[NFBNJ] February 2017 Commission Edition

Fri Mar 3 02:12:17 UTC 2017

Greetings to all!
The monthly Commission Edition for February 2017 is provided.
Our state agency continues to believe in the capacity of blind/visually impaired and deaf-blind to raise expectations to live the life we want!
Working Together To Make A Difference!

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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The Monthly Newsletter of the NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired
February 2017 – Volume 5, No. 2

Daniel B. Frye, J.D.                                                                                           Pamela Gaston

Executive Director                                                                                    Editor

>From the Director’s Desk 
As we undertake our individual responsibilities here at work, duties that collectively result in the delivery of a comprehensive set of services to New Jersey’s blind, vision-impaired, and deaf-blind consumers, let us be mindful of the privilege associated with being part of the equation that positively transforms the lives of those we support. Our work is important; the fruit of our labor is vital.

In reflecting on my approach to the work I perform, which necessarily involves all of the work that you generate, I am mindful of the perspective on work that Khalil Gibran offers in The Prophet. He says, in part:

“And I say that life is indeed darkness, save when there is urge;

And all urge is blind, save when there is knowledge;

And all knowledge is vain, save when there is work;

And all work is empty, save when there is love;

And when you work with love, you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another.

And what is it to work with love?

It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as your beloved were to wear that cloth.

It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.

It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.

It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit.

Work is love made visible.

And if you cannot work with love, but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms from those who work with joy.

And if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man’s hunger.

And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distills a poison in the wine.

And if you sing though as angels, but love not the singing, you muffle man’s ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.”

I hope that these words inspire you, as they motivate me, to remain mindful of our mission. In future columns I will return to the day-to-day matters of business, but in the depth of winter (even where our winter has not been especially trying), I find it useful to turn to uplifting oratory as a means of holding close the critical character of working toward our mission. 

Thank you for the work that you perform every day.

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
Update on the State Rehabilitation Council
The Commission is fortunate to have a very active and engaged membership within our State Rehabilitation Council (SRC); serving as a key partner in our continued pursuit of excellence in service provision.  The Council recently welcomed new members appointed by the Governor during its February 3, 2017 meeting and is currently in the process of working towards the complete membership complement to ensure the council is always fully constituted and has the capacity to continue the important work of assisting CBVI in fulfilling its mission.

Current Members:

Fr. James Warnke, Chair, Clinical Social Worker/ Episcopal Priest

Rick Fox, Vice-Chair, NJ Chapter - National Federation of the Blind

Dawn Monaco, Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN)

Susan Head, Disability Rights New Jersey (DRNJ)

Kelly Reymann, The College of New Jersey

Jonathan Goodman, TD Bank

Kris Tucker, NJ Transit

Jennifer Armstrong, Sodexo

Zoraida Krell, Former Consumer of VR Services

Fran Leibner, NJ Department of Education

Dan Frye, Executive Director, CBVI

Danielle Licari-Scorzelli, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, CBVI

Pending Appointments:

Gary Altman, Acting Executive Director, State Employment and Training Commission

Lisa Killian-Smith, State Independent Living Council

Will Robinson, Shalay Shaleigh Café

Joan Leonard, NJ Council of the Blind

The SRC has also developed sub-committees to undertake work in the areas of Program Evaluation, Policy Review, Resource Development, Business Relations and Legislative Issues.  The sub-committee members work collaboratively with agency staff on various projects.  

The current projects being undertaken by the SRC sub-committees are listed below:

Program Evaluation: This sub-committee initiated the recommendation to evaluate our consumers’ satisfaction with the assistive/information technology training provided by Advancing Opportunities. Through a competitive process, the agency selected the Eagleton Center at Rutgers University to develop a satisfaction study and the tentative plan is to begin issuing that evaluative instrument to consumers later this month.   The sub-committee will also assist with other assessment activities as part of our comprehensive statewide needs assessment, including the development of a statewide Town Hall meeting to occur in late May/early June.

Policy Review: This sub-committee which reviews CBVI’s new policies before issuance, will be reviewing new and revised policies on Supported Employment, College Services, and Extended Employment (511 regulations).

