. 

 

The Eight Steps to a Successful Job Interview audio is a completely unique approach to interview preparation, offering the following points:

·        Making a positive first impression

·        Communicating your skills

·        Using control statements to your advantage

·        Answering problem questions

·        Asking key questions

·        Helping employers know why they should hire you

·        Closing the interview properly

·        Following up after the interview 

 

The VECP class encourages students to conduct informational interviews with professionals in the fields in which they are interested in pursuing and students continue to visit the Kalamazoo Public Library to learn about resources available for resume and cover letter writing, job search and starting a small business.

 

 

 

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES REPORT

 

The MCB Budget status for the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2012 is right on track.  As mentioned in previous reports, the operating budget plan developed projected spending 100% of the budget this year and for the next two years in order to absorb the carry forward amount.  At the completion of the 3rd quarter or 75% of the fiscal year, the budget is at 87% of projected spending. In dollar amounts, of the projected amount of $23,716,241 for the year, $20,743,070 has been spent to date.

 

Improving technology at MCB has been the focus for the second and third quarters of the year.  The goal was to upgrade computers in preparation for upgrading software, and improving the performance for staff who use accommodation software.  All new computers have been installed and JAWs users have received training in Office 2010.  Training for the remaining staff will be scheduled in fiscal year 2013.

 

During June, Libera provided System Administration training to all states that use System 7.  Several MCB staff had the opportunity to attend.  From that training, staff now have the ability to develop letters, reports, and queries in System 7 independent of Libera and also the ability to preview coming features such as signature pads and dashboard concepts.  

 

Collecting and reporting data in clear and concise terms for evaluation and decision making purposes continue to be the goal of the Administrative Services Section.  To that end, the financial coding structure is being reviewed in order to eliminate outdated codes, rename codes using current nomenclature, and create consistent categories for reporting purposes for all program areas.  In fiscal year 2013, the goal is to make financial reports easier to read for managers so that they are able to better monitor their budgets and project expenditures.

 

In addition to updating MCB’s financial coding structure, staff has also implemented the vouchering processing of payments in System 7 for all offices.  The Vouchering process is used to eliminate the duplication of effort when entering payments into both System 7 and MAIN.  Offices will only need to enter payments in System 7, and the vouchering process will send the payment to MAIN.  By implementing this process, it is hoped that payments will be expedited, and System 7 budgets will more closely match the budget in MAIN.

 

 

HR

 

MCB currently has 6 vacant positions waiting to be filled.  Several weeks ago, all hiring in LARA was frozen.  Shortly after that, it was announced that the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) was going to be laying off about 450 people. About half of those persons were limited term positions which means they did not have bumping rights. However, the rest were regular, full-time state employees and the elimination of these positions was going to have a ripple effect throughout the department.  It was then announced that MRS was going to lay off about 25 employees due to lack of funding. So, a total of about 250 LARA employees were getting laid off and many of these would have bumping rights which could easily impact about 800 employees total.

 

As a result of this lay off process, 4 employees at MCB have been impacted.  At the time of this report, those names have not been announced because all persons affected by this situation have until mid-September to decide if they will take the new position or choose something else such as unemployment or retirement. These changes will have a dramatic impact on MCB.  The people being affected are co-workers and friends. The emotions that go with all this are significant. There will also be new people at MCB now who will need to learn the agency procedures and processes.

 

The layoffs come at a time when there is also some upheaval caused by the changes occurring on October 1 from the Executive Order.  The selection process for a new director has begun and should be announced prior to the Commission meeting.  There are also issues with the name change, new letterhead, new brochures, new codes in the payment system, changes on the website, etc.

 

As for the other vacancies, two positions – a librarian and student assistant at the BTBL – have been approved for filling. The department will advise when steps can be taken to fill the others.

 

 

TRAINING

 

Steps are being taken to set up in-service training sessions for staff over the coming months.  Much of this is in association with the Region 5 TACE.  Topics include:

 

·        Supported employment

·        Social networking and ethics

·        Mental illness / TBI

·        Depression / dual-diagnosis

·        Job placement

 

What was known as the Michigan Rehabilitation Conference – now known as Re: Con – is set for November 7-9 at the Grand Traverse Resort. Staff will be attending and participating in this conference once again. 

 

Changes continue to be made to the new employee orientation. One specific item that will be added for all staff is an online training course from the Region 5 TACE to learn about the history of the vocational rehabilitation system. There is also another online program at that website on the basics of caseload management. All new staff and some current staff will be instructed to complete that self-paced course also.  Upon completing those two programs, the employee receives a certificate of completion.

 

Two employees of the MCB Training Center have been approved to visit the rehabilitation center in Louisiana in September to learn some new and creative techniques for teaching students. 

 

Two managers attended the quality assurance conference in Texas in early September sponsored by RSA in order to learn more about ways to evaluate effectiveness in the rehabilitation program.  RSA has been very strong when evaluating state agencies on quantitative results and its proven to be quite difficult to evaluate on a qualitative scale.

 

 

MCB SAFETY TEAM

 

The MCB Safety Team continues to work on a number of issues important to staff.  About 10 people attended a safe driving program presented by the Michigan State Police in early August.   Included in this training were tips on defensive driving, seat belt use, and winter driving.  Those attending were either counselors and teachers who are on the road much of the time or drivers of counselors and teachers.  Other issues being addressed by the Safety Team include hepatitis immunizations for field and center staff who may come into contact with blood during the course of their job duties, safety car kits for all state vehicles, and exploring the possibility of 4-wheel drive vehicles for those who work the more rural areas in northern Michigan.  Another item from the Safety Team is a video addressing the possibility of an “active shooter” in an office. This came to the team via the BTBL. It was developed by the City of Houston along with the Department of Homeland Security and it gives valuable tips on what to watch out for and how to react if such a situation presented itself in a workplace. This video will most likely be presented at regional staff meetings so that people can discuss it in a group setting.

