[Nfbv-announce] Governor's threat to DBVI

[joe hobson]

Friday February 24th, at 12: 25 p.m. Mark:
I have now received this communication; it is, however, sent directly to me 
and not through network?.
this is, however, the first of the several you indicate that you have 
attempted over past 2 days to send through network?

Thos, I did not receive.
I will  motivate my calls and emails into Governor McDonald, to Julia 
Hammond
and to Secretary Hazel, although I have attempted call into Hazel's office 
previously with no courtesy of reply or response.
Keep you posted if I learn anything.
Great job, and thanks.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark W. Roane" <mwroane at mindspring.com>
To: "NFB of Virginia Information and Announcements" 
<nfbv-announce at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2012 11:29 AM
Subject: [Nfbv-announce] Governor's threat to DBVI


> As all of you are well aware by now, the Department for the Blind and 
> Vision Impaired (DBVI) is currently facing the most significant threat in 
> its long history.  While our phone calls and e-mails are making our voices 
> heard in the General Assembly, we have good reason to believe that 
> Governor McDonnell may be influencing the legislators to proceed with the 
> proposed consolidation of the DBVI into a newly created mega agency of 
> disabilities despite the concerns of the DBVI's stakeholders.  Therefore, 
> it is critically important that we now call and e-mail the Governors 
> office to make sure that they fully understand the negative impact such a 
> consolidation would have on the lives of all blind Virginians.
>
>
>
> I urge all of you to call and e-mail the following individuals and also 
> would encourage you to have your friends, family members and associates do 
> the same.  Please continue with the same courteousness and respect that we 
> have shown all of our elected officials.
>
>
>
> Governor Robert F. McDonnell
>
> (804) 786-4273
>
> Robert.f.mcdonnell at governor.virginia.gov
>
>
>
> Governor's policy office
>
> Julia Hammond
>
> (804) 692-2559
>
> Julia.hammond at governor.virginia.gov
>
>
>
> Secretary of Health and Human Resources
>
> Secretary William Hazel
>
> (804) 692-2571
>
> Bill.hazel at governor.virginia.gov
>
>
>
> When contacting these individuals, you may want to make the following 
> points.
>
>
>
> 1  The Governors own commission on Government Reform did not recommend 
> including the DBVI in the newly created agency.  Why include the DBVI now 
> without an honest evaluation of how such a consolidation would affect the 
> services received by blind Virginians.
>
>
>
> 2  There is minimal savings to be realized by this proposed consolidation. 
> The majority of the savings normally associated with such a consolidation 
> were put in place when the administrative functions of HR, fiscal, 
> purchasing and I T were shared with the Department of Rehabilitative 
> Services (DRS) in 1995.
>
>
>
> 3  The DBVI has been an excellent steward of the taxpayers money.  The 
> DBVI currently receives less general fund money than it did in 1991 while 
> still providing a full range of services to it's clients.
>
>
>
> 4  Beginning in the 1970s, there have been numerous attempts to answer the 
> question of whether services for blind individuals are more effectively 
> and/or more efficiently provided under a combined or specialized model. 
> In every case, researchers have shown that the minimal administrative 
> savings achieved by consolidation are offset by less effective and less 
> well-organized and less efficient services under a generalist's model.  In 
> the late 1990s, Cavenaugh, Giesen, and Pierce at Mississippi State 
> University conducted an analysis of national data and found that blind 
> people served through separate agencies for the blind are nearly twice as 
> likely to be self-supporting at closure than blind people served by a 
> consolidated vocational rehabilitation agency.
>
>
>
> Our time to address this matter is growing very short so call and e-mail 
> today.  Also, please let me know once you have done so.  Everyone has done 
> a great job up to now and I know you will all see this through to the end. 
> Together we will preserve a strong and independent agency for all blind 
> Virginians.
>
>
>
> Mark Roane
>
>
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