[NFBNJ] January 2017 Commission Edition

Wed Jan 25 02:17:58 UTC 2017

Greetings to all!
I have provided my thoughts to Daniel Frye, Executive Director of the New Jersey Commission For The Blind And Visually Impaired, highlighting the January issue of the Commission Edition.
Dan!
My comments follow.

Thanks again for an outstanding issue of the Commission Edition.
Each month I look forward to read the fine work being administered  by you 
and the dedicated staff of our state agency.
I forward your Commission Edition to all members on the National Federation 
of the Blind of New Jersey's distribution list.
As I have stated previously, Let's work together to make a difference to 
raise the expectations of blind people to live the life we want and to 
transform our dreams into reality.
Looking forward to another outstanding year.

We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference
Joe Ruffalo, President 
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey 
973 743 0075
nfbnj1 at verizon.net
www.nfbnj.org
Your old car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.
Donate your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking 
www.carshelpingtheblind.org 
or call 855 659 9314

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Commission Edition

The Monthly Newsletter of the NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired

January 2017 – Volume 5, No. 1

Daniel B. Frye, J.D.                                                                                                                                             Pamela Gaston

Executive Director                                                                                                                                               Editor

>From the Director’s Desk 
My single work-related resolution for 2017 is to preside over the continued successful operation of the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI or Commission), concentrating primarily on adhering to our agency’s core mission of providing high-quality education, training, and employment to our consumers; adjusting to the evolving Federal environment in which Vocational Rehabilitation agencies must operate as a result of the new requirements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014; refreshing our division’s regulations and internal policies so that they are current and provide transparency and clarity about our processes and practices to our staff, consumers, and members of the general public; and facilitating the development of new, imaginative, and innovative programs in all areas of our multiple program disciplines that set a national standard of excellence for service provided to blind, vision-impaired, and deaf-blind consumers in New Jersey. The terms of this humble resolution are all that I want to see accomplished this year.

Toward this end, January sees us well on our way to achieving many of these goals. After considerable work among our staff, and with our valued stakeholders, CBVI will publish two administrative code chapters (N.J.A.C. 10:92 and N.J.A.C. 10:97) governing our Blindness Education and Business Enterprises New Jersey (BENJ) programs respectively in the New Jersey Register on Tuesday, January 17,  2017. Both of these proposed rules outline significant reforms in our Blindness Education and BENJ programs that will enhance services for constituents of these services. The Commission looks forward to receiving public comments that may be considered in refining the re-adoption of these new rules, but we are optimistic that our inclusive practices used to fashion these rules reflect a progressive set of policy values that will benefit our consumers for years to come. While final work remains to be undertaken before these rules are fully adopted, I think that those involved in helping to develop these two administrative chapters deserve our collective congratulations. The publication of these chapters represents months of interactive deliberation and hard work; and the publication of these two rules during the first month of 2017 provides the Commission with a true sense of forward-moving momentum.

Closely connected, CBVI’s senior leadership is spending some of this first month of the year reviewing and updating our agency circulars, the documents that outline division-specific policies on a variety of issues. We expect to consider revised first drafts of all of our circulars on Friday, February 3, 2017. Look forward, within the next several months, to an announcement that introduces revised and updated internal policies. These will be shared widely on our agency’s intranet and through other avenues of internal communications. I am optimistic that re-issuing these will go a long way to providing needed clarity and uniformity for our statewide staff.

Similarly, members of the agency’s Executive Leadership will be meeting with representatives of Libera and Alliance from January 25-27 to begin the preliminary conversation about our migration from System Seven to Aware, a new case management system that we hope to implement within the next twelve to fifteen months. Libera, the owners of System Seven (known to us as FACTS), have announced that they will be exiting the vocational rehabilitation space, as it relates to providing a case management solution, so it is critical that the Commission move deliberately but as soon as possible to the other case management system that we know to be effective for handling the diverse program services that the Commission administers. This beginning groundwork promises to set the stage for a smooth and efficient transition for the case management system that will serve CBVI’s staff and consumers into the future.

