[nfbmi-talk] Fw: no response to basic inquiries funny numbers

[joe harcz Comcast]

Still no response!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: joe harcz Comcast 
To: Ed Rodgers BSBP Dir. 
Cc: Mike Pemble BSBP Dep. Dir. ; Pemble, Mike (LARA) ; Sue Luzenski BSBP Adm. Ass. ; Christyne.Cavataio at ed.gov ; nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org ; commissioner-hudson at outlook.com ; Gary Gaynor ; Marianne Dunn ; Joe Sibley MCBVI Pres. ; bsbpcommissioners at michigan.gov ; BRIAN SABOURIN ; Sarah Gravetti ; Michael Poyma VA MCRS 
Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2014 8:16 AM
Subject: no response to basic inquiries funny numbers


    July 10 2014
 
No responseRe:  to funny numbers.
 
Dear Mr. Rodgers,
 
I’ve yet to see an explanation or even a peep from you regarding the following letters amongst many others and related to your agencies affirmative obligations to hire blind and otherwise disabled employees.
 
I remind you that BSBP is supposed to be primarily a Vocational Rehabilitation agency promoting the employment and employability of Michigander’s who are blind. 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.
 
 
 
 
June 10 2014 to Rodgers on Funny Numbers from Draft State Plan
 
Dear Mr. Rodgers,
 
You’ve related that BSBP has 20 percent of its employees being blind over and over again. Yet I point out the following section from the quite late BSBP draft state plan:
 
 
 
“Plan for Recruitment, Preparation and Retention of Qualified Personnel
Describe the development (updated on an annual basis) and implementation of a plan to address the current and projected needs for qualified personnel including, the Coordination and facilitation of efforts between the designated state unit and institutions of higher education and professional associations to recruit, prepare, and retain personnel who are qualified, including personnel from minority backgrounds and personnel who are individuals with disabilities.

As noted, a relatively high percentage of BSBP employees are eligible to retire and many more will be eligible within the next 3-5 years. This makes it very important for the agency to do whatever it can to obtain and retain qualified rehabilitation professionals. Fortunately, the majority of counselors statewide are younger and retirement is not being considered. 

 

With the three graduate programs, the agency has been fortunate to have numerous applicants for many of the vacancies within BSBP. All counselors and teachers at BSBP have a master’s degree and are very qualified to provide services. The plan is to continue to hire only those who are CRC eligible which means they have a degree in rehabilitation counseling or counseling and guidance. So far, the agency has not had to hire people with other degrees such as social work, special education, psychology, etc.  In the event it became necessary to hire someone with a degree other than counseling, we are prepared to have that new person obtain graduate coursework, as needed.

 

In FY13, the agency had a headcount of 110 employees. (This does not include the contractual employees.) Of those, 16 (15%) of the persons were blind or had a significant visual impairment. Also, 21 employees (19%) were from a minority group.  BSBP is committed to hiring persons with disabilities and/or persons from minority groups. BSBP in its recruitment efforts contacts the three universities in the State that have graduate programs in rehabilitation as well as Region 5 TACE  to notify them of job opportunities within the agency.  BSBP continues to prepare and retain staff by offering opportunities for professional development pursuant to Section 101(a) (7)(A)(iv)(II) of the Act and CFR 361.18(b).

“

 

Now this goes to making false statements to the public and to RSA and goes to your chronic and persistent violations of Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

 

What numbers are we to believe here Mr. Rodgers?

 

Moreover, you’ve not accounted for the affirmative hiring of blind or otherwise disabled individuals in the “student assistant” hiring and I assume you use VR funds to hire these non-blind, non-disabled student assistants.

 

Cc: MCRS

Cc: RSA

Cc: BSBP Commissioners

Cc: NFB MI

Cc: Mpas

 

 

Also this one:

June 10 2015 to Rodgers Blind Employees Dropping

 

PaulJoseph Harcz, Jr.

1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.

Mt. Morris, MI 48458

joeharcz at comcast.net            

810-516-5262

 

To: Edward Rodgers, Director

Bureau Services for Blind Persons

Michigan Via E-mail

 

Dear Mr. Rodgers,

 

Again going to Section 503 obligations of a VR entity for the Blind I point your attention to the following segment from last year’s BSBP State Plan supplement:

 

 

 

 

“In FY12, the agency had a headcount of 107 employees. (This does not include the contractual employees.) Of those, 20 (19%) of the persons were blind or had a significant visual impairment. Also, 22 employees (21%) were from a minority group. During the hiring process, BSBP seeks to recruit and hire persons with disabilities and/or persons from minority groups. BSBP continues to prepare and retain staff by offering opportunities for professional development pursuant to Section 101(a)(7)(A)(iv)(II) of the Act and CFR 361.18(b).”

 

Now you’ve seen a four percent drop in blind employees in your agency since you’ve assume  the directorship of BSBP. These figures don’t by the way even count the non-blind employees (five of them) hired through a contract with SVRS either. And again it doesn’t count all of those highly paid so-called student assistants who are not blind or disabled or even in a rehab counseling or related program. (Many of which have  been illegally staffing locations earmarked for blind business enterprise programs. Moreover, these same student assistants, again non-disabled have been making a minimum of $13 per hour while the former blind operators often didn’t make minimum wages!

 

Nor, does it count the non-blind Level 12 folks in the BAD-P program either.

 

 

Anyway I would remind you that you nominally run a Vocational Rehabilitation agency whose primary purpose is to assist in the gainful employment of people who are blind and yet you don’t even do that within your agency.

 

This sir is simply pathetic and inexcusable upon its face.

 

Sincerely,

 

Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

Cc: S. Luzenski, BSBP

Cc: Mike Pemble, BSBP

Cc: MCRS

Cc: BS, CAP, MCRS ET

Cc: MP, MCRS

Cc: SG, MCRS and SILC

Cc: RSA

Cc: NFB MI

Cc: several StateLegislators

Cc: BSBP Commission

Cc: several media