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<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">
<DIV>Greetings!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Pasted in the body is the November issue of the Commission
Edition!</DIV>
<DIV>Take notice of the keynote speech delivered on November 3 to the NJ CBVI
staff!</DIV>
<DIV>Belief is the theme of this address.</DIV>
<DIV>Please share this issue with others.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">We care. We
share. We grow. We make a difference<BR>Joe Ruffalo, President <BR>National
Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>973 743
0075<BR>nfbnj1@verizon.net<BR><A
href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Your old
car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.<BR>Donate your unwanted vehicle
to us by clicking <BR>www.carshelpingtheblind.org <BR>or call 855 659
9314<BR></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">**</DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000"> </DIV>
<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt tahoma">
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'><IMG
hspace=12 alt=MC900030199[1] src="cid:E868B42A00684751B8C275C20FE6BC25@JoeHP"
width=70 align=left height=65 v:shapes="Picture_x0020_3"><IMG hspace=12
alt=MC900030199[1] src="cid:E868B42A00684751B8C275C20FE6BC25@JoeHP" width=70
align=left height=65 v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2"><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 24pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT Black",serif'>C</SPAN></I><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 20pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT Black",serif'>ommission
</SPAN></I><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 24pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT Black",serif'>E</SPAN></I><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 20pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT Black",serif'>dition</SPAN></I><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 20pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT Black",serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=WordSection1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Bodoni MT Black",serif'>The Monthly
Newsletter of the NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually
Impaired<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>November 2016 – Volume
4, No. 11</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Monotype Corsiva"'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Daniel B. Frye,
J.D.
Pamela Gaston<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Executive
Director
Editor<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">From the Director’s Desk
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>The season of
Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday of the year) is again upon us this November.
During the late autumn I generally try to find time to reflect on those
achievements (both professional and personal) for which I am grateful. This year
represents no exception to this practice on my part, and fortunately again this
year we enjoy an abundance of accomplishment that may be celebrated by us
all.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Instead of focusing,
though, on the array of programmatic and strategic progress that we have
realized at the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI
or Commission) during this last year, I want to offer to our readership the text
of the keynote address that Jonathan Mosen, owner of Mosen Consulting, respected
international leader in the field of assistive technology, and recognized
broadcaster and thought-leader among the world’s blindness community, delivered
during CBVI’s second biannual Statewide Staff Development Seminar on Thursday,
November 3, 2016. Jonathan’s focus on the concept of belief, and his charge to
our professional community to lift up the consumers that we serve, represents
the essence of why the Commission exists. This call, animated by his personal
life experience, is at once a classic and definitive piece that describes our
responsibility to our constituents and urges us to meet these professional
obligations with a positive and transformative spirit. I am grateful to Jonathan
for his insightful perspective, conveyed in a creative, entertaining, and
inspirational fashion.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>As we move forward with
concerted momentum to fulfill our organizational mission and deliver
high-quality services to our consumers, I feel confident that the text of his
keynote address will remind us of our commitment and duty. For those of you who
were privileged to be present for our Statewide Staff Development Seminar, I
invite you to re-read and digest Jonathan’s message; for those of you who were
not able to be with us, I am pleased to be able to share with you a remarkable
and moving address. Here it is:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoSubtitle style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: windowtext'>BELIEF<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoSubtitle><B><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: windowtext'>The keynote address
delivered by Jonathan Mosen to the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and
Visually Impaired on November 3, 2016<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>“It’s an honor to be
with you today, to be in the presence of so many people who are changing lives
and facilitating opportunity.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>I’m mindful that
there’s a lot going on as I visit the United States this time. As I talk with
taxi and Uber drivers, listen to the conversations at restaurants and spend
quality time with friends, it’s clear that some have been experiencing very
tense times of late. Some people who usually get on with one another are finding
that their friendship is strained almost to breaking point. The process of
finally determining the outcome seems to have been going on forever, but
I’m confident that the wounds will heal and people will be able to move on and
reunite, now that the World Series is over.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>I promise not to talk
about any contentious current events in the news during this address. Sadly, I’d
have to sit down pretty quickly if this address were about baseball, since I
have only fractionally more knowledge of baseball than I have sight. Instead, I
want to say thank you for the difference you make.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>I used to be a frequent
international traveller. A long time ago, I sat next to a fellow passenger on a
12-hour flight, and we got talking about our work. It turned out that he was an
executive for one of the most successful fast food chains in the world. He said
to me, “What business do you consider us to be in?” I was beginning to wonder if
I was sitting beside one of those people who conclude that because your eyes
don’t work, you’re also cranially impaired, but I decided to play along and said
that obviously the company was in the fast food business. His reply caught me
off-guard. He told me that everyone says that, but in fact their primary
business was real-estate. What made the company successful, he said, was the
prime real-estate it owned around the world, and the fast food was a means to
that end.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>So it wouldn’t be an
inaccurate statement for this executive to tell people he was in the fast food
business, but he was looking deeper, perhaps searching for more meaning in his
life given the harm a lot of fast food is causing.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>When you provide
education and rehabilitation services to blind people, it’s true that the
practicalities of that involve assisting someone to travel safely, perform
household tasks well, read using the priceless gift Louis Braille left us, and
so much more. All of those things are worthy vocations in themselves. Every
night, you can end another precious day on this planet knowing you did something
to change a life for the better. Not every profession offers that satisfaction,
but in my view, there’s one prerequisite without which none of these specific
tasks would be possible. Belief. It may be that someone comes to you with a
well-grounded sense of belief in themselves, perhaps due to positive parenting,
the support of fellow blind people through a consumer organization, or simply
because the person is inherently optimistic by nature, but self-belief is often
hard-won, fragile, and easily lost. How you as blindness professionals deal with
that challenge of instilling self-belief can fundamentally set the direction of
someone’s life for better or worse.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>When I was 12 years
old, a group of blind students of which I was a part met with a vocational
guidance counselor from our blindness agency in New Zealand. We were all asked
to talk about what options we might be considering for a career. I didn’t
hesitate. The answer was the same as it had been since the moment I could talk.
I wanted a career in radio. This meeting predates the wide availability of the
internet. We’re talking the early 80s, so networking with other blind people
overseas who were in broadcasting was difficult. Yet I was determined to make my
dream a reality, and I knew that there were indeed other blind people out there
doing radio successfully.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>To my disappointment,
the counselor was discouraging. He told me he’d recently been into some radio
stations, and that they were starting to move to systems that were visual and
inaccessible in nature. Not only did this meeting take place before the
internet, it took place even before computers were accessible for most jobs.