In addition to these three systemic efforts, I have been working closely with Commission leaders on a variety of matters, including the move of our Hammonton Service Center to offices in Atlantic City, preparing for our 2017 summer season of transition programs, gathering on Thursday, January 19 with our friends from the Institute on Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts, Boston to work on the further development of our Business Relations Unit, and devoting strategic energy in working with CBVI’s Human Resources staff to fill critical mid-level supervisory roles in our Independent Living and Blindness Education units. We are also currently recruiting qualified Orientation and Mobility instructors to help strengthen our already talented cadre of travel teachers. In general, staff can always help the Commission maintain a high caliber of professional and paraprofessional staff by referring potential candidates that you may know who possess appropriate credentials, to our Human Resources office. While we may not be looking for a given position at any particular time, building a bank of qualified and interested people who want to join our community of qualified team members is vitally important so that we can quickly have candidates on hand to fill any vacancies, expected or otherwise.

As I conclude my January 2017 column, allow me to circle back to my humble resolution offered at the beginning of this piece, and urge all of you to remember that the delivery of high-quality, consumer-focused services is and must always be the hallmark of CBVI’s performance objective. Remember, in engaging with our consumers, to say “yes” when you are able and “no” only when you must. This spirit of supportive consumer service delivery should infuse all that we do at the Commission; such a spirit will ultimately be the professional force that creates hope and opportunity, the two intangible ingredients in the success of any Vocational Rehabilitation agency. Thank you for all that you do.

Daniel B. Frye

Executive Director

Learning Lunch Reminder: 

As previously noted, these monthly sessions will see me meeting with five CBVI staff and a member of our Executive Management Team to receive feedback or suggestions on what the Commission might do that is new and exciting.  Please indicate your interest in being part of such an up and coming forum by sending an email with the subject line “Learning Lunch” to my assistant, Melissa Brown, at Melissa.Brown2 at dhs.state.nj.us 

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Program Administration – John C. Walsh, Chief
Reading List for 2017:

Customized Approaches, Decision Making Processes, and Creating a Learning Organization

I am using this month’s Commission Edition article to share my reading list of non-fiction books for this year.  I hope that some of the topical areas may be of interest to you as well and may also enrich your desire for life-long learning.   You will notice a common theme in my choices for this year that focus on the processes in decision making, applying customized approaches to how we deal with our challenges and opportunities, and developing an organizational culture that is conducive to continuous learning and improvement.   

“Designing Your Life:  How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life” by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

I find myself in greater alignment with searching for new beginnings at the start of a new calendar year.  The cycle of the end of one year and the birth of a new year puts me in a reflective mood and I have a greater openness for exploring new ways to interact with the world.  On New Year’s Day I came across an interesting article in the New York Times by Kevin Granville, entitled “The Best Time to Retune Your Career?  It’s Probably Right Now”.  The author highlighted several topical areas around careers including “Finding a New Job” and “Finding Happiness at Work”.   Several new books were recommended on these topics, including the book I noted above by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.   I have just begun reading this first book on my list.  

The authors are both professors in the Design Program at Stanford University and have a background in engineering and product design.  The duo created a very popular undergraduate course at Stanford by the same title and the concepts and practices are now available in book form.   The authors use general principles of design, and an experiential process of discovery to explore the potential paths to take in building our own unique life.   There is no one right way, and the journey may be quite circuitous.    From a cursory reading of the review and the beginning text, I believe there are interesting concepts which can be applied to our work in helping consumers discover their own paths.  Their process encourages curiosity, taking risks, being willing to fail multiple times, continuing to explore new ways to solve life’s problems and to seize opportunities to promote human flourishing.  The authors have also set up a web page that offers many of their work sheets, as the process is very action driven.  We learn by doing and engaging.   

Their web site is designingyour.life (the web page listed is not a typo, it is “designingyour” “dot” “life”) 

“The Fifth Discipline:  The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization” by Peter M. Seng

Although I read the first edition of this book from 1990, which has become a must read in the field of Organizational Development, the author released a revised version of his treatise in 2006, which adds a new section entitled “Reflections from Practice”.  This updated version shares information on how the concepts from his original book are being implemented in organizations throughout the world to create learning organizations.  The author defines a learning organization as, “Organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually seeking how to learn together.”  A key component of the book centers on team learning.  The author asserts that teams, and not individuals, are the fundamental learning unit in modern organizations.   As our organization continues to develop strategic teams to deal with world that is continually increasing in complexities and uncertainties, I am hopeful that Peter Senge’s applied wisdom may assist me in fostering these transformational concepts at our organization.