Business Relations: This sub-committee’s members are working with Amanda Gerson and the Business Relations team to expand our capacity to better serve the business community.

Resource Development: This sub-committee has created a resource guide which will be merged with other informational resources currently being used and the final product will be posted on CBVI’s web portal.

Legislative: This newly formed sub-committee will focus on keeping council members informed on emerging legislation, both on the state and national level that may be of pertinence to CBVI consumers. 

The Commission is grateful for the fine work of the SRC, and looks forward to continued collaborative success in 2017.

Organizational Logistics – Ines Matos, Chief 
Stage 2 Migration to AWARE
On January 25, 2017, the Commission had its first meeting with Libera and Alliance representatives to discuss the transition from our FACTS case management system to Alliance’s AWARE application.   During Stage 2 of the migration, which will conclude at the end of May, Libera will prepare a detailed AWARE migration plan, project schedule, and cost quotation for CBVI. We will then seek approval from DHS to proceed to Stage 3, which is the actual migration, data conversion and go-live to the AWARE product.  Members of the lead project team include Dan Frye, John Walsh, Amanda Gerson, Elizabeth DeShields, Eva Scott, John Reiff, Jack Thompson, Ed Szajdecki, and Kenya Whitehurst-Percell, with Denise Cohen and Ines Matos serving as project managers.

Many meetings and webinars will occur over the course of the next three and one half months.  Discipline specific groups will be formed to review programs and test the proposed new system.  Stage 3 migration may take 18 to 24 months to complete.

The Commission is excited and looking forward to using the AWARE case management system.  It is a very robust system that is used widely across the United States.

Vocational Rehabilitation and Transition Services – Amanda Gerson, Coordinator  
VR 101 Training Series
The VR 101 Series is a new “Back to the Basics” training initiative on Vocational Rehabilitation services and counseling for all VR staff. The VR 101 Series will be a sequence of training components focused on emerging issues in VR and will include reviewing policy, guidance, and technical assistance circulars. 

With the goal of continually working to improve the quality of services that we provide to our consumers, we’ve been lucky enough to bring on board a cadre of new VR Counselors over the past year. These trainings will offer all VR staff the opportunity to refine and sharpen their knowledge and skills and will ensure that everyone’s knowledge is up to date with the latest changes to law, policy, and organizational guidelines. 

Below is a list of the currently scheduled dates for VR 101; we hope to hold a full-day training approximately once per month on varying topics.  We also are interested in receiving your suggestions and ideas for additions to the series and ask that you submit your recommendations to:  Amanda Gerson, Coordinator of VR and Transition Services, and Kenya Whitehurst-Percell, Statewide Training Coordinator.

March 1st at the JKTC: SSI/SSDI, Medicaid/Medicare, and Work Incentives; Disability Rights NJ and the CAP program; and the BENJ Program

March 22nd at the JKTC: IPE/Goal Development; Documentation; and Supported Employment

Future Topics will include: Data Integrity, Federal Reporting Requirements, Performance Indicators, Workforce Systems and Partners, and Social Services Programs (TANF, Housing, SNAP, etc.)

Educational Services – Eva Scott, Director of Blindness Education
“We live our lives infused with love and grief, one hundred percent of the time.”

                                                                   Joanne De Simone

As you can see the quote above is by Joanne De Simone.  Joanne has many roles in her life including dancer, teacher, advocate, and mother of children with disabilities.  Since 2013, Joanne has been writing about her experiences as a parent.  Her work is enlightening, inspiring, and sometimes heartbreaking.  I recently became aware that Joanne is currently writing a memoir titled, “Fall and Recovery.”  In eager anticipation of the release of this memoir, I have decided to dedicate my contribution to this issue of the Commission Edition to the parents of our students.

Parents as Partners:  A Personal Perspective
As an educator, for the past 34 years, I have had the pleasure of working closely with parents.  They have both educated and inspired me as I worked alongside them. I have laughed with them, celebrated successes with them and on a few heartbreaking occasions had to offer my meager support when a child passed away.  

