[nfbmi-talk] Clarification Of Regulations About To Come To Indiana: Who gets Vocational Rehabilitation services first?

Kane Brolin kbrolin65 at gmail.com
Fri Mar 31 14:24:46 UTC 2017


Thanks to all for your responses to the inquiry of concern that I
voiced yesterday.  I really am glad I put it out there so that others
with more knowledge than I do, could give us a better sense of what
these regulations mean to us who are blind and visually impaired.

I am quoting below from a response given by Carol Panko, director of
State Services for the Blind in Minnesota.  When she makes reference
to the acronym OOS, this stands for "Order Of Service," which is the
concept Vocational Rehab apparently is about to use in Indiana for
figuring out what classes of disabled persons will receive service
first.

It appears things are better for us in the blind community under Order
Of Service than I had suspected, since legally blind people are at the
top of the pecking order--according to federal law or regulation.  But
I still think lots of us should attend the various hearings on April
24 to ensure that VR administrators and personnel understand (a) that
we are aware of our rights under this new system and that (b) some of
us have not been prioritized or served adequately in the past, given
the staggering rate of unemployment and underemployment that persists
among those who are blind.

Here is most of what Ms. Panko had to say:

"  ...  Order of Selection [OOS] is not based on what the disability
is but rather what limitations that disability causes.  In fact,
people who are blind and DeafBlind often have the most significant of
disabilities and the first to be served.  Blindness and Deafness are
on the list of significant disabilities in the Code of Federal
Regulations and at a minimum are usually Category 2 or 1 in a general
agency that serves all disabilities.


"If you would like to talk with someone from [Minnesota] SSB to get a
better understanding of OOS, feel free to call Natasha Jerde at
651-539-2344."

I have some other support materials that have been sent along that
break down details about this concept of Order Of Service and how
state agencies are to interpret it.  Reach out to me if you would like
to see more.

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Kane Brolin




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