“The Undoing Project: A Friendship that Changed our Minds” by Michael Lewis

The author who wrote “Moneyball” and “The Big Short” explores in his latest book the relationship between two Israeli psychologists, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, who performed seminal research on how humans form judgments and make decisions.   In particular, Lewis was interested in exploring how experts in any field can misjudge situations, warped by the experts own mind.  This book was on my Christmas wish list as a present and I am happy to report that my youngest daughter, an English major, had it under the tree for me on Christmas morning!  

A large part of our work at CBVI is to assist our consumers with making major life decisions about their education and career.   I am interested in learning more about what research tells us about the decision making process, so I have a better understanding of how I make decisions and this  may also be of assistance to those around me. 

“Workforce of One:  Revolutionizing Talent Management Through Customization”

by Susan M. Cantrell and David Smith

Abbey Cooper, the trainer from Marc Gold and Associates, mentioned in one of the training sessions on Customized Employment, that the book by Cantrell and Smith formed the basis of many of the concepts and techniques utilized in the Customized Employment approach.   I am eager to delve deeper into these concepts as I believe that customized approaches offer promise of enhancing our ability to better serve the full diversity of our consumers who are seeking meaningful employment.

I hope that you also find these books of interest as well, and I wish you a healthy, productive, and learning-filled 2017!

Organizational Logistics – Ines Matos, Chief 
Email Encryption

Every DHS employee is responsible for guarding against the unauthorized use or disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI). Please adhere to the following requirements issued by the Department of Human Service’s Office of Legal Affairs:

“Whenever an employee sends an email containing Protected Health Information (PHI) to a destination outside of the DHS Network, the email must be encrypted. All emails needing encryption should be marked “confidential” through your Microsoft Outlook email application.  To do this, select the Options tab and select more options.  A properties box will be displayed.  Select confidential from the sensitivity drop down box.  Additionally, you can encrypt message contents and attachments by checking off that box under security settings in the properties box.”

Please contact the CBVI help desk (973-648-4971), if you have any questions.

Fiscal Services – Edward Szajdecki, Chief 
As the New Year gets underway, the Fiscal Team would like to advise you all of the following:

·         Fiscal has begun the semi-annual process of certifying all employee cost centers for cost allocation purposes. The process will be led by Jim Kopcho and will cover the periods ending December 31st and June 30th every year as we go forward. This effort is necessary to ensure that all employees’ salaries are assigned to the proper unit in accordance with the Commission’s Cost Allocation Plan.  The plan maximizes the use of VR grant funds through the proper certification of all staff that are in any way involved with VR related functions.  Although the majority of the process will be handled by the Coordinators, Managers and Supervisors, individual employees may be contacted by Fiscal staff who will ask for their work location, supervisor and brief job description. If this occurs, please do not be alarmed. The respective Fiscal staff member should identify themselves and notify you that the contact is part of the cost allocation verification process. 

·         Effective immediately, all staff who create authorizations that involve requests for “Rapid Payment” or “Client Assistance” funds must attach all supporting documentation to both the consumer ECF and the authorization (or CA request form). The client ECF is a protected and secure HIPAA file with limited staff access. Not all Fiscal staff members have access to the client ECF. If the documentation is not attached to the authorization, it may not be available to the Fiscal staff processing the authorization. This will delay the processing time and possibly impact CBVI’s ability to address the consumer’s needs on a timely basis. 

·         Also effective immediately, we request that all staff use the CBVI-Fiscal at dhs.state.nj.us  group email address, instead of directing general inquiries and requests to individual Fiscal team members. This again is another modification being implemented with the goal of enhancing our ability to expediently and effectively respond and provide necessary support to all staff. Of course, if you have already been working on a matter with a specific member of the Fiscal team, it is okay to continue that email exchange directly. 

