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<p class="MsoNormal">Hello everyone,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The idea of doing away with Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (BBVS) and lumping those services under the general disability vocational rehabilitation services bureau (BVRS) has been mentioned several times recently
by the Secretary of Labor and Industry and by the Acting Executive Director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), under which BBVS and BVRS currently exist as independent bureaus.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This idea of merging the bureaus has been around for a long time, but it is being talked about by these individuals and a few others more and more frequently over the past months, such as at State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation meetings,
Blindness Enterprise Program meetings, and several other events. Their increasing focus on this plan is alarming and should not be allowed to continue.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Although OVR’s official position is that no decision has been made to merge these services, they are doing more and more planning behind the scenes in preparation for taking this drastic step. They use the argument that this change would
save money, but no reports or information is available that backs up this claim. Even if it saved a little money, we cannot allow them to continue considering this option in their numbers game to get OVR out of its budget shortfall. There are many other ways
to save far more money that do not damage the lives and livelihoods of thousands of blind and visually-impaired Pennsylvanians.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To preserve the independent Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services and the crucial services it provides based on the individual needs of people with vision loss, please email the Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry, Jerry Oleksiak,
to say that we the blind and visually-impaired community of Pennsylvania refuse to be treated like second-class citizens by having our unique needs ignored. His email address is:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:wgoleksiak@pa.gov">wgoleksiak@pa.gov</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Also, please contact Governor Tom Wolf to express the same sentiments. You can call his office at:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">717-787-2500<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Or you can complete an online form to submit your comments electronically:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.governor.pa.gov/contact/">https://www.governor.pa.gov/contact/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you very much for taking action to preserve Pennsylvania’s blindness services. Please feel free to pass this along to others who will stand with us against this detrimental merger.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Joseph Drenth <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First Vice-President, NFB of Pennsylvania<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pennsylvania State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Senior R&D Software Engineer, JBT Corporation, Automated Systems Division<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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