[NFBMI-Talk] Advocacy Opening: BSBP C. I. C. Parent Representative

[rob.parso3389 at gmail.com]

Greetings Federation Family,

 

I hope you are all well. I am writing to offer an opportunity to our members
who are parents. The Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP) is the
state agency for blindness rehabilitation in Michigan. The agency provides
services for blind people along different tracks that they are customers
for, including independent living, vocational rehabilitation, and
pre-employment transition. The Community Involvement Committee (CIC) is an
advisory body that supports BSBP customers, vendors, and partner
organizations in providing feedback to the agency on how its services are
affecting the blind community. The leaders of this committee include both
the NFB of Michigan (NFBMI) and the Michigan Council of the blind and
Visually Impaired (MCBVI). 

This year, as co-chair of the committee, I had the pleasure of working on
updating the bylaws of the CIC, which includes ensuring our organization's
place as a key stakeholder, ensuring that at least one parent from our
community is a voting member and cementing two students from our community
as voting members. The purpose of this initiative was to ensure that members
of the blind community that are students and parents have a voice in how
BSBP's services improve moving forward.

Parent representatives of the CIC serve two-year terms, with the expectation
that they are from the community at large. I need our Federation family to
help identify a parent in our community that is passionate about advocacy
and can represent the needs of blind parents and blind youth statewide on
this committee with us. Interested parties must:

*	Be either a blind parent or parent of a blind child. 
*	Be available for our quarterly meetings (every three months).
*	Have a passion for advocacy and improvements in the rehabilitation
agency.
*	Have some background in or knowledge of rehabilitation programs for
the blind in Michigan. 
*	Be objective in decision-making, especially when supporting services
BSBP outlines during our meetings. 

 

Interested applicants do not have to be a current customer of BSBP to be
eligible to serve with us on the CIC. If you are interested in
participating, you will be subject to an interview with myself and the
president of MCBVI, Casey Dutmer. To inform us of your interest, please
email President at nfbmi.org <mailto:President at nfbmi.org> . by September 1,
2025. I look forward to any support we can receive on this project in
elevating the voices of parents  in our state agency.

 

Respectfully, 

 

 

 

 

Robert Parsons, Jr., M. A., CRC, CVRT, LLPC

President, National Federation of the Blind of Michigan

(269) 216- 8640

www.nfbmi.org <http://www.nfbmi.org> 

"Without struggle, there is no progress." - Frederick Douglas