[nfbmi-talk] The Media and the Truth About Employment and Barriers for Blind Persons.

[Terry D. Eagle]

The following is a portion of communication with the LSJ journalist
resulting from the Roxanna Mann article published Sunday.  

 

Dear Ms. Greco,

 

Thank you for your response.

 

I am sure you were told exactly that which Mr. Pemble and Ms. Mann want you
and thye blind vendors and the public to hear and believe, as I pointed out
in my prior communication, the BS4BP has had a "temporary" operator in those
locations for over a year, and if the BS4BP was truly committed to their
prior and present statement about putting a blind person(s) to work in those
locations, they would have done it by now, rather than simply rearranging
the deck chairs to give the media and others a different picture, when in
fact it is the same old picture with a new costume on the corrupt, illegal
acting characters in the criminal enterprise.  The fact remains the same
that which is being engaged in is illegal and corrupt fraud and misuse of
federal rehabilitation funds intended for employment of unemployed and
under-employed blind persons, and equally unethical and unfair to Ms. Mann's
fellow blind licensed vendors and blind persons willing, able, available,
and qualified desiring employment, were it not for the corrupt criminal
enterprise in which the BS4BP is engaged.   

 

Now, Ms. Greco, if you really want to celebrate the vast abilities of blind
persons, I encourage and challenge you and your media colleagues to do a
series of articles, or at least one article, that reports the many barriers
to employment by blind persons, that are systematic and beyond the control
of blind persons desiring to work or operate their own small business.  Are
you aware that the rate of unemployment and under-employment of employment
age adults is at least 70%, and not by choice?  Were it not for system
barriers, many well educated bright blind persons could and would compete
for employment in the private and public sector.

 

Recently Lt. Governor Calley and Supreme Court Justice Bernstein, who is
blind, went on a media tour to promote to private employers the virtues of
employing persons with disabilities, and promoting Governor Snyder's
Executive Directive 2014-1, on state agency employment of persons with
disabilities, yet, Lt. Governor Calley and Justice Bernstein don't have a
clue about the barriers within state government that prevent blind persons
from even applying for available positions, because the state's job
opportunities website cannot be used by qualified and  interested blind
persons, as the website is inaccessible to screen reader technology users
who are blind.  And that is step one in securing employment with the state!
The Snyder administration hasn't a clue about barriers to employment by
blind persons and other persons with disabilities, simply because the
administration has not reached out to persons in the disability communities
to discover the barriers and simple solutions to remove barriers, and the
governor has eliminated consumer input and policy forums, believing
bureaucrats have the answers to assist persons with disabilities in several
life arenas.

 

It is my personal mission and purpose to educate about the employment
varriers and solutions for removal, to advance the best employment interests
of blind persons, however that mission and purpose is made more difficult
when blind persons are excluded from a seat at the policy and procedure
table, and state agencies, like the BS4BP are not doing their duty under
law, and using the media to disseminate the truth about any given matter,
like the Anderson and Capitol food facilities, and the media tour by Calley
and Bernstein.

 

The media has an affirmative duty to report the truth when presented to it.
You need not take my word, but you could and should check and verify, and
report the truth, rather than that which you are told by one source for an
article.

 

Best regards,

Terry Eagle     

 

  _____  

From: Greco, Rachel [mailto:rgreco at lsj.com] 
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2015 1:54 PM
To: 'terrydeagle at yahoo.com'
Subject: RE: Your Article - Roxanna Mann

 

Hi Terry -

 

Thank you for your email. I was told that Roxanna Mann will be temporarily
overseeing the additional locations until a new visually-impaired program
participant is chosen. 

 

I do appreciate the information. Thank you.