As always, feel free to contact me or any member of the Fiscal team with your related questions or concerns and thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

Vocational Rehabilitation and Transition Services – Amanda Gerson, Coordinator  
Career Exploration Center Pilot in the Newark Service Center – Submitted by Amanda Gerson; Fanny Mendoza, VR Counselor, NSC; and Yesenia Carrasquillo, O&M Specialist, NSC: The Development of Quality Career and Employment Program Strategic Planning Initiative team, led by Fanny Mendoza, has been instrumental in developing a Career Exploration Center pilot program in the Newark Service Center. This center is located on the 5th floor at 153 Halsey Street, Newark, and has four accessible computers and a small conference table to enable the implementation of various vocational skills related activities for our consumers. The computer stations will allow consumers, by appointment or during pre-determined walk-in hours, to utilize a computer for job exploration, resume development, use of the Talent Acquisition Portal, and job applications. The meeting space will enable Business Relations Specialists (BRS) and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRC) the opportunity to host regular small-group vocational workshops to assist consumers in reaching their vocational goals. 

The team worked diligently to evaluate and create an in-depth seminar to target critical employment and interviewing skills.  They are in the final stages of piloting the first Interview skills training seminar which will be launched soon. Dates will be determined shortly for future consumer training seminars being piloted in the Newark Service Center.  

Final policies and procedures are being created collaboratively by the staff involved and additional groups and workshops will be developed by our BRS and VRC staff, as the pilot is implemented. The plan is to replicate the model in each of the regional service centers. 

For further information or to reserve the Career Exploration Center, please contact Amanda Gerson: 973-648-3660 / Amanda.Gerson at dhs.state.nj.us. 

Educational Services – Eva Scott, Director of Blindness Education
“Be kind whenever possible.  It is always possible.” -  Dalai Lama

It is hard to imagine, but the middle part of the 2016-2017 academic year will be with us in a few weeks.  Our teachers are currently preparing their Mid-Year Progress Summaries that will be sent to parents by the end of January.  They are also beginning to gather books and materials for hard copy Braille or large print.  

Blindness Education Staff Changes:  Farewell, Michael and Welcome, Patrick: On December 23, 2016, our Education Supervisor in the Freehold Service Center, Dr. Michael Colucci announced his resignation after 14 years with CBVI.  I will miss his wisdom, leadership, and good humor, and wish him much happiness, leisure, and safe travels as he embarks upon his retirement.  As Michael departs, I would like to give a warm welcome to new teacher, Patrick Robinson, who works from the Newark Service Center.  Pat completed his Master’s Degree in Teacher of the Vision Impaired at the University of Massachusetts and has worked at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA and at the ECLC (Education, Careers, & Lifelong Community) of New Jersey.  He has experience in working with blind students who have additional disabilities and recently became a certified Unified English Braille transcriber.

SHARP 2017: Planning is underway for SHARP 2017 which will occur again in two sessions this summer.  Session One will be held from July 11th through 27th, and Session Two will be held from August 1st through 17th.  Invitations to participate will be sent to the parents of CBVI students in grades 1 through 8 in early February.  This year, there will be an emphasis on providing students with fun and fulfilling opportunities to demonstrate their literacy skills, especially Braille literacy skills as well as skills of independence that  were learned during the regular school year.  During the past two summers, SHARP students benefitted not only from the program’s focus on practicing blindness skills but also the opportunity to make friends with other students from across their region of the state.  We are looking forward to continuing this worthwhile program and build upon the successes of the past two summers.  

Student Assessment: In an effort to make sure that our Blindness Education Unit is serving our students in the best ways possible, I am forming a committee of teachers and education supervisors to review our current assessment practices, especially as they relate to functional vision assessments and learning media assessments.  There is a consensus that this is an area which we would like to strengthen. With the current wonderful balance of seasoned teachers and novice teachers, there is a rich base of knowledge upon which to draw for this task.

George F. Meyer Instructional Resource Center - College Board Simplifies Request Process for College Board Assessments and Receiving Accommodations – Submitted by Christine Hinton:  Beginning January 1, 2017 students needing test accommodation(s) and who have current Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 Plan will have the same needed accommodations listed in their plans provided to them when taking the SAT, PSAT, Subject Tests and AP Exams.  This streamlined process approved by the College Board in August 2016 allows schools to directly approve a student’s needed accommodations for College Board testing. 

High school based testing coordinators are only required to answer two questions when submitting requests for students to receive testing accommodations:

·         “Is the requested accommodation in the student’s plan?” 

·         “Has the student used the accommodation(s) in school testing?