Perhaps I was just an arrogant kid who wouldn’t accept reality from a grown-up
who knew, or perhaps I was showing a determination to succeed at whatever I put
my mind to, but I refused to be told it couldn’t be done. To help make sure it
could be done, when I was 17, I set up a radio station staffed by blind people
which broadcast for two weeks during one of our breaks from school. The station
had city-wide coverage. We sold ads to pay for hiring the broadcast equipment
and the construction of the tall AM transmitter mast. When it was up and
running, I phoned the manager of every radio station, and all the popular radio
personalities of the day, inviting them out to look at what we were doing. That
way, I instantly established my own valuable network of contacts in the
industry, and I helped change their expectations. Sure, you can wait for
opportunity to knock, but there’s no harm in putting a neon sign on your door to
make it harder for opportunity to miss you.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>I was assisted in that
endeavor by the principal of the school for the blind, who would take a bunch of
us in his car to attend meetings. He’d encourage us, clearly taking pride in the
initiative. I have never forgotten the attitude of the counselor who may have
derailed my dream. Because had I not been as resilient, maybe the discouragement
I received would have prompted me not to follow my dream, but I don’t think of
him often. Instead, I think far more often, and with considerable affection and
gratitude, of the principal who believed in me. The man who went out of his way,
in his free time, to show me that I could do anything I put my mind to. The man
who, as I navigated the bureaucratic minefield of obtaining a radio license,
reminded me that investing in hard work pays dividends, and that few things
worth having come easy.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>It worked. I worked in
commercial radio for a number of years. In that role, I frequently had to be my
own advocate, assuring potential employers that I could work in their studio
without sight.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>So sometimes, a
professional may inadvertently discourage, when encouragement is appropriate,
but it’s not as simple as that, because sometimes, blind people can stomp on the
dreams of other blind people too. At that same meeting, when the counselor was
going around the table asking the kids present what they were considering as
career options, one of the kids said he wanted to be an astronomer. This comment
was greeted by the rest of us 12-year-olds present with howls of derisive
laughter, and I was laughing as hard as anyone. You’re blind! You can’t look at
a telescope! How on earth do you expect to be an astronomer! And for weeks and
weeks we laughed at this kid, we teased him mercilessly, about wanting to be an
astronomer. Kids can be cruel sometimes.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>I didn’t really think
about this much after we’d all moved on to other things, until a few years ago,
I met a blind man, Kent Kullers, who’d worked for NASA. Now obviously, he hadn’t
been looking through telescopes, but he had worked in some fascinating areas
including the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. He talked knowledgably
and fascinatingly about stars and black holes and the wonders of the universe. I
don’t know whether anyone ever laughed at him when he set out to be an
astronomer, but it’s a cautionary tale, because sometimes, it’s other blind
people who seek to stop one of their own from reaching for the
stars.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>When I was in my late
teens and still determined to achieve my radio dream, someone told me about an
ad in the paper they’d seen for a broadcasting course run by professional
broadcasters. I thought that having a piece of paper to say I’d done the course
might help me, so I did what the ad said and sent them a demo tape. They called
me back in short order, offering me a place on the course. They also told me the
price tag, which was way beyond my abilities as a penniless student. On that
basis, I declined, but to my astonishment, they called me back again. The man
from the course said that my tape was so good that they would offer me the
course for half price, because it was in their interests to have me graduate
from their course. They were sure I would be going places in radio, and they
wanted to be able to say that Jonathan Mosen had graduated from their course. So
I said, “Cool! I’ll pay half price, and can I come in a little early as I want
to get familiar with the equipment and put braille labels on the media being
used?” The attitude instantly changed. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>He asked me what I was
talking about. I told him that I was blind, so I’d just make a couple of simple
modifications and I’d be up and running. He said, “Look really there’s no point
doing the course since a blind person could never have a future in radio.” I
never did the course, and a few years later, I became his
boss.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>I tell this story
because this incident would have been enough to break some people, whose
self-belief was at a low ebb, or non-existent. One of the saddest things I come
across is someone who has had one setback too many, and is finding it hard to
pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and keep trying. Blind people like me
will face ignorance and discrimination, it goes with the territory when you’re a
member of a minority. Where appropriate, of course we should fight it with
litigation, but mentally, we need to fight it with determination, education, and
belief. And it is never, never too late to give your attitude a software
upgrade. It’s easy for us to become angry with the world, but anger is a choice.
Viewing something as a setback or a challenging learning experience is a choice.
Taking steps to become more employable, more presentable, more capable, is a
choice. Thinking that opportunity will simply fall into our laps is a choice,
albeit it a foolish one.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>The praise and feedback
we get influences our aptitude at something. If someone is told, or tells
themselves, that they aren’t good at something, chances are they won’t be. If
some event causes them to revisit that same thing with a different attitude, the
results can be very different. Blind people are exposed to a lot of negativity.
No doubt many of you have seen the literature indicating that more people fear
becoming blind than acquiring any other disability. Sight is a dominant sense,
so if you have it in full measure, of course it’s natural to use it and depend
heavily on it, but that’s quite a different thing from concluding that one can’t
function effectively without it, a conclusion many simply believe to be a
truism. It’s a conclusion sometimes reinforced by people and organizations who
should know better, making the work of rehabilitation and education
professionals like you more difficult. Only recently, a U.S. organization
raising funds to research cures for various eye conditions asked people to
record videos of themselves performing common tasks while blindfolded, and
upload them to YouTube. Now if you’re suddenly deprived of a valuable faculty on
which you depend, and have had no instructions about how to perform tasks in an
alternative way, you’re going to function as well without that faculty as I’m
going to talk at length about baseball. So most people walk away from a
simulation experience like that frightened about blindness, and misinformed
about how a blind person who has received appropriate training can function in
the world. It’s a serious matter, because some of those people will be employers
who eventually encounter a blind job applicant. They’ll instantly recall their
own experience of blindness, and that may contribute to their assessment of the
blind job applicant’s skills.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Let me be clear, as
someone whose blindness also comes with the added limited time bonus of a
degenerative hearing condition included absolutely free, I understand the
insidious nature of degenerative conditions. Something that was once easy
gradually becomes tougher. It’s horrible and it’s demoralizing. Blindness has
been my constant reality all my life. I’m used to it, and I personally have no
desire for sight, although many other blind people feel differently, but I’d
give anything to have my hearing restored to normality, and I know that’s
exactly how many people with degenerative eye conditions feel about their sight.
I strongly relate, but it’s foolish to put our lives on hold, or sabotage public
perception, while we await a cure that may or may not ever come. That’s a recipe
for a wasted life, full of missed opportunities and
regrets.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>There are little
proverbs, aphorisms, clichés, that are so ingrained in our culture that few
people seem to question them. My favorite is this little piece of absurdity, “In
the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king”. This one was triumphantly
proclaimed to me by a supposedly learned lawyer who was on a nationwide TV show
with me back in New Zealand, to justify why no blind person should ever be
allowed to serve on any jury. The origins of this phrase are unclear. Some
attribute it to Erasmus of Rotterdam, a 16th-century Dutch Renaissance humanist,
but there are variations of it in numerous languages. Another variation,
translated from the French, is “When a blind man bares the standard, pity those
who follow.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>These antiquated little
pieces of ablest nonsense put forward the view that disability in and of itself
makes you inferior, and further, the more disabled you are, the more inferior
you are, but I sometimes find myself wondering, what would the kingdom of the
blind actually look like? I mean if everyone were blind other than a single
one-eyed person, or even a minority of one-eyed people, we’d have a very
different world. So please accompany me for just a little while to the kingdom
of the blind:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Welcome!
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Vehicles provide a lot
of auditory and tactile information here, so a blind person can drive them, we
are the majority in this kingdom after all. Normal drivers, they being blind,
are concerned about their safety because one-eyed people are being distracted
from all the auditory and tactile feedback the vehicles are offering. On radio
(there is no TV in the kingdom of the blind of course) debate is raging about
whether it’s safe for one-eyed people to be given drivers’
licenses.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>An organization has
recently been formed, the National Federation of the One-eyed, to champion the
rights of this minority.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Over a century ago, a
new form of writing using symbols was developed by a clever one-eyed inventor.
He says it’s more efficient for one-eyed people to use this new form of writing
called print. A limited supply of print books is available, and recently, an
agreement was reached to transcribe standard Braille books into print without
first having to seek the permission of the copyright
holder.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in"><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>In recent years,
computer and smartphone manufacturers in the kingdom of the blind have, as a
matter of human rights, added a new accessibility feature to their devices,
known as a screen. Sure, all the computers talk and come standard with full-page
Braille displays, but the National Federation of the One-eyed have been fighting
in the courts, where blind justice is practiced faithfully, for the rights of
this minority to be accommodated. And this thing called a screen is seen to be
essential assistive technology. Since the costs of production have to be spread
across a very small user-base of one-eyed people, screens are hideously
expensive. There’s a long way to go before screens are affordable to everyone
and work equally well across platforms, but a start has been made, and the
one-eyed just need to be patient and grateful for what they
have.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>I could go on, but let
me try and sum up on this point, “In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man
is king?” Seriously? Poppycock! It is society and its majority that disables us
with attitudes and decisions, not the disability
itself.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>These outmoded and
misinformed attitudes all make your job, as rehabilitation professionals and
educators, more challenging. They eat away at the very core of what is required
for success - belief. No one says it’s easy or that it doesn’t require some grit
and determination, but plant the belief, and with the training provided by teams
like this one, blindness is not the end of the story, it’s a new
beginning.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>In my view, exposing
blind people to adult blind mentors from an early age is a must, but equally, I
think parents of blind children need adult blind role models in their lives too.
Many people have had little to no meaningful interaction with a blind person
before, then they find themselves a parent of a blind child with the questions
and grief that this often brings. What can I expect of a blind child? How should
I treat them differently? What’s going to become of them when they’re grown?