 

 

CIC Update

 

The July 19 MCB Consumer Involvement Council (CIC) meeting in Lansing was chaired by MCB CIC Liaison Susan Turney at the requests of CIC Chairperson Phyllis Magbanua.  During the meeting, major topics of discussion included Executive Order 2012-10, the benefits of MCB consumers being referred to Veterans Administration programs for additional services, transportation issues in the Detroit area for people who are blind or visually impaired, the future BSBP Advisory Board and how to apply or recommend individuals for the board, the 2013 State Plan, and Newsline.  Joe Harcz made a motion that the CIC bylaws be amended to include a blind veteran, and Fred Wurtzel seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.  CIC members requested a copy of Governor Snyder’s appointment form for the BSBP Advisory Commission.  After the meeting, Susan Turney sent the form to all CIC members both in its original format as well as each CIC member’s individual preferred format.  

 

 

 

BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PROGRAM REPORT

 

 

Training

 

B E P Manager Training

The Program is moving forward with plans to conduct the next B E P Manager Training to commence on October 8, 2012.  As of this writing, 6 students are enrolled with the enrollment deadline fast approaching.  Students are scheduled to conclude the classroom portion of the training on December 21, 2012.   On the job training follows, commencing on or about January 7, 2013 and concludes on or about March 8, 2013.  

 

National Training

A search of the National Association of Blind Merchants web site finds an announcement of the 2013 BLAST Conference.  The training commences on Monday, May 20th, 2013 at 12 p.m. and continues through Thursday, May 23rd, 2013 at 1 p.m.  The event will be held at the Indianapolis downtown Marriott.  

 

Under the leadership of the director of the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons in the new fiscal year, Program staff will develop a proposal to provide this training opportunity to the Elected Committee and as many licensees as possible.

 

 

Facilities

 

Facility Remodeling

Each quarter, the Program has kept the Board abreast of the progress of various remodeling projects.  

 

The House of Representatives cafeteria update has been completed, and the health department approval required prior to resuming operations has been received.  Based on informal guidance from the Assistant Attorney General with whom M C B works, the Program put the facility back on the bid line using the process established in promulgated rule.  As of this writing, a qualified B E P licensee has not yet been identified.  The opportunity will remain on the bid line until a qualified B E P licensee is identified.   

 

B E P continues to wait for the approval of the County Board of Commissioners prior to commencing a remodel at the Ingham County Human Services snack bar in Lansing.  Upon securing County Board approval, the facility will go back on the bid line and the remodel will commence.

 

When the Program last reported to the Board, Department of Human Services (D H S) management had recently given the project a green light. Due to layoffs occurring in state government, and D T M  B’s efforts to fully occupy all state owned office buildings, D H S has withdrawn their approval for an expanded food service in the Grand Tower.  In lieu of the planned expansion, early in the new fiscal year and with the approval of the director of the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons, the Program will put forth a plan to remodel the existing facility with an eye toward a smoother customer flow to more efficiently facilitate service to a greater number of building occupants.  

 

Updates to the Program’s only coffee house, Café deVille in Detroit, has commenced.  The electrical has been updated, the walls have been painted, new carpet installed and the bulk of the new lighting fixtures have been installed.  The Program awaits Departmental approval for installation of the balance of the lighting fixtures.

 

Under the leadership of the director of the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons in the new fiscal year, Program staff plans to commence remodeling projects at the General Office Building and the State Library and Historical Center, as well as the Grand Tower.

 

 

Other Information for the Board

 

2012 Budget

·                    Status of the business, FY 2012 as of August 30, 2012:

o       Gross sales:  $8,644,145

o       Merchandise purchases:  $4,707,718

o       Payroll expenses:  $997,519

o       Other operating expenses:  $754,833

o       Vending machine and other income:  $115,039

o       Net proceeds:  $2,299,114

o       Levied set-aside funds:  $123,033

o       Set-aside funds collected:  $  236,334

o       Net profit to vendors (i.e., net income):  $2,062,780

o       Vendor earnings:  $2,062,780

o       Late set-aside fees by facility, follows: 

Facility 201, Iron Mountain-Kingsford Vending Route

          5/2012 Late Payment $1.00

Facility 83, State Library

          4/2012 No Report

Facility 103, Secretary of State

          4/2012 No Report

Facility 7, Calhoun County Toeller Building

          5/2012 Late Payment $45.00

Facility 37, Grand Rapids Veterans Home

          4/2012  Late Payment          $169.00

Facility 110, Transportation Café

          4/2012  Late Payment $231.00

          5/2012  Late Payment $242.00

          6/2012  Late Payment $ 95.00

Facility 32, General Office Building

          5/2012  Late Payment $242.00

Facility 75, McNamara 

          5/2012  Late Payment $1257.36

Facility 64, Kent County Human Services

          5/2012  No Report

          6/2012  No Report

 

 

EOC Active Participation

 

Since the Workshop, the Committee has had a special as well as a regular meeting and many Subcommittee meetings have been held.  The E O C Chair and Vice Chair and the Program Manager and Assistant Manager have come together to try to visit every operator before the 2013 Workshop.  By the September 21 Board Meeting, the E O C and B E P representatives will have met with 26 operators.  While the E O C and B E P staff meet jointly with the operator, care is also taken to ensure that the operator has the opportunity to speak privately with the E O C during these visits.