If the student answers yes to both of these questions, eligible students can be approved to receive most accommodations on College Board Exams.  Along with the process for approval to receive accommodations the following test formats are now available to students with disabilities. 

Beginning with the October PSAT and March SAT, two new test formats will be available for students with disabilities to allow students with disabilities to access these tests:

·         MP3 audio test format: Audio version of test, delivered on a flash drive. 

·         Assistive technology-compatible test format: Digital test form, delivered on a flash drive, for use with screen readers and other assistive technology. 

Students should contact their local school guidance counselor or refer to the College Board website at www.collegeboard.org  for more information.

Independent Living & Clinical Services – Elizabeth DeShields, Coordinator
Independent Living Older Blind (ILOB) Consumer Satisfaction Survey

At the close of each year, the Rehabilitation Services Administration requires that 7OB report be submitted with data and narratives regarding services delivered to our older blind population. Below is an excerpt from the survey results narrative:

“The New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NJCBVI) contracts with the National Research and Training Center (NRTC) on Blindness and Low Vision to complete an external evaluation of their older blind services. NJCBVI provided the NRTC a list of consumers whose services were concluded during federal fiscal year 2016. All consumers were mailed surveys. Consumers were told that their participation was voluntary and that their responses would be confidential. 

Findings from analyses of 116 completed surveys indicate that 95% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that services were provided in a timely manner. Further, 96% agreed or strongly agreed that staff were attentive to their needs. Ninety-three percent agreed that staff were familiar with aids and techniques used by individuals with vision impairments. Overall satisfaction with services was reported by 95%. The majority of respondents (73%) lived in private homes or residences. When asked to rate the importance of the Commission’s services to help consumers remain independent in their home, 88% rated services as somewhat important or very important. 

Respondents were asked to rate their agreement about positive outcomes for each service area and for overall services. 

·         Daily Living Activities: Out of the 67 consumers who reported receiving instruction on activities around their home, 90% agreed or strongly agreed that they were better able to complete daily living tasks as a result of this service. 

·         Low Vision Exam: Out of the 78 consumers who reported they had a low vision exam, 88% agreed or strongly agreed that they were better informed about their vision loss and how to use their low vision.

·         Orientation and Mobility: Out of the 35 consumers who reported they received this service, 83% agreed or strongly agreed that they were more confident moving around their community.

·         Eye Health: Out of the 29 consumers who said they received services from an eye health nurse, 76% agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more confident about managing their health.

·         Information and Referral: Out of the 44 consumers who said they received information and referral services, 80% agreed or strongly agreed that they were well informed about services in their community.

·         Assistive Technology: Out of the 19 consumers who said they received instruction to use cell phones or computers, 74% agreed or strongly agreed that they were able to complete tasks using technology.

·         Sixty-three percent of consumers agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more confident performing activities they had given up as a result of their vision loss. Nineteen percent reported they had not given up any activities.

Overall, these results demonstrate the impact of services and the substantial benefits consumers received from participating in the services provided by the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. A copy of the complete program evaluation report conducted by Mississippi State University’s National Research and Training Center will be available in 2017.”

Thank you to all of the Independent Living and Support staff that assist our consumers in achieving their goals.  Your hard work and dedication is appreciated.

Joseph Kohn Training Center – Del Basha, Manager
Happy 2017 Everyone

With the advent of a new year, individuals may be likely to commit to certain action plans as well as resolutions. At the Joseph Kohn Training Center, the action plan is to continue to uphold CBVI’s mission – to enable consumers to achieve full inclusion and integration in society through success in employment, independent living, and social self-sufficiency.  

Employment goals are addressed through career counseling and the work experience program. Independent living skills are taught through the ADL (Activities of Daily Living) classes, Braille and mobility lessons, as well as through keyboarding and technology instruction.  Social self-sufficiency is promoted by the social worker, the psychologist, supervisory staff, and visiting presenters. 

As always, to introduce potential students to the JKTC program before they start, tours of the center are available. VRCs should make the appropriate referral in the FACTS system for these tours. In addition, if VRCs or other CBVI staff visit JKTC, they are welcome to use the workstations in the visitor cubicles housed in the lower level. 

Best wishes to all for a productive year! 