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>As a father of four
children myself, I know that it’s instinctual to try and keep our kids from
harm, and for many, those emotions are super-charged when they have a blind
child. I grew up with kids who were wrapped in cotton wool, mollycoddled, not
allowed to just be a kid who happens not to see. It was done with love, yet some
of them are still paying the price as adults. When I was a kid, I was fortunate.
I had an older brother who was blind, and through him, had access to a lot of
great blind role models. And also, my parents let me be a kid. I rode bikes and
even a skateboard. I had more than my fair share of bruises, just like any other
kid. So parents and children alike need to meet blind people who are just
getting on with life and successfully doing what people do. It all fosters
belief.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>I don’t know whether
this is a uniquely New Zealand thing, but when I was the Chairman of New
Zealand’s blindness agency, I came across this term “Super Blind”. As far as I
can tell, it seems to relate to any blind person who doesn’t conform to the
expectations the user of the term has of what a blind person should do or how
they should act. I gave an entire address to a group of parents in New Zealand
about the importance of parents setting up mentoring programs both for their
benefit and the benefit of their blind children. And when I checked in
afterwards to find out how the speech was received, the president of the group
said that one of the agency staff present said that I had set unrealistic
expectations and that we can’t all be “Super Blind”. So I had to explain that
blind people are a microcosm of society as a whole. You name it, we’ve got it!
Blind people doing a wide range of professions, some of us nicer than others,
some more ethical than others, and with a wide range of skills. In some cases,
our professions or attributes will gain us more attention than others, but
sighted people are no different. If someone eventually becomes Chief Executive
of their company, or President of the United States, I’ve never heard them
described as “Super Sighted”.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>We must believe in our
kids. In the United States, parents tell their children, “This is America, you
can be anything you want to be, even President.” Blind kids need to believe that
as well, because it’s true.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Incidentally, while
we’re on the subject of parenting, when my first child, a daughter, was born, I
had lots of people asking me, in sort of hushed, whispering tones, “Is she, you
know, like you?” This was an odd question to me since I’m clearly male and she
wasn’t dressed in pink to make any kind of political statement or anything, but
then I realized that they wanted to know if she was blind. When I’d answer the
question straight, that no, she was sighted, they’d sound relieved and say that
was great and she’d be able to look after me. And of course, once I retire, I
hope she will help keep me in the style to which I’ve become accustomed since
she’s now an electrical engineering student and I hope will earn lots of lovely
money, but I realized that if I could just find a way, there was an educational
opportunity here. There had to be a way for me to gently point out that
actually, blindness is OK. So I began answering the question by saying,
“Actually she’s sighted, but we love her just the same,” and that seemed to make
the point to most people.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>We’ve come a long way.
New Zealand, like the United States, now has legislation making discrimination
on the grounds of disability illegal. The incident I described with the radio
course couldn’t happen now. Of course, sometimes this causes the discrimination
to go underground and it’s harder to prove, but for the most part, it’s great
news. Yet such legislation is no panacea. It legally protects our right to equal
consideration and reasonable accommodation, but in a difficult job market, we
have to be prepared to put the work in. If we write poorly crafted job
applications riddled with spelling mistakes because we haven’t used a spell
checker, why are we surprised when nothing ever comes back? If we turn up to a
job interview and we’re not well presented, we don’t make an effort to try and
look at the person we’re talking to, we’re not ready to educate and try and put
people at ease, our hygiene is poor, then we can’t expect jobs to fall into our
lap and aren’t entitled to get frustrated at the world when nothing
happens.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>I’m sorry for the use
of what is clearly a buzz word, but when you believe in yourself, it really does
affect your personal brand. If you can imagine yourself in a role you really
want, then you start to act the part. You write more professionally, you conduct
yourself better. It’s hard to maintain that level of self-belief when the
rejection letters keep on coming in, sometimes because you were legitimately
beaten by a more suitable candidate, sometimes undoubtedly because you’re a
victim of inaccurate stereotypes, but if you don’t believe in yourself, how can
you expect others to believe in you?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>People who live life
boldly and daringly will fall short and make mistakes sometimes, but personally,
I’d rather go to my grave having made mistakes and learned from them, than be
tormented with a series of “what if” questions. The letter you don’t write, the
chance you don’t take, the phone call you decide not to make could be the one
that changes everything. The Beatles felt they were out of options, then an
obscure record label took them on and the world changed forever. A penniless
single mother wrote a book, sent it off, and was rejected by 12 publishers until
one company finally took her on, and published the first Harry Potter book.
Thomas Edison had many more failures than successes. What kept them going?
Belief. A belief that they had something to offer, even if others couldn’t see
it yet. And in the jobs that you do, you’re uniquely positioned not just to
provide valued, essential blindness services - you make sense of the need for
such services by fostering belief.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>So when the admin seems
unconquerable, you’re dealing with someone with whom you’re having difficulty
establishing a rapport, and it all starts to feel like a daily grind, take some
time to give yourself a pat on the back. You may sometimes feel like you’re
knocking your head against a brick wall with all the bureaucracy and some
difficult people, but you’re making a difference, and changing lives. It’s up to
each individual blind person to make a go of their own life in the end. Agencies
and the people who run them can only be facilitators, but when you believe in a
client, and you demonstrate that belief, you can help plant the seed of
self-belief, or re-enforce it when it’s at a low ebb. When you can have that
kind of impact on the world, it’s a very special thing.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Thank you for all you
do.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>In closing, please
accept my best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving
holiday.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 12pt"><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Daniel B.
Frye<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Executive
Director<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoSubtitle><B><U><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: windowtext'>Learning Lunch
Reminder: <o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>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 interim assistant, Christine Cooper, at
</SPAN><A href="mailto:Christine.Cooper@dhs.state.nj.us"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Christine.Cooper@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></A><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>***************************************************************************************************************************************************************<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Program
Administration – John C. Walsh, Chief<o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"
align=center><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act (WIOA): #5 – Vision 2020<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>The Council of State
Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), the membership organization
that represents all of the 80 state vocational rehabilitation agencies in the
United States, is preparing to celebrate the 100<SUP>th</SUP> anniversary of the
Public Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program in 2020. The VR
program has made significant advancements over the years to provide services and
programs to assist a diverse array of individuals with disabilities to gain
greater independence, community integration, and seek to achieve economic
self-sufficiency. It is truly an auspicious occasion to celebrate 100
years of opening doors of opportunity for individuals with
disabilities.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>The early beginnings of
the public vocational rehabilitation system occurred in response to the urgent
need for coordinated sets of services to assist soldiers who acquired
disabilities as a result of severe injuries incurred during their involvement in
America’s role in World War I, with the goal of assisting these individuals to
reenter the labor force. The Soldier Rehabilitation Act of 1918, earmarked
federal funds to provide these services. The Smith-Fess Act of 1920,
expanded those services to the public at large, and was the birth of the
Federal/State partnership to provide an array of services to individuals with
disabilities. The Social Security Act of 1935, made the Federal/State
vocational rehabilitation program permanent, and throughout the ensuing years
various iterations of federal legislation brought changes to the program, with
sweeping changes occurring in 1973 with the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, which still serves as the basis of this most valuable program.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 2014, is Title IV of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>CSAVR has begun
activities this year to implement a process of strategic planning to prepare for
the next reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act in 2020, and to develop broad
strategies to improve and strengthen our program that assists so many
individuals with disabilities. One of the first activities
undertaken by the staff of CSAVR is to disseminate a survey to staff within all
80 state vocational rehabilitation agencies and to perform an environmental scan
of what practices are occurring throughout the country. The Commission’s
administration will select a representative sample of 10% of our staff to
participate in the survey, to ensure that our voice is heard by this national
organization. The survey is due in mid-December, and will be
disseminated to selected staff within the next two weeks.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>As we enter this
holiday season, I am thankful to be a part of an organization that employs so
many exemplary, creative individuals who chose to dedicate their energies every
day to impact positive change for those we serve. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Thank you for your
dedication and service. I wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday
season. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Organizational
Logistics – Ines Matos, Chief</SPAN></U><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>New and Exciting News
from Technology! – Submitted by Colleen Faupel:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'> The Library Equal
Access Program (LEAP) began last year as a pilot project, wherein CBVI and the
NJ State Library Talking Book and Braille Center partnered to offer free
assistive technology classes for vision-impaired adults over 55 at multiple
libraries across the state. This year, new libraries have been added for a
current total of 7 libraries that include Johnson Public Library in Hackensack,
East Brunswick Public Library, Atlantic County Library in Mays Landing, Atlantic
City Free Public Library, Cherry Hill Public Library, Ocean County Library in
Toms River and the South Orange Public Library. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Classes successfully
began in September at these locations and will finish up their current session
in December. The instruction currently being offered includes the use of I-pads
with accessibility as well as computers using speech or magnification software.
