[nfbmi-talk] Denial of Services from MRS

Fri Oct 25 21:12:08 UTC 2013

I knew that wasprecisely what you were saying all along, wink?

Now I did have a mixed experience with a "blended agency" in New Hampshire 
and while nothing to rwrite home about it sure was a whole lot better than 
BSBP is now.

Actually that is mostly because it works for LARA and not the other way 
around, and of course goes to your fundamental point that the hierarchy 
doesn't give a rip about rehabilition of the blind and in fact despises us.

Now there are still some good folks left, but they are getting scarce 
nowadays.

(I'm talking about frontline BSBP staff...)

Anyway my brothers and sisters with other disabilities who deal with MRS 
will tell you that is no "cake walk" either, and though there are some good 
staff their they are few and far between. Oh in addition MRS is even more 
beholding to the CRPs and indeed those new Horizons, Goodwill's, Peckham's 
etc. are feeding grounds from MRS VR funds.

Shoot they'll put a person in to an extended work evaluation in one of their 
sweat shops for an indefinate period of time and then call it a closure to 
boot.

Their the tail wags the dog just like it does under McNeal and Jones in the 
Southeast region.

Anyway it is sad, sad, and actually pathetic to see what has become of both 
VR programs here in Michigan. In fact it brings me to tears 
sometimes...Don't tell anyone this...Grin...

But mostly it enrages me in my cry for rrightious justice for all of the 
people let down by both agencies which are so corrupted, exploitative and 
ludicrous to the core that quite frankly RSA should de-fund them altogether 
here in Michigan as a ccondition of compliance and to send a message to 
other scofflaw states.

As a citizen I hate the misappropriations of funds. As an advocate for 
people who are blind and otherwise disabled I detest the fact that federal 
funds earmarked for these programs are squanderred and wasted to feed a 
corrupted apparatchek with only a few crumbs going to the rehabilitation of 
the very people these programs were designed to serve.

Many of us are left to scrap for the crumbs these paternalistic masters of 
disaster drop, mostly by accident....But like old Ben Franklin said to the 
early patriots, "We must all hang together, or surely we'll hang 
separately."

Peace with Justice and Nothing About (All)( of Us without Us!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christine Boone" <christineboone2 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2013 4:40 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Denial of Services from MRS

>I cannot disagree with anything that you say here Joe.  I will defind 
>Marcus' right to be served by BS for BP.  I only wanted to suggest that he 
>could appeal the MRS decision as this could result in faster 
>action...though to be sure, MRS is no champion of persons with 
>disabilities.  I had the pleasure of working with the Office of Vocational 
>Rehabilitation in Pennsylvania and, well you will probably find this 
>shocking, but they actually worked for their customers...why they even 
>liked their customers and respected them.  Of course nothing is perfect, 
>but the whole atmosphere was so different than it is here.  But I digress.
>
> So I agree with you that Marcus deserves to be served by BS for BP, and I 
> support him in any effort he makes to get the services to which he is 
> entitled.
>
> On Oct 25, 2013, at 4:30 PM, "joe harcz Comcast" <joeharcz at comcast.net> 
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Chris and All,
>>
>> Now normally I would agree with you on this, but the more I consider it I 
>> think we in the Federation should do all we can to not only support 
>> Marcus but all Deaf-Blind Michiganders in securing rightfully programs 
>> from BSBP. That is because they are the lead agency and recipient of 
>> funds especially for these programs which MRS is not.
>>
>> Marcus has done great work in trying to get to the bottom line of making 
>> the "I Can Connect" program work here. Of course Rodgers did his usual 
>> dog and pony show song and dance on the issue at our convention.
>>
>> And Rodgers blamed everyone from Perkins to the FCC without 
>> substantiation.
>>
>> Bottom line is that there are federal bucks for this program nationally, 
>> but I don't know of even one deaf-blind person here who has even had an 
>> assessment.
>>
>> And of course we don't even get simple answers to simple questions about 
>> money here and where it goes let alone substantiation of Rodgers shoot 
>> from the lip assertions. Now some would call Rodgers' public comments 
>> outright lies....Oh I guess that would be me who says that...
>>
>> Anyway just as in supporting the general VR program and the BEP program, 
>> etc. I think that NFB MI should support openess, transparency and 
>> accountability from BSBP on behalf of our deaf-blind brothers and 
>> sisters.
>>
>> Again I hear your point, Christine on the MRS issue but think we should 
>> make a stand.
>>
>> Besides MRS is in order of selection.
>>
>> Joe
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Christine Boone" 
>> <christineboone2 at gmail.com>
>> To: "Marcus Simmons" <president at map-n.org>; "NFB of Michigan Internet 
>> Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: "Joe Naulty" <jnaulty at cfl.rr.com>
>> Sent: Friday, October 25, 2013 3:42 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Denial of Services from MRS
>>
>>
>>> Marcus,
>>> Well in Michigan it is supposed to work like this:
>>> Anyone who is legally blind (visual acuity of 20/200 or worse) is 
>>> supposed to receive all services from the BS for BP, including services 
>>> for disabilities other than blindness.  Anyone who is visually impaired 
>>> (visual acuity between 20/70 and 20/199) is supposed to get all of their 
>>> services through MRS, including vision related services.
>>>
>>> That is why she told uyou this.
>>>
>>> Marcus, I think that you could appeal, based upon the agency's pattern 
>>> or practice of failing to provide services to people in the past, 
>>> yourself included among those people.
>>>
>>> On Oct 24, 2013, at 5:15 PM, Marcus Simmons <president at map-n.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello Family,
>>>>
>>>> I just left the local MRS office. I went there to obtain hearing aids 
>>>> so I can function on my new job as an online automotive instructor. 
>>>> When they noticed I had a cane she said, "I see you have a walking 
>>>> cane, are you visually impaired?" I said, "Yes". She said, "We can't 
>>>> help you". She suggested I go to the DSBP Detroit office. She called it 
>>>> MCB.
>>>>
>>>> I don't think she is right. Is this a case of discrimination?
>>>>
>>>> Changing what it means to be blind,
>>>> Marcus Simmons, President,
>>>> Wayne County chapter NFBMI
>>>> 28179 Brentwood
>>>> Southfield, MI 48076-3069
>>>> president at map-n.org
>>>> (248) 552-8928
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> 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 
>>>> nfbmi-talk:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/christineboone2%40gmail.com
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> 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 
>>> nfbmi-talk:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/joeharcz%40comcast.net
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> 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 
>> nfbmi-talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/christineboone2%40gmail.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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 
> nfbmi-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/joeharcz%40comcast.net 