Business Enterprises of New Jersey – Deacon Truesdale, Manager 
The BENJ program continues to seek opportunities to increase the number of operating locations throughout the state.  Recently the General Services Administration (GSA) contacted the program about establishing an operation at the Peter Rodino Federal Building in Downtown Newark. We are happy to report that BENJ will soon be opening a “Grab and Go” at his location.  A “Grab and Go” is characterized by pre-packaged, ready-to-eat meal and refreshment options that are either self-service heated or chilled merchandise that require little if any customer preparation.

BENJ Grab and Go operation will offer the building occupants and visitors a fast and convenient way to obtain some hot food items, coffee, and other convenience items. The visibility and high traffic features of this location have the potential of helping promote the positive aspects of BENJ which could result in additional opportunities for our consumers. 

Anyone interested in learning more about the program or visiting BENJ locations may contact the office at 732-418-3270.

Staff Development – Kenya Whitehurst-Percell
Staff Development includes formal staff orientation, maintenance of professional skills, acquisition of new skills, coaching, as well as career and personal development. Supporting staff requests for education, development and skill strengthening translates to valuing employees and their contribution. 

CBVI’s leadership continues to support and encourage professional improvement and learning for all staff. Over 175 employees attended training classes, webinars, seminars, in-services or conferences in calendar year 2016. This is a testament to CBVI employees’ dedication and desire to provide quality services to our consumers. Coordinators and supervisors have been working together to establish new training opportunities that are both innovative and pertinent to the diverse duties and responsibilities of CBVI staff agency-wide. Maintaining an educational learning environment for all employees continues to be a priority.

If you become aware of pertinent training and staff development opportunities please forward the information to: cbvi.staffdevelopment at dhs.state.nj.us. 

Personal requests for training should be submitted to your supervisors for approval. All training forms can be found on the CBVI intranet under “Staff Development – Forms”.

CBVI Training News and Updates:

·         The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has recently uploaded two online courses on the Learning Management System (LMS):

The New Jersey State Employee Ethics Training 2016 is now available on LMS. This course, which was previously found on the State Ethics Commission site, must now be taken annually via the LMS. It is not necessary to forward your email confirmation of completion to Staff Development. Your records will be updated immediately by the LMS.  

The second course now available on LMS is the State of New Jersey Written Policy Prohibiting Discrimination in the Workplace. Although the CSC is still working on accessibility issues for the 3 mandatory online training courses, the policy is available in an audio-version. Anyone having accessibility issues please contact me. I can assist with administering the online courses. (Thanks to all staff that have provided important feedback to CSC representatives.)

·         I will soon be visiting each of the three regional centers to assist staff with signing up for the Learning Management System. In the interim, to log into the system, please log in through the “My New Jersey” icon found on the DHS portal, to login or register for the first time. 

·         It is important that all staff adhere to the training standards set forth by the Department of Human Services. The following are mandatory for all staff:

1.    Securing the Human SANS (Intro, Advanced and policy)

2.    NJ State policy Prohibiting Discrimination in the Workplace

3.    The State of NJ Workplace Violence: Act or React 

4.    The New Jersey State Employee Ethics Training 

·         We will continue to partner with the Department of Human Services, Office of Workforce Development and Training to offer New Hire Orientation. In addition to the one full day or two half day sessions in Trenton, staff must also attend the two-day new hire orientation provided by CBVI. 

·         Although information has gone out regarding our one year eLearning contract with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). There has been some confusion with the agency code. The agency code is NJCBVI717. This one year agreement expires on July 14, 2017. This convenient and valuable resource is available to all CBVI employees. It provides information and tools that can enable staff to better meet the needs of our consumers of all ages. On average, each eLearning course offering is worth one hour of continuing education credit, some are worth 1.5 or 2 hours. You do not need to complete a training request form before accessing these training materials.

For further information or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at Kenya.whitehurst-percell at dhs.state.nj.us.

Regional Updates 
Northern Service Region – John Reiff, Manager 
The Northern Service Region is thrilled to have two “new” Eye Health Nurses on staff; Leslie Martens and Nancy Rodriguez. Leslie has worked in the Newark office for quite a while as a contractual employee and is now employed by CBVI. In the past, Nancy worked with Project Best and has returned to CBVI as a NSR employee. 