No classes will be offered during the months of January and February, but the
LEAP program will resume in March through June also the Toms River library will
be piloting a few summer class options during the summer of 2017.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>One aspect of this
program that could be of benefit to both staff and consumers is that the
equipment at each of these libraries is available for use when the classes are
not in session. We recommend contacting libraries directly beforehand to be sure
the equipment is not being used by a class. It’s a great way to work with
consumers outside of their homes and work with them on using accessible systems
to perform job searches and other tasks. Staff at each of the libraries has been
given an introduction to the software so they can assist people with learning
the programs, although they are not equipped to provide training on how to use
the systems. However, consumers who have their own skills will be able to use
the computers and maintain their skills through practice after training if they
do not have access at home. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Local libraries
continue to be a valuable resource for the community, offering not only reading
materials, but also, information, training, and access to technology for patrons
across all skill levels and needs. CBVI’s partnership with these libraries is a
great way to get access into the communities’ across the state, while also
encouraging our consumers to take advantage of local resources. The LEAP is
another initiative that promotes self-sufficiency and independence.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>The 90 minute classes
are held once a week with a maximum of 4 students at each location. Depending on
demand, additional classes may need to be scheduled.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Anyone eligible and
interested in registering for LEAP should be encouraged to contact Advancing
Opportunities at: 888-322-1918, extension 595. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Fiscal Services –
Edward Szajdecki, Chief <o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>As we approach the
holiday season and the end of the calendar year 2016, it is worth mentioning two
loyal Fiscal team members, Fred Kothe (retirement) and Pauline Prygrocki (job
opportunity), who have left our agency in recent months. Although their efforts
and contributions to our Fiscal team will be greatly missed, opportunities arise
for others when staff move on. With that, we are very excited to welcome two
talented Accountants to the Fiscal team. Marc Rezabala and Paola Machuca have
recently been added to our staff, and are in the process of being trained in all
aspects of Fiscal Operations. We are looking forward to the contributions of
Marc and Paola to our existing team.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>I also would like to
personally acknowledge and thank each of the other Fiscal team members for their
loyalty, commitment, and hard work during this difficult time of transition.
With many challenges including, but not limited to, the necessity to take on
additional duties, they have continued to dedicate themselves to completing
their assignments with efficiency and professionalism. I applaud them for
the valued work they do to support CBVI staff and ultimately serve our
consumers. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Once the new staff
members are fully trained, we will announce the primary responsibilities for
each team member, with the goal of having them all being able to help in all
areas of this unit’s operations. Until that time, please continue to contact
Teresa, Jim, or myself if you have not received a specific communication from
any team member regarding a previous issue. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>For your reference, the
contact information of each Fiscal team member is listed below:
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Ed Szajdecki<SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d">
</SPAN></SPAN><A href="mailto:edward.szajdecki@dhs.state.nj.us"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>edward.szajdecki@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></A><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>
</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>973-648-2396<SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Jim
Kopcho
</SPAN><A href="mailto:james.kopcho@dhs.state.nj.us"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>james.kopcho@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></A><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>
</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>973-648-2275<SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Teresa
Weissert
</SPAN><A href="mailto:teresa.weissert@dhs.state.nj.us"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>teresa.weissert@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></A><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>
</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>973-648-4798<SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Paola
Machuca
</SPAN><A href="mailto:paola.machuca@dhs.state.nj.us"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>paola.machuca@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></A><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>
</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>973-648-2541<SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Marc
Rezabala
</SPAN><A href="mailto:marc.rezabala@dhs.state.nj.us"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>marc.rezabala@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></A><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>
</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>973-648-3126<SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Carmen
Brown
</SPAN><A href="mailto:carmen.brown@dhs.state.nj.us"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>carmen.brown@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></A><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>
</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>973-648-2742<SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Luz
Valverde
</SPAN><A href="mailto:luzdary.valverde@dhs.state.nj.us"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>luzdary.valverde@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></A><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>
</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>973-648-4314<SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>On behalf of our team,
we wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and a healthy, safe and joyous holiday
season! <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 12pt"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Human Resources
– Hugo Ruiz, Manager<o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"
align=center><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>WHAT IS TITLE
VII?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson
during the height of the early civil rights movement, is the principal federal
anti-discrimination law. It is codified at 42 <I>U.S.C. </I>Sec.
2000e-2000e (17) and covers the activities of employers (public and private
sector), labor unions, and employment agencies.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>The protected
categories under Title VII are the following:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>Race<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>Color<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>Religion<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>National
origin<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>Sex<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>In addition, five kinds
of activities can constitute unlawful discrimination under Title VII. They
are:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>Disparate
Treatment: Overt or intentional classifications that disfavor employees or
applicants on the basis of any of the above-listed protected categories.
Example: Requiring three years’ experience to promote Whites in comparison
to requiring five years’ experience to promote Non-Whites.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>Disparate
Impact: A facially neutral practice, not necessarily adopted in order to
discriminate but which nevertheless has an unfavorable effect on a group
protected by Title VII. For instance, a lender’s requirement that
borrowers demonstrate a certain length of employment history may seem reasonable
and neutral on its face, but it might in fact have a disparate impact on people
with disabilities whose full-time employment history could be limited, even
though an individual with a disability may have enough income to cover loan
payments. Another example would be a weight-carrying requirement for
certain jobs (such as fire personnel) that has a disparate impact on women who
cannot meet the same requirement.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>Perpetuation
of past discrimination. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>Failure
to make a reasonable accommodation to an employee’s religious needs, such as
allowing an employee to get someone else to “cover” for work duties on the
employee’s Sabbath would be a reasonable accommodation.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo2"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>Retaliation
against employees who file charges or otherwise exercise their rights.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>One area where
employers are allowed to discriminate is when a “bona fide occupational
qualification” (BFOQ) is required for the job, even when the BFOQ results in a
disadvantage to one of the protected groups, except for race. A BFOQ, for
instance, are mandatory retirement ages for bus drivers, airline pilots, or
other employees involved in public safety occupations like police and fire
personnel. This this impacts age, an area covered by the federal Age
Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which will be addressed in a future
issue of the <I>Commission Edition</I>. A clothing company hiring only male
models to advertise men’s clothing would be another BFOQ. However, BFOQs,
as noted above, are never a defense to allegations of racial
discrimination. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Title VII also
encompasses the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, an amendment to Title VII
requiring that women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical
conditions receive treatment equal to that of other employees. It
prohibits sex discrimination on the basis of pregnancy.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>The important thing to
remember is that in the area of employment, Title VII protects against
discrimination of protected categories in all areas of the employment
relationship, that is, hiring, job duties, compensation, training, promotion,
and firing. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act under Title VII and the
ADEA prohibit employment discrimination, as noted above, based on pregnancy and
age.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>One final point, these
federal laws do not preempt state statutes that provide protection to employees
based on additional protected categories, such as the New Jersey Law Against
Discrimination, which will also be the subject matter of a future Human
Resources article. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>As always, please bring
any questions or concerns to our Human Resources Office. Our staff is here
to provide you with all the assistance you need. My telephone number is (973)
648-2412 and fax number is (973) 648-3419.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Vocational Rehabilitation and Transition
Services – Amanda Gerson, Coordinator <o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"
align=center><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Youth
Employment Solutions <o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>The
Y</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1a1a1a'>outh
Employment Solutions (YES) is a program currently being piloted in partnership
with The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) to service selected individuals, who have
previously attended the Work Skills Preparation Program (WSP) while in high
school, and have since graduated. As per the new regulations of The Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Commission's Customized Employment
Initiative, TCNJ staff are continuing to work with former WSP participants (who