When I entered this field at the age of 22, like so many newly graduated teachers, I thought I knew everything and that I would be educating and inspiring the parents.  I found out very quickly that they and their children would become my greatest teachers.  From those early experiences working in collaboration with the families, I have come to believe in the primacy of parents.  Parents are the lifelong teachers, case managers, and champions of their children.  They experience what their children experience in a very real and personal way.  Professionals will enter and exit the lives of children, but parents are usually the constant presence in their child’s life.  I have not yet met a parent who does not want the best for his or her child.  In building positive parent-teacher relationships, I have always found it helpful to keep in mind the life experiences of parents and ask, “What life journey has this parent been on, and how might that journey have shaped his or her point of view?”

In the words of a well-known parent of a child with a disability, Dr. Rud Turnbull, “Do the shoe test.”  This was Dr. Turnbull’s way of reminding all of us that we cannot understand the point of view of a parent of a child with a disability until we walk around in that parent’s shoes.

It is also important to remember that were it not for a group of dedicated parents, there would be no federal law mandating that all children are entitled to a free (and appropriate) public education.  Prior to the 1970s, schools and programs for students with disabilities existed but were not accessible to all students.  We are well-acquainted with the fact that there were residential schools for blind students where they could develop Braille literacy and other skills of blindness, but the options available for blind students within their public school systems depended on the willingness of local public school educators to provide them with the same access to the general curriculum as their sighted peers.  It was necessary for parents to become strong advocates for their children and to demand an equal voice among the professional educators.  The parents who appealed to Congress to write and enact legislation knew that a federal law was necessary to guarantee their children an education. 

It has been forty-two years since the passage of the first federal law mandating free and appropriate public education (Public Law 94-142).  Today it is still necessary for parents to be strong advocates for their children and to fight for their primacy as parents to be recognized.  With each Congressional reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), parents have remained steadfast in their commitment to their children’s rights.  

I firmly believe that we are much more effective in our effort to serve our blind and vision-impaired students when we embrace their parents not only as partners, but also as majority stakeholders in the education of their children.

BrailleNote Touch Tablet Pilot – Submitted by Christine Hinton
The George F. Meyer Instructional Resource Center is teaming with the CBVI Assistive Technology Specialist Unit and CBVI Teachers of the Visually Impaired to conduct a pilot training program with the BrialleNote Touch Notetaker Tablet.  This pilot will provide 6 students throughout the state with a BrailleNote Touch for training, allowing students to provide feedback on this device and how it functions in the school environment. 

The technology specialists in each office have identified students based on criteria including their grade, technology skills and if their local school uses the Google environment for instruction.  This device works as a traditional notetaker but has added benefits including a touchscreen where students are able to input braille into the device with a dual function allowing a teacher or parent to receive visual feedback.  Students will have access to mainstream apps and other features to provide access to information in the classroom more easily.  

This pilot training program will start in March 2017 and will conclude in June 2017.  At the conclusion, the students will be surveyed on the efficiency of the device in the classroom and at home in addition to how well the device syncs with the in class Google Curriculum.   

Independent Living & Clinical Services – Elizabeth DeShields, Coordinator
Independent Living Older Blind – Task Force
In January, I had the pleasure of attending and participating in the first Older Individuals who are Blind (OIB) Best Practices Task Force, held in Starkville Mississippi by the National Training and Research Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NTRC).  NTRC has been awarded a grant for technical assistance for the OIB program. The goal of the task force was to develop consensus over several areas that will be considered best or effective practices in administrating and implementing OIB programs.  Best practices were defined as:  Service delivery strategies or techniques that appear effective based on available evidence; are client-centered; are sensitive to the context of the service delivery setting; and are responsive to evolving technology, resources, or research.

The task force was made up of project managers for the OIB population from 16 various programs throughout the country with well over 500 collective years of experience in the field. Three topics were the focus of our discussions:  

·        Topic 1: Implementing and Developing Effective Programming was divided into 8 focus areas with the goal of identifying strategies for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of services. The focus areas were: 1) prioritizing services; 2) consumer eligibility; 3) prioritizing consumers; 4) managing the cost of assistive devices and purchasing procedures; 5) prioritizing the assistive devices that are provided; 6) cultural competency; 7) community outreach; and 8) the use of para- professionals. 