Bill’s Journey to Success - Submitted by Sumara Shakeel:  Bill began receiving services from CBVI in 2013, shortly after being hired as a Chaplain for the Ocean County Correctional Center (OCCC). His employment history includes many years of working in construction but seeking a career change, he returned to college and trained as a drug and alcohol counselor.  After the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy, Bill began working as a grief counselor. He started out as a victims’ chaplain through his church, but eventually gave up the work due to his inability to drive after experiencing more vision loss.   

During the interview with the OCCC, Bill chose to disclose his vision impairment to the interviewer and was hired for the job. For some that might seem surprising but when you meet him, the qualities one would seek in a chaplain for a correctional facility – empathy, sincerity and toughness are immediately apparent. 

Bill began receiving services through our IL unit and was then transferred to the VR unit after his counselor learned he was employed.  I began providing instruction as a VR rehab teacher and was excited to learn that a blind person was not only successfully working in a jail, but also with a supportive employer. In conversation, Bill mentioned that he does not think he will be able to continue doing his job if he becomes totally blind, so I asked if he would consider speaking with a blind person who has worked in a prison setting before he rules this out.  He was very open to this, and I put him in contact with Dave Hyde (a blind man who worked in the prison system for a number of years) and Tom Anderson (the president of the NFB’s Communities of Faith division).  Bill continued to work with CBVI through which he gained skills, confidence and some access technology to help him get the job done.  Meanwhile, he was invited to talk about his work at the Communities of Faith division meeting at the NFB’s national convention in Orlando, FL.  

Bill told me he had stopped going to conventions of the American Association of Christian Counselors (something that was very important to him), but began attending again after he started receiving training with our staff.  

In his work as a Chaplain, Bill does individual religious counseling and conducts group religion studies.  He and his colleagues also integrate faith activities into mentoring to minimize recidivism.   Bill has also initiated a grief counseling program for incarcerated individuals.  When we first met he described his plans to establish his own private practice in grief counseling and I was impressed when he recently told me that he’d scheduled a meeting with his first client.

We can certainly credit the good work we do to his return to a productive life, but it is Bill who ultimately chose not to prevent blindness from allowing him to live the life he wants.  I do not know whether Bill will decide to stop working at the prison if total blindness comes, but I can say with conviction that he is at least a few steps closer to knowing, in both his heart and his mind, that it can be done.  

Southern Region – Jack Thompson, Manager 
Federal Aviation Administration Motivational Interviewing Event – Submitted by Heather Candelaria, VR Supervisor: The Vocational Rehabilitation Unit  of the CHSC partnered with the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) located in the William J. Hughes Technical Center at the Atlantic City International Airport for an October’s Disability Awareness Month activity.  CBVI Business Relations Specialist, Andrea Askie-Rosario, took the lead in executing this event, and worked with Cheryl L. Wilkes, the FAA Director of Civil Rights and FAA Equal Employment Opportunities Specialist, Stacie Graves to organize a motivational interviewing and resume critiquing event.

The FAA reached out to their in-house managers and supervisors from various STEM professions and backgrounds including chemical engineers, scientists and mathematicians from various departments to participate. Commission VRCs were responsible for identifying a group of 9 job ready consumers who would benefit from constructive feedback on interviewing. 

After the event was finalized, the VRCs and CHSC support staff arranged for security clearance and transportation to the Hughes Technical Center.  On the day of the event the consumers all came dressed in professional business attire with their resumes and cover letters in hand.  Ms. Wilkes opened the event with welcoming remarks. Andrea and I then spoke about the potential and abilities of CBVI consumers and encouraged employers to open their minds to the possibilities of working with individuals with disabilities.  

During the morning breakout session each consumer was assigned to interview with a Manager and a Supervisor who both asked interview questions and provided feedback on the consumer’s performance.  In each interview a VRC also sat in to take notes and also provide feedback to the consumer.  Following the interviews the supervisors reviewed and critiqued the individual resumes.  After lunch, Kelley Copp, a Federal Human Resources Manager, gave a presentation on how to complete a federal resume and how to navigate the “USA.Gov” jobs website.