we are referring to as "job seekers") to support them as they work toward their
employment goals. </SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Through
Customized Employment approaches and person-centered planning provided by the
YES Support Specialists, it is intended that the VR staff and partnered job
coaching agencies will be better prepared with more resources to support job
seekers in competitive, integrated employment settings. </SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1a1a1a'> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1a1a1a'>The
support specialist will engage the job seeker in the “discovery” process, using
strategies that prove effective for individuals with intellectual and
developmental disabilities. Under a 90-day contract, the support specialists lay
the foundation of job development, ensuring deliverables are in place (i.e. the
Person-Centered Planning Tool, visual resume, and list of potential job leads)
to document progress during this time and facilitating the customized employment
planning meeting. Additional milestones are created beyond this
90-day period for support specialists to continue the customized employment job
development and retention to secure successful, gainful employment. Also, if
significant support needs are identified around navigating and securing DDD,
SSI, Medicaid, and other relevant non-CBVI services, TCNJ can help connect the
job seeker and his/her family to a YES program social worker.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1a1a1a'>Most,
if not all, WSP job seekers are suitable for Supported Employment (SE) services
and should also be working with a job coach affiliated with a SE agency in
partnership with CBVI. The goal is to work together since the support
specialist does not supplant the efforts/work of the job coach from the SE
agency at all. The goal is for the support specialist to do the discovery
process to help support the job coach with job development and raise awareness
of greater potential. The support specialist will also serve as a resource
to the SE job coach, providing relevant information regarding the supports the
consumer will need to be successful. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: #1a1a1a'>Working
with CBVI VRCs to support their caseload and teaming up with the SE agency to
support job development will hopefully lead to greater outcomes. </SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>If a
consumer from a VR counselor’s caseload has been chosen to participate in this
pilot program, TCNJ staff will send an email with a copy to their supervisor so
the process can begin. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Submitted by Victoria
Jarosz:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'> The Deaf-Blind
Specialists had the unique opportunity to attend the 2016 International
Deaf-Blind Expo (IDBE) in Orlando, Florida, this past August. The event
</SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>focused
on community partnerships for deaf-blind individuals and professionals working
with those consumers. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>This is
only the second time IDBE occurred; this event was *first presented in August
2014. The 2016 theme and focus - <I>Community</I> <I>Partnerships Without
Barriers. </I>With the increased use of technology, social media, and awareness,
deaf-blind individuals are seeking solutions to increasing their knowledge and
education in these important and prevalent areas. </SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>This
four-day expo </SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>entailed
deaf-blind speakers hosting extensive workshops regarding innovative technology,
Federal programs, such as the I-Can Connect (ICC) program, and State programs,
such as Support Service Provider (SSP). We were able to compare how
deaf-blind services vary from state-to-state and found that New Jersey is one of
a very few states in the country with an active SSP program for deaf-blind
consumers.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>The
deaf-blind community and other invested individuals advocated for leaders within
their community to help consumers access necessary supports and services; in
fact, advocacy and communication access were of primary focus throughout each
day. Participants had the opportunity to discuss communication and
technology issues in groups and troubleshoot what solutions could be
explored. Each day of the event, time was set aside for individuals to
meet with vendors of different products to explore new technology that was
tailored to the needs of the deaf-blind community. There were also different
organizations and programs represented to ensure that each deaf-blind consumer
had access to the information. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>One of
the unique aspects of this event was watching how communication was provided to
each person, whether they needed tactile (touch) ASL, close range ASL, visual
ASL, English, or large print closed-captioning. Another important factor
is that this event brought together a community of people who are often
isolated. <STRONG><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; FONT-WEIGHT: normal'>Opportunities for
accessible information gathering and socialization on the scale of this
international expo are not often presented in the deaf-blind community. This
rare, yet, hands-on expo, offered an educational and collaborative experience to
both the deaf-blind consumers and the professionals working with those
consumers.</SPAN></STRONG><B><o:p></o:p></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>On Saturday, October
29<SUP>th</SUP>, DB-Can hosted a deaf-blind technology expo at Montclair State
University. CBVI’s Deaf-Blind Unit had the opportunity to represent the agency
at a resource
table
demonstrating a variety of independent living and large print items. We also
<SPAN style="COLOR: black">provided informational literature on CBVI services
and programs and referral information for new clients.</SPAN>
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>*Editor’s Note: I know
of at least one other International Deaf-Blind Expo which was hosted and
presented by the Commission, at Montclair State University in 1985. More
information on this chapter in CBVI’s history will be shared in a future
issue.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Educational
Services – Eva Scott, Director of Blindness Education<o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"
align=center><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>“To the world you may
be one person; but to one person, you may be the
world.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing style="TEXT-ALIGN: right" align=right><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Dr.
Seuss<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Training for
Para-Educators</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>: In follow-up to
Blindness Education’s Annual Teachers’ Symposium, our teachers presented two
full-day workshops for school-based para-educators who provide in-class and
in-school support to our Braille readers. These workshops were offered on
October 26<SUP>th</SUP> and October 28<SUP>th</SUP> and were attended by 48
para-educators from across the state. These workshops offered a professional
development opportunity focused on the full array of tasks necessary to ensure
that Braille users/learners have accessible material and use their skills of
independence. Anyone who has worked in Blindness Education understands the
importance of well-trained para-educators because they are an integral part of
implementing reasonable accommodations. The training of these individuals
is regularly provided through consultation from our teachers within the school
environment and annually during workshops such as those offered at the end of
October.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Mentorship of Novice
Teachers and Internship</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>: Each academic year,
the Blindness Education Unit files a plan for Novice Teacher Mentorship and
Induction into the teaching profession. As one would expect, our
mentorship and induction program at CBVI focuses exclusively on mentoring and
inducting candidates for the standard certificate for Teacher of Blind or
Visually Impaired Students. Mentorship and induction into the teaching
profession is an important part of a novice teacher’s post graduate
education. The program provides the novice teacher with an opportunity to
be welcomed into the profession as he or she works with a competent and
experienced mentor teacher who has been formally trained in a manner specified
by the New Jersey Department of Education. Recently, two of our novice
teachers from the Newark Service Center completed their formal mentorship as
provisional Teachers of Blind or Visually Impaired Students. This formal
mentorship program is the first step in earning the standard teaching
certificate. Also, during the current semester, a Kutztown University
student is completing her TVI internship with a cooperating teacher from our
Freehold Service Center. This student’s internship will be completed
sometime during January 2017. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>We believe that the
provision of internship opportunities within our CBVI Blindness Education Unit
is important for several reasons. The interns benefit from a quality
experience in the delivery of exemplary TVI services in a vibrant itinerant
program such as ours. Also, as educators, we are able to contribute to the
advancement of our profession by fostering in the interns, the full range of
recognized competencies necessary to become an effective TVI within the
itinerant framework of service delivery. Finally, when teaching positions
become available within CBVI, we are expanding our existing pool of qualified
candidates.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Farewell, Peggy and
Welcome Back, Michael!: </SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>On October
28<SUP>th</SUP>, the Blindness Education Unit and many other CBVI
staff bid farewell to Margaret “Peggy” Bruno on the milestone of her retirement
from New Jersey state service. Peggy was an Education Supervisor in the
Freehold Service Center, who began her work at CBVI ten years ago as a
teacher. A few years later, she became one of two Education Supervisors
for teachers serving Central New Jersey. She was a kind, talented, and
capable supervisor, who will be missed. I would like to express my deepest
gratitude to Peggy for her years of excellent service to Blindness Education,
and I wish her all the best in retirement. May she spend many precious
hours of quality time with her husband, their children, and their
grandchildren. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>On October
31<SUP>st</SUP> Blindness Education welcomed back Michael Colucci, who has been
an Education Supervisor in the Freehold Service Center, also serving our
teachers in Central New Jersey for the past twelve years. We are very
happy to have Michael back with us in Blindness Education.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>The Statewide Staff
Development Seminar – A Personal Perspective: </SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>On November
3<SUP>rd</SUP>, I had the opportunity to attend my first CBVI Statewide Staff
Development Seminar. For me this was a wonderful and worthwhile
event. On a day-to-day basis I am able to hear about and witness much of
the amazing work that goes on at CBVI, but when the entire staff is gathered
together, as it was on November 3<SUP>rd</SUP>, my understanding of what we do
is solidified and reinforced. Our agency may be small in size, but it is
enormous in terms of the impact upon our consumers. The care and
dedication of everyone at CBVI is evident both in our separate locations, within
our service units and also when we are gathered together in the larger
group. Everyone has an important role to play in serving our
consumers. As I listened to my colleagues during the activities on
November 3<SUP>rd</SUP>, once again I am reminded of how thankful I am to know
and work with such a wonderful group of people.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>George F. Meyer
Instructional Resource Center – Submitted by Christine Hinton, Deputy Director
of Blindness Education: </SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>The Blindness Education
Unit is happy to introduce two new employees assigned to the Braille Department
of the Meyer Center:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Lauren