·        Topic 2: Development of Qualified Staff was divided into 4 focus areas: 1) staff qualifications; 2) staff education; 3) staff recruitment and retention; and 4) the use of para- professionals.

·        Topic 3: Program Management, focused on 4 areas of administrative management of the OIB program: 1) structure or model of services delivery; 2) program evaluation to determine program effectiveness; 3) effective use of advisory councils; and 4) how to best use OT’s and the resources available through billing services through them. 

We started discussing the topics in small breakout groups and ended with the full task force deliberating all 16 focus areas. The end results, including both the areas of consensus and dissention will be consolidated into a white paper that will be distributed to members before we continue with our work. I will keep you all posted as we proceed.

Reminder: You all now have access to the ASPIRE Directory where you can look up peer support groups for consumers. It is located on our CBVI intranet at:  http://cbvi-co-wb1/lvpanel/aspire.aspx.

Joseph Kohn Training Center – Del Basha, Manager
CBVI consumers who are enrolled in the JKTC are able to participate in the independent apartment experience.  This unique component of the full program presents consumers with an opportunity to demonstrate a variety of skillsets. The independent apartment is fully furnished and is located on the first floor of the center, away from where the students reside throughout the program in the Irving Kruger Residence on the second floor.  The apartment consists of a kitchen, dining area, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. Students who stay there are responsible for cleaning and maintaining all of the rooms and are expected to leave it in "move-in" condition for the next tenant (student).  

During their time in the apartment students are to also host a special dinner for friends and family. To prepare students must develop and send letters of invitation as well as independently plan their menu, research recipes, shop for groceries, and cook the meal that they will enjoy with their guests. 

The response from JKTC students who have benefitted from the independent apartment experience has consistently been positive.  

Human Resources – Hugo Ruiz, Manager
The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination
Employment discrimination is the practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of other people at work, because of their membership in a legally protected category such as race, sex, age, or religion.  Each state has passed laws and rules to protect your workplace rights. 

The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), [N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 to 10:5-49],   makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, nationality, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, sex, or liability for military service. The law also makes genetic discrimination illegal, preventing an employer from considering or testing for an atypical hereditary, cellular, blood trait or genetic information.  It provides protection for more categories than the Federal Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  

The NJLAD also provides broader protection for employees with disabilities than the similar federal statute, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), because unlike the ADA, a claimant under the NJLAD does not need to show impairment of a major life activity to claim disability discrimination. The ADA will be addressed in more detail in a future issue of the Commission Edition.  

Discrimination claims under the NJLAD can be filed either with the state administrative agency, the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR), or the federal administrative agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The two agencies have what is called a “work-sharing agreement,” which means that the agencies cooperate with each other to process claims. Filing a claim with both agencies is unnecessary, as long as you indicate to one of the agencies that you want it to “cross-file” the claim with the other agency.

The New Jersey anti-discrimination statute covers employers of any size. Therefore, if your workplace has between 1 and 14 employees, you may wish to file with the DCR, as the EEOC enforces federal law which covers only employers with 15 or more employees. Filing with the DCR is not required to pursue a discrimination claim directly in court, but if you do not have an attorney you may wish to see whether the DCR can assist you in resolving your claim without filing in court. DCR complaints must be filed within 180 days of the date you believe you were discriminated against and EEOC complaints within 300 days of the date you believe you were discriminated against. 

More information regarding these matters can be obtained by visiting the respective websites for DCR and the EEOC.  As always, the staff of the Commission’s Office of Human Resources will be happy to provide help and guidance on all human resources-related matters.  

Staff Development – Kenya Whitehurst-Percell
Training opportunities are offered to Commission staff to support professional development and to enhance the overall functioning of the organization.  Although all staff are encouraged to participate in training opportunities please keep in mind that there are also some mandatory staff development core requirements. When applying or registering for training, please remember to complete all forms before sending to cbvi.staffdevelopment at dhs.state.nj.us. 