FAA staff were very impressed with the level of skill and professionalism demonstrated by CBVI consumers.  Some of the managers even provided their business cards and encouraged the consumers to contact them if they had additional questions. Overall, the Motivational Interviewing event was a success and very well received by everyone who attended.  We are already discussing plans for October 2017, including a tour of the facility and extending this opportunity to a larger number of consumers. 

The following 4 photos from the event show CBVI staff and consumers during the individual interviews and the group sessions with FAA staff.

New or Noteworthy
Sierra House – Notes from CBVI Season of Service Activity Recipients

In a further expression of gratitude to CBVI staff, some of the residents of Sierra House sent personal notes enclosed with a Thank You card. Along with holiday greetings they wrote:

“Your generosity is appreciated. Thank you so much!”

“Best wishes to you and yours. My son and I appreciate everything you have done. Thank you.”

“We all appreciate your kindness and support. Thank you.” 

“Your generous donation is a wonderful blessing to my son and me. We really appreciate it.”

“With love in my heart, I want to thank you for everything you have done for us.”

“The world needs more people like you – kind people who care!”

“I just want to say my heart is overwhelmed and full of joy for what you have done for us.”

comments 

The Last Words
“The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.” – Jonas Salk

Please send items or suggestions for the next issue of the Commission Edition by or before 11 a.m., Monday, February 13, 2017:

Pamela.Gaston at dhs.state.nj.us and Melissa.Brown2 at dhs.state.nj.us 

-----Original Message-----
From: joe ruffalo [mailto:nfbnj1 at verizon.net] 
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2017 8:09 PM
To: Brian Mackey <bmackey88 at gmail.com>; joe ruffalo <nfbnj1 at verizon.net>
Subject: Paste in the Body Fw: January 2017 Commission Edition

Brian, Paste in the body, thanks.

We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference Joe Ruffalo, President National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey

973 743 0075

nfbnj1 at verizon.net

Your old car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.

Donate your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking www.carshelpingtheblind.org or call 855 659 9314 -----Original Message-----

From: Daniel.Frye at dhs.state.nj.us

Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2017 8:00 PM

To: CBVI.AllUsers at dhs.state.nj.us

Cc: Doris.Windle at dhs.state.nj.us ; Jennifer.Bryan at dhs.state.nj.us ; Elizabeth.Connolly at dhs.state.nj.us ; Christopher.Bailey at dhs.state.nj.us ; Nicole.Brossoie at dhs.state.nj.us ; Ellen.Lovejoy at dhs.state.nj.us ; Bonny.Fraser at dhs.state.nj.us ; Christina.Mongon at dhs.state.nj.us

Subject: January 2017 Commission Edition

Colleagues:

Please find attached the January 2017 issue of the Commission Edition, our division's internal publication that details happenings throughout the organization. As always, I owe gratitude to Pamela Gaston and Melissa Brown, my new and incredibly valuable Executive Assistant, for their part in editing, proofing, and formatting the attached. Staff are encouraged to submit your own contributions for future issues of the Commission Edition; such offerings, like the story about Bill, one of our consumers, in this month's issue, demonstrates clearly how CBVI makes a meaningful difference to those who acquire services from our agency.

As you review the January issue, please take a moment to reflect on all of the activity that we have already started in this first month of the year, as outlined in my column. You'll also want to preserve this month's Commission Edition as a year-long reading resource, after reviewing John Walsh's list of recommended readings for 2017. To be sure, these books will add to our organization's smart and thoughtful growth. Finally, I acknowledge with pride the survey results noted in the Independent Living column, reflecting the level of satisfaction that our agency's blind and vision-impaired senior consumers reported receiving in 2016. These are only some of this month's highlights; I encourage you all to read the Commission Edition from front to back to remain fully aware of the overall work that is occurring within the Commission.

Finally, within the next several weeks, I will be making my regularly scheduled visits to our local Service Centers to interact in-person with all of our agency's staff. Please check with your supervisor or Service Center managers to guarantee that you will be at work on the day of my visit to your assigned office location.

Until we next meet, keep in touch, be well, and do good work.

With Kind Regards,

Daniel B. Frye, JD.

Executive Director

State of New Jersey

Department of Human Services

Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired

153 Halsey Street, 6th Floor

PO Box 47017

Newark, NJ. 07101

(973) 648-2324 (Office)

(973) 951-1156 (Work Mobile)

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