Atari</SPAN></I></B><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'> </SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>is an in-house
transcriber for the education unit and has many years of experience working with
students who use braille as a reading and writing medium. Lauren is a
graduate of Rutgers University and has knowledge of Microsoft Office, Duxbury
Braille Translation System, Kurzweil, Scientific Notebook, creating tactual
drawings and is now learning Braille 2000 and tactual drawings creation using
the Everest Embosser.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Kevon
Smith</SPAN></I></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'> who has worked with
CBVI for the last few years, started with CBVI as an Aide. Kevon is
currently studying to obtain an engineering degree and has strong computer and
organizational skills that have proved to be a great contribution to the Meyer
Center Team’s ability to process and troubleshoot braille book
orders.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>To meet the needs of
students served by CBVI, the Meyer Center Team is working to improve services
with the following initiatives:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>A
Braille Embossing Station</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>
where multiple braille projects can be embossed
simultaneously.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>The
Meyer Center Electronic Library</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>
with the help of MIS teachers will be able to view the electronic book files
both large print and Braille that have been compiled both by the Braille and
large print departments. There are over 1000 book files. This library will
debut in the beginning of the year.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>In-House
Braille Curriculums</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>
(Start Tall, Discovering Braille and others) will soon be available in
UEB.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Lastly during this
season of Thanksgiving I would like to personally thank and applaud the entire
Meyer Center team for all of their hard work and dedication. It is their
work that supports both CBVI teachers and the students served by CBVI helping
students to become successful in school and in their community.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Happy Thanksgiving and
best wishes for a joyous holiday season!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNoSpacing><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Independent
Living & Clinical Services – Elizabeth DeShields,
Coordinator<o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>The
Assistive Support Programs for Independence, Renewal and Education (ASPIRE) held
its second annual group facilitators’ workshops on November 16<SUP>th </SUP>and
17<SUP>th</SUP> at two separate locations to accommodate those from the Northern
and Southern Regions. These trainings, titled “Keeping Your Support Group
Positive” were led by Susan Vanino, Support Program Coordinator, and I had the
pleasure of assisting her. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>In
attendance were 35 group facilitators of the 42 peer support groups currently
meeting in 20 counties throughout the state. CBVI Executive Director, Dan Frye,
addressed the facilitators, expressing the value of peer support groups and the
important role that the facilitators have in leading these groups in a positive
direction.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>The
facilitators participated in a full day that was devoted to networking and
learning new skills and techniques for leading positive peer support groups.
Throughout the day the workshop concentrated on ASPIRE Network goals:
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph
style="BACKGROUND: white; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; COLOR: black"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Positivity:
</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>How to
keep the groups moving in a forward motion; how to handle those who want to
monopolize the group<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph
style="BACKGROUND: white; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; COLOR: black"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Support:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'> Leaning
on other group members who are encouraging and can share their
experiences<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph
style="BACKGROUND: white; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; COLOR: black"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Educational
Resources: </SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Inviting
speakers, searching the internet; reaching out to established national
organizations<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph
style="BACKGROUND: white; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; COLOR: black"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Enhancing
Independence:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>
Empowering group participants as role models; referring to CBVI; becoming self-
advocates<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph
style="BACKGROUND: white; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; COLOR: black"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Socializing:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'> Ideas
for planning additional opportunities for socializing; trips, touch tours, group
meetings, shopping centers<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph
style="BACKGROUND: white; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: symbol; COLOR: black"><SPAN
style="mso-list: ignore">·<SPAN
style='FONT: 7pt "Times New Roman"'>
</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Networking:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>
Combining groups; having facilitator meetings.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>This
interactive workshop included peer group simulation activities that provided
opportunities for the facilitators to network, troubleshoot group issues, and
learn from one another to enhance their leadership skills.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>For
information about groups listed in the ASPIRE Network, the ASPIRE directory is
now on our Intranet. You can search for a group by region or county. After
choosing the desired group, more information about that group is listed such as
meeting dates, times, and contact information. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>For
additional information about ASPIRE please contact Susan Vanino at 973-648-2821
or email<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><A
href="mailto:susan.vanino@dhs.state.nj.us"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>susan.vanino@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></A><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>
.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>I wish
you all a Happy Thanksgiving.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 12pt"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Joseph Kohn
Training Center – Del Basha, Manager<o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>The staff
of the JKTC periodically offers tours and presentations to outside groups. At
times, they also get an opportunity to interact with different organizations
that work with CBVI consumers. Recently some JKTC professionals were able to
participate in this type of useful collaboration: <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Spreading
the Word About JKTC and O & M - Submitted by Melissa Durnan, JKTC
Orientation & Mobility Specialist: </SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>On
November 7<SUP>th</SUP>, the JKTC hosted a group of job coaches and job
developers from CVR (Center for Vocational Rehabilitation) and Project HIRE.
These two organizations connect individuals with disabilities to employment
opportunities in their communities. Five JKTC staff from five
different disciplines (O&M, Braille, Technology, Activities of Daily Living,
and Career Counseling), presented information about their specific areas of
expertise to visitors from CVR and Project HIRE. The presentation
was designed to give the visitors a better understanding of the types of skills
taught at the JKTC and how those skills can transfer to a workplace
environment. In addition, the visitors learned how they as job coaches can
contribute to the success of clients with vision impairments, when supporting
them at job sites. Specific attention was given to the area of O&M, as
some CVR and Project HIRE employees had never worked with vision-impaired
individuals, and therefore had never been exposed to O&M instruction.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>The
presenting O&M specialist gave a brief history of the O&M profession and
provided examples of the different types of consumers, young and old, who might
work with an O&M instructor. She also demonstrated proper human guide
technique, to better prepare the job coaches for situations when they may need
to assist clients in accessing and navigating their worksites. At the same
time, the instructor emphasized the importance of using descriptive language
when orienting someone to a new area (i.e. specifying “left” and “right,”
as opposed to “over there” and “that way”), to help that person build his or her
mental map. Finally, the mobility specialist spent time discussing two
possible mobility aids a person might use: a long cane and a guide dog.
During this discussion, a folding cane by Ambutech was passed around. This
offered the job coaches an idea of what the cane felt like and the instructor
then provided an overview of how a client might use it for surface preview and
obstacle detection. The O & M specialist also explained how to
appropriately interact with a guide dog on harness, to ensure it is not
distracted from the task at hand.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Although
the above-described O&M presentation was brief and certainly not
all-inclusive, it made the audience more aware of a specialized practice that is
unknown to many. Even attendees who had worked with vision-impaired people
in the past indicated that they learned at least one new piece of information,
which they can now share with colleagues and potential job sites, as they
continue to open doors for the individuals they serve.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Schedule
A Hiring Initiative - Submitted by Ed Kawalec, JKTC VR Counselor:
</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>On
November 9<SUP>th</SUP>, I accompanied a current JKTC student to a workshop
regarding the process of pursuing employment with a Federal agency or Federal
contractor, through the Schedule A hiring initiative. The workshop took
place at the DVRS office in Camden, and it included guidance on constructing a
Federal resume, interviewing tips, the importance of having official college
transcripts, the Schedule A certification letter, and hearing about the
successful Schedule A experience of a DVRS consumer. The workshop served
as an example of the valuable partnership between DVRS and CBVI, which can
benefit both consumers and the employment community. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>“Playing” it Forward –
Submitted by</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'> <B>Ragan Van Campen
and Alyssa Goldman, JKTC Braille Instructors: </B>Learning is easiest when it is
fun. You can avoid a <I>stale B</I>raille situation by incorporating smartphones
of consumers into their Braille code study. When balanced with tactile
discrimination exercises and Braille writing instruction, it can enhance the
overall Braille learning experience.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>A recent JKTC graduate,
Kimberley, has led many fellow students with low vision to use their technology
in a new way. Instead of hunting for Pokemon, she has inspired a new
Braille study option. On an independent quest to augment her own study,
Kim discovered one of several Braille code tutoring applications available
through Google Play. She plans on sharing her skills that she has learned
at the JKTC with others in the future in the best spirit of “paying it
forward.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>The Braille Tutor
application that she chose is simple to use, able to be customized to the level
of study, and has clear bold graphics. It can be set to contracted or
un-contracted, and includes UEB contractions. It is a fun additional practice
for persons with some residual vision learning the Literary Braille code.