All staff development forms can be found on the CBVI Intranet at: 

http://cbvi-web/intranet/CBVINET/Forms/formindex.html

If you have questions or need further information, including accessing the Learning Management System (LMS), please do not hesitate to email the staff development unit or call me at: 973-648-2820. 

Regional Updates 
Northern Service Region – John Reiff, Manager 
Please join the NSR in welcoming the following new staff:

Shelley Johns, Home Instructor and Lucas Duffy, TES Driver

We are happy to have them join our team and assist in efforts to fulfill the collective goal of providing timely and high quality services to our consumers. 

Southern Region – Jack Thompson, Manager 
Success Story submitted by Nancy Kasmar, Eye Health Nurse
I met Diana only a few short weeks ago and she began making big changes right away. During our first appointment while doing the eye health nurse intake questionnaire, she mentioned that all the women in her family had diabetes, and that all who had vision impairments lost sight in their left eye.  Her vision diagnosis is proliferative diabetic retinopathy with macular edema OU, along with an OS hemorrhage, and OD 20/60, OS counts fingers visual acuity.  I commenced with a short review of self-management skills of diabetes.  I encouraged her to do her part to keep her eyes healthy by taking prescribed medicines as the doctor ordered, choosing healthy foods, and checking her glucoses more often to see how food she chose was covered by her oral medication.  

Diana wasn’t sure how to decide if foods are in healthy portion sizes.  We discussed using the plate method, where half the plate is non-starchy vegetables, a quarter of the plate is starchy food, and a quarter of plate is a protein source.  I suggested she try using a food diary where she could list the date, her meals, any glucose tests done, and any exercising she did.  I explained that these details would help us to more easily decipher how she could make meaningful changes in her personal care.  I explained the purpose of writing down the approximate amount of any food eaten, and her feelings at that time.  We discussed the benefits of checking her glucose before a meal and then two hours after the meal was completed. I advised her that if the point spread was less than 50, the meal was covered adequately by medicine. If the point spread was more than 50 points, than either she needs more medicine, a change in medicine, or to eat less starchy carbohydrates.  I suggested that if she decided to do the food diary we could review it during subsequent visits.  She told me she’d think it over.

At our second visit, Diana surprised me by having bought strips for her own glucometer machine, acquired more of her oral medication, and having already started her food diary.  She’d already noted that certain high starch carbohydrates affected her glucose levels adversely, and that when her glucoses were elevated her hands would tingle.  To address this issue she started making salads to take to work and preparing dinners with plenty of cooked and raw vegetables. She was also excited because she said she could see movement with her left eye starting just that day.  

During our third visit Diana told me she had visited the retina specialist and that the doctor was very excited that she could see letters on the eye chart with her left eye.  She said that she only gets overly excited when she can’t see and that her vision improvement made her happy. Diana was obviously very motivated about maintaining a healthy diet and controlling her intake of carbohydrates. I suggested she try eating tortillas if she wants to avoid bread, to see how they affect her, experiment with different fruits and change up portion sizes.  

She recently sent me a text to ask why her glucose readings suddenly went up?  She was concerned because she’d been taking her medicine correctly and eating well.  I asked her if she felt ill, experiencing any pain, or feeling strong emotions? I suggested she consider adding in relaxation to her life, such as mediation, deep breathing, or actively listening to music. Through further discussion, it turns out there was a lot of family drama that week, which has fortunately since calmed down.

Both Diana and I are looking forward to the next result of her hemoglobin A1c, as we are sure it has come down with all the positive changes she has implemented.  Her improved good health will assist her to continue working every day as a teacher’s aide, focused and with a clear mind.

New or Noteworthy
The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) published Public Notices on February 21, 2017, announcing the opening of the State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP) waiting lists for three categories: Elderly, Family and Disabled Households.  Preliminary applications will be taken beginning March 6, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. until March 10, 2017 at 5 p.m.  Applicants must have an email address to apply and pre-applications will be available online at: www.waitlistcheck.com/NJ559  beginning Monday, March 6, 2017.

Additional information, including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) can be viewed at:  http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/dhcr/srap_vouchers.html

comments 

The Last Words
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” – Booker T. Washington

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