There are several different applications like this one available through the
Appstore for iPhone users and Google Play for Android
users.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Kim, who had no
experience with the Braille code prior to her work at the JKTC, has encouraged
many of her current adult age peer students to experience the game on a
smartphone. She herself has logged over 130,000 turns and counting.
She has mastered the un-contracted Literary EBAE Braille Code, including numbers
and all punctuation and basic literary indicator signs. She is currently
learning the contracted code.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 12pt"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Business
Enterprises of New Jersey – Deacon Truesdale, Manager
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>The Food and Drug
Administration’s concern about everyone being better informed on the food
choices that they make has initiated a new requirement. Beginning on December 1,
2016, any BENJ Manager responsible for the operation of 20 or more vending
machines must comply with the new FDA Calorie Disclosure Rule. Any article
of food sold from a vending machine automatically meets the rule, but is exempt
from other means of disclosure if the prospective customer can view the
calories, serving size, and servings per container listed in the Nutrition Facts
label without any obstruction. This will require that the information be
displayed in clear and conspicuously in close proximity to the article of food
or selection button. Vending operators may make electronic reproductions of the
Nutrition Facts labels, the information can be displayed on a sign adjacent to
the vending machine, front of a package, or an electronic display.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 12pt"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Regional
Updates</SPAN></U><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></H1>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">Northern Service
Region – John Reiff, Manager</SPAN></U><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>We want to acknowledge,
EHN Lisa Venezia who just retired after 10 years with CBVI. Her many friends
honored her with a farewell gathering and light refreshments here on the fifth
floor on October 31<SUP>st</SUP>. We also want to recognize long time O&M
Instructor, Claire Piasecki, who will be retiring this month. She has been a
mobility mainstay in the Newark office for 31 years and will be missed by all.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>A manager’s perspective
on case reviews:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'> A case review is
something that a case manager and supervisor should conduct together. It may
involve looking at every case on a caseload or selected cases. It leads to
the identification of the health of a caseload and how well it is being
managed. Some key evaluative measures that may be considered include time
in status, date of last face-to-face contact as well as most recent date of
other types of contact, timeliness and regularity of documentation, the number
of cases for whom services have been completed but who have yet to be closed and
the actions that need to be taken for each case. The case review process
also affords an opportunity for the service providing professional and
supervisor to brainstorm challenging cases. It is an invaluable tool, sort of
like looking at the forest and the individual trees at the same
time.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 0in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: 12.0pt"><U><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext">Southern Region – Jack Thompson,
Manager</SPAN></U><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Journey to Independence
– Submitted by Laurel Leigh:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'> When assessing a
school-aged student for O&M, the long term goal of future independence
drives the development of the program necessary to reach the ultimate goal
beyond high school, whether the student is moving on to work or college. The
following are two examples of O&M instruction targeting the future
independence of the students involved. Both examples are descriptions of
O&M instruction that took place during the summer of 2016:
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>In August, two middle
school students both cane users, had an opportunity for exposure to various
forms of public transportation and urban travel during a one day trip to
Philadelphia. Prior to the trip each student had the opportunity to
participate in the planning. One student chose Philadelphia as the
destination and the other chose where to have lunch. The student who made
the choice for the lunch location was given the names and websites for 3
locations and was asked to research them and make a choice. With her
mother’s help, she reviewed the 3 and chose a burger place inside the Reading
Terminal Market. The trip involved travel to Philadelphia via NJ Transit
Regional Rail to Lindenwold and then Light Rail on PATCO into Center City.
The students were accompanied by their mothers and one grandmother. On the
platform they used the ticket vending machines, previewed the train platform,
and reviewed safety skills before the train arrived. Once on the train, they
were reminded of the name of the destination station and then they were able to
enjoy the ride. As various teachable moments came up I explained things
like how to listen to the announcements, the names of the various towns, and I
also answered their questions. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>At PATCO, they had to
swipe their tickets for entry and exit through the turn styles, use escalators,
navigate a platform located between 2 tracks as well as a different layout
inside the trains. They were quite surprised when they found themselves
traveling backward and both said they felt like they were on a roller
coaster. At the Reading Terminal Market they ordered, paid and enjoyed
their lunches. We then took a city bus to a famous ice cream parlor where
they ordered and purchased their ice cream before heading back to the
train. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>While traveling in the
city they experienced supervised street crossings and walking parallel to noisy
traffic, something relatively new to both of them, especially since they were
expected to walk on their own using their canes with little to no guiding.
Although neither student will be actively using public transportation
independently for another couple of years, this trip certainly helped each of
them better understand how people get around when they don’t have someone to
drive them, and they are both more motivated to learn to use para-transit and
their local bus system.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Also during August, I
spent several weeks with a recent high school graduate on familiarization to
their local community college campus. Despite having been fairly
independent in high school, this student expressed a high level of anxiety when
faced with this new environment. We worked on the basic routes to two classes
and back to the transportation drop-off/pick-up location. Despite many
days of frustration, this student’s comment to me at the end of the first week
of classes was “Mobility is fine for me…I really hate college though. I’m
sick of the math.” By week two, the student reported that even the
problems with adjusting to college math were working out! This student is
currently doing well in the first semester of college and also has a paid job in
the college disabilities office. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>In describing the
O&M instruction provided to these three students I believe that although the
details may vary, the overall instructional experience base is crucial to each
stage of educational development. The middle school students are both
traveling independently in their schools and both have begun community-based
instruction after school. The college student now loves college and no
longer wishes to return to the secure world of high school. Also, this
college student would not have been ready to face this major milestone if not
for a solid base in literacy and academics as well as the ongoing hours of
O&M instruction along with the high expectations of the family and teachers
who set realistic expectations. All of these factors together have prepared this
student to move forward and not back away from the future.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 12pt"><U><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: windowtext; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%'>New
or Noteworthy<o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 6pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Lions
Clubs International is the world’s largest service club association with over
1.35 million male and female members in over 46,000 clubs in over 200 countries
and geographic areas. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Founded
in Chicago, Illinois, in 1917, by businessman Melvin Jones, the members have
always dedicated themselves to community-services and meeting humanitarian
needs. In 1925, at their international convention in Ohio, Helen Keller
challenged the members to be "The Knights of the Blind”. Since then the Lions
have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for people who are blind
and vision-impaired. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>In 1920,
the first New Jersey Lions Club was chartered in Camden and "We Serve" became
the association's official motto in 1954. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Through
the SightFirst initiative launched in 1990, the Lions have applied over $346
million to sight preservation in many countries by targeting and treating the
world’s major causes of blindness: trachoma, river blindness, diabetic
retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>It is
however important to note that the Lions Clubs of New Jersey began working with
the NJ Commission for the Blind on the prevention of blindness in the 1940s when
the Commission’s Eye Health Service Unit was formally established under the
supervision of the late Emma Howe. Shortly thereafter the nation’s first
traveling eye unit and glaucoma registry were organized here in NJ.
</SPAN><SPAN style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>These
services have continued to grow over the years and currently Project BEST uses
the most sophisticated tools available to detect sight-threatening conditions,
promote sight conservation, and save sight when it is medically possible.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Project BEST s<SPAN
class=maintext>ervices include: vision screening for preschool and school-age
children; monthly or semi-monthly eye screenings at more than 28 fixed sites all
over the state; on-site screening at institutions and in communities; special
diabetic detection and awareness programs; and other specialized eye screening
programs which target historically underserved sectors of the population (i.e.
low income, minorities, the elderly, migrant farm workers, and individuals with
special needs).</SPAN> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Verdana",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><IMG
id=Picture_x0020_1 border=0 src="cid:B862B3C489BD4206998E6B05CE09764D@JoeHP"
width=313 height=272></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Verdana",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Verdana",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>(Photo
of The Commission’s Mobile Eye Screening Unit – 1950s)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="BACKGROUND: white; PAGE-BREAK-AFTER: avoid; TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: 18pt"
align=center><A
href="http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2016/06/nj_girl_to_compete_in_national_braille_competition.html#comments"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; BACKGROUND: #0582ff; COLOR: windowtext; LETTER-SPACING: 0.15pt'>comments</SPAN></B></A><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif; LETTER-SPACING: 0.15pt'>
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="MARGIN-TOP: 0.25in"><U><SPAN style="COLOR: windowtext">The Last
Words<o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>“At times our own light
goes out and needs to be rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us
has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have helped re-light the
flame within us.”</SPAN></I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'> Albert
Schweitzer<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<DIV
style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 3pt dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; mso-element: para-border-div">
<P class=MsoNormal
style="BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in"><I><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></I> </P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Please send items or
suggestions for the next issue of the <I>Commission Edition</I> by or before 11
a.m., Wednesday, December 14, 2016:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><A
href="mailto:Pamela.Gaston@dhs.state.nj.us"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Pamela.Gaston@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></B></A><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'> and </SPAN></B><A
href="mailto:Bernice.Davis@dhs.state.nj.us"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'>Bernice.Davis@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></B></A><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'> </SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<DIV>
<DIV
style="BORDER-TOP: #e1e1e1 1pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 3pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in">
<P class=MsoNormal><B>From:</B> joe ruffalo [mailto:nfbnj1@verizon.net]
<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, November 21, 2016 8:17 PM<BR><B>To:</B> Brian Mackey
<bmackey88@gmail.com>; joe ruffalo
<nfbnj1@verizon.net><BR><B>Subject:</B> need in the body Fw: November 2016
Commission Edition<o:p></o:p></P></DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">Brian, need in
the body.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">We care. We
share. We grow. We make a difference<BR>Joe Ruffalo, President <BR>National
Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>973 743 0075<BR><A
href="mailto:nfbnj1@verizon.net">nfbnj1@verizon.net</A><BR>Your old car keys can
be keys to literacy for the blind.<BR>Donate your unwanted vehicle to us by
clicking <BR><A
href="http://www.carshelpingtheblind.org">www.carshelpingtheblind.org</A> <BR>or
call 855 659 9314<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>From:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'> <A
title=Daniel.Frye@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:Daniel.Frye@dhs.state.nj.us">Daniel.Frye@dhs.state.nj.us</A>
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Sent:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'> Monday,
November 21, 2016 6:13 PM<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>To:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'> <A
title=CBVI.AllUsers@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:CBVI.AllUsers@dhs.state.nj.us">CBVI.AllUsers@dhs.state.nj.us</A>
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Cc:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'> <A
title=Dawn.Apgar@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:Dawn.Apgar@dhs.state.nj.us">Dawn.Apgar@dhs.state.nj.us</A> ; <A
title=Patricia.Guyton@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:Patricia.Guyton@dhs.state.nj.us">Patricia.Guyton@dhs.state.nj.us</A>
; <A title=Nicole.Brossoie@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:Nicole.Brossoie@dhs.state.nj.us">Nicole.Brossoie@dhs.state.nj.us</A>
; <A title=Ellen.Lovejoy@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:Ellen.Lovejoy@dhs.state.nj.us">Ellen.Lovejoy@dhs.state.nj.us</A> ;
<A title=Elizabeth.Connolly@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:Elizabeth.Connolly@dhs.state.nj.us">Elizabeth.Connolly@dhs.state.nj.us</A>
; <A title=Valerie.J.Harr@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:Valerie.J.Harr@dhs.state.nj.us">Valerie.J.Harr@dhs.state.nj.us</A>
; <A title=Joseph.Amoroso@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:Joseph.Amoroso@dhs.state.nj.us">Joseph.Amoroso@dhs.state.nj.us</A>
; <A title=Christopher.Bailey@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:Christopher.Bailey@dhs.state.nj.us">Christopher.Bailey@dhs.state.nj.us</A>
; <A title=David.Alexander@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:David.Alexander@dhs.state.nj.us">David.Alexander@dhs.state.nj.us</A>
; <A title=Nancy.Day@dhs.state.nj.us
href="mailto:Nancy.Day@dhs.state.nj.us">Nancy.Day@dhs.state.nj.us</A>
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke"><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>Subject:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma",sans-serif; COLOR: black'>
November 2016 Commission Edition<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Colleagues:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Please find attached the November
2016 issue of the <I>Commission Edition</I>, the monthly newsletter of the New
Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI or Commission). This
Thanksgiving release of our internal publication conveys, in so many ways, an
array of items for which we at CBVI should feel considerable pride and
substantial gratitude. A review of this month’s content demonstrates that the
Commission is a vibrant and engaged organization, working hard to achieve our
mission for the benefit of our blind, vision-impaired, and deaf-blind consumers
and New Jersey’s community of potential employers.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black">I invite and encourage all of you
to carefully read the text of the keynote address that was delivered by Jonathan
Mosen during our biannual Statewide Staff Development Seminar on Thursday,
November 3, 2016; his address captures the very essence of why CBVI operates and
exists.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black">As always, I owe a debt of
gratitude to Pamela Gaston and Bernice Davis for their assistance with editing,
proofing, and formatting our newsletter. Staff are again encouraged to submit
your own ideas and writing for potential inclusion in future issues of the
<I>Commission Edition;</I> your creative thoughts will add meaning and substance
to our publication, as we chronicle our work.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black">IN closing, please accept my best
wishes for an excellent and relaxing Thanksgiving. May this holiday prove to be
a meaningful time of reflection, reunion, and rejuvenation for us all. Please
know that I am appreciative of our entire staff for the hard work that you each
undertake on behalf of those we serve; thank you.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black">With Kind
Regards,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="COLOR: black"> </SPAN><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Verdana",sans-serif; COLOR: black'><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<TABLE class=MsoNormalTable style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; COLOR: #000000"
cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR style="HEIGHT: 103.9pt">
<TD
style="HEIGHT: 103.9pt; WIDTH: 1.25in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt"
width=120>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><IMG id=_x0000_i1025
border=0 alt="Description: Description: New Jersey State Seal"
src="cid:ADD8C0B6EEEB42698166EE4AB2A6B499@JoeHP" width=109
height=113></SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></TD>
<TD
style="HEIGHT: 103.9pt; WIDTH: 296.55pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-TOP: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt"
width=395>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Verdana",sans-serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>Daniel
B. Frye, J.D.</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Verdana",sans-serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>Executive
Director</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Baskerville Old Face"; COLOR: #1f497d'>State
of New Jersey</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: #76923c'>D</SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; FONT-VARIANT: small-caps; COLOR: #76923c'>epartment</SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: #76923c'>
</SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; FONT-VARIANT: small-caps; COLOR: #76923c'>of
</SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: #76923c'>H</SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; FONT-VARIANT: small-caps; COLOR: #76923c'>uman
Services</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: #76923c'>C</SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; FONT-VARIANT: small-caps; COLOR: #76923c'>OMMISSION
</SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; COLOR: #76923c'>FOR
THE BLIND </SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; COLOR: #76923c'>AND
<SPAN style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase">VISUALLY IMPAIRED
</SPAN></SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>153
Halsey Street, 6<SUP>th</SUP> Floor, P.O. Box 47017</SPAN></B><SPAN
style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>Newark,
NJ 07101</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>Office:
(973) 648-2324 ● Mobile: 973-951-1156 ● Fax: (973)
648-7364</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif; COLOR: #1f497d'>Email:
</SPAN></B><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><A
href="mailto:Daniel.Frye@dhs.state.nj.us" target=_blank><B><SPAN
style='FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman",serif'>Daniel.Frye@dhs.state.nj.us</SPAN></B></A></SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black">
<HR align=center SIZE=2 width="100%">
</SPAN></DIV>
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