[nfbwatlk] Impressions of SRC Meeting

[Dan Frye]

Mike:

Here's a thought that not many will be happy to hear or willing 
to tolerate, but which I think makes sense and should guide our 
future input.  While the threat of Order of Selection is 
unpleasant, I'd rather see the agency adopt this budget-saving 
exercise than diminish the residential portion of the OTC.  When 
such a policy is adopted, a conclusion about who gets service has 
to be made, and the Order of Selection exercise will most 
certainly require that the most severely disabled be served 
first.  Within our community, this will mean generally totally 
blind and legally blind people needing training and employment; 
it will generally not refer to those who have lots of residual 
vision and are easier to place.  I can't remember if DSB has a 
more liberal eligibility standard for service than is required by 
Federal Rehabilitation guidelines, but if it does, the Washington 
agency should narrow eligibility criteria to correspond with 
Federal minimums.  If dollars have to be preserved in this way, 
so be it.  Order of Selection sometimes results in a more 
concentrated degree of high-quality services being delivered to 
those who need it most.  When this prospect is tossed around by 
agency administrators trying to frighten our community, I'd tell 
them to bring Order of Selection on if that's what it takes.  DSB 
administrators think, perhaps, that we won't have enough resolve 
to say something this hard and potentially disadvantageous to 
some of our constituency; perhaps this degree of political 
resolve is required in this circumstance.  I hope that we do 
possess this degree of principled commitment to the program.  
Please don't misunderstand.  I do not relish this prospect, but I 
think that a lot of misinformation exists about Order of 
Selection, and it doesn't have to be as bad as some make it out 
to be.  What agency administrators fail to understand is that it 
matters less about numbers served than the quality of service 
given to those who can be assisted.  The foregoing is my personal 
opinion; it does not represent any endorsed view of the NFB at 
the national, affiliate, or local level.

With Kind Regards,

Daniel B.  Frye
Office: (410) 659-9314, Ext 2208
Mobile: (410) 241-7006
Note: This message has been issued remotely from the Braille 
Note.

> ----- Original Message -----
>From: Mike Freeman <k7uij at panix.com
>To: nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Sun, 08 Mar 2009 12:36:11 -0700
>Subject: [nfbwatlk] Impressions of SRC Meeting

>Fellow listers:

>Technically, Marlaina Lieberg of WCB is the designated "consumer 
representative" on DSB's State Rehabilitation Council.  Below are 
her impressions of yesterday's meeting.

>Mike Freeman

>----- Forwarded Message -----
>From: "Marlaina Lieberg" <1guidedog at gmail.com
>To: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com
>Date: Sunday, Mar 8, 2009 12:14:57
>Subject: please forward to nfbw


>> Hello all.
>> I decided to wait a few hours before posting or even much 
discussing my
>> impressions of the SRC meeting yesterday.  So, here they are.
>> during her report, Lou Oma Durand stressed repeatedly that she 
valued the
>> residential aspect of the OTC.  She said that she has been 
running in the
>> baseball field at midnight with students in the past, and she 
sees the
>> change the residential program can make in lives it touches.  
She indicated
>> that she has had discussions with Dean Stenehjem at the School 
for the
>> blind, and he has offered the possibility of using the school's 
cottages for
>> 3 weeks or so in the summer as a residential training facility.  
DSB is
>> considering that.  Parenthetically, Cindy and I asked her during 
the days
>> prior to the SRC meeting yesterday about partnering with the 
school to do
>> child and family services work.  I never thought we got a clear 
response to
>> that suggestion, just as many other suggestions we raised seemed 
not to have
>> a clear response for me.
>> It was wonderful to see so many people present in the room for 
testimony or
>> simply to be a presence.  Many people, including OTC current 
students, gave
>> great testimony regarding how impactful the OTC has been or is 
currently in
>> their lives.  We had a number of people calling in, and the 
Council felt
>> that while we had an issue with one person having an inordinate 
amount of
>> background noise, the system worked perfectly and we will look 
into
>> expanding its use for future meetings.
>> The stories we heard were from blind people who had either 
worked with other
>> blind people in the OTC, or who themselves were changed because 
of the
>> impact of the residential portion of the OTC.  We heard from 
people who said
>> they never would have made it with training in their home, or a 
3-week
>> training experience elsewhere.
>> Throughout the day, we were reminded by DSB staff that if they 
could not
>> find money to cut, DSB would go into order of selection to serve 
its
>> customers.  Order of selection means that decisions regarding 
the importance
>> of one customer's need versus another will have to be made, 
thereby creating
>> waiting lists.
>> Since most of you are most concerned about the OTC, let me stay 
focused on
>> that issue.  Keiko Namekata, OTC Director, reported on average 
numbers of
>> students the OTC has served for 4 years prior to apartment 
living, and the
>> first 4 years after the apartments became a part of the 
residential
>> experience.  Cindy asked Keiko for some annual statistics, a 
thing I might
>> add we've been trying to get from other DSB staff all week, and 
Keiko said
>> she'd be glad to provide them.  She shared that the OTC is open 
from 8 to 5,
>> and students migrate in and out as they go for the various 
classes they
>> need.  She mentioned keyboarding and computer skills as two 
separate
>> classes.  I asked her why those were separated, and she said 
that in order
>> for some students to really grasp the keyboard shortcuts 
necessary to be a
>> successful computer user, plus the fact that it is not uncommon 
for students
>> to have reach range issues, keyboarding really must be separate 
from
>> computer skills training.
>> We had a fair amount of discussion about the budget, and Jim 
Lochner, DSB's
>> budget analyst, along with others in management positions, 
indicated that
>> the senate budget could require even more cuts.  Nobody knows.
>> Toward the end of the day, I initially attempted a motion 
requesting DSB to
>> share with the Council the justification they use for retaining
>> state-funded, non direct service delivery positions.  Throughout 
the day we
>> heard that each staff person doing direct service touches the 
lives of an
>> average of 100 persons.  It was a hard motion to make, but I did 
so to get
>> discussion back to the issue about which the blind community is 
most
>> concerned, preserving the residential portion of the OTC.  After 
the motion
>> was seconded, Don Alveshere spoke up and said when the positions 
are
>> transferred in July, there would be no state funded direct 
service
>> positions.  At that point, I'm afraid I was tired and my head 
spinning, so I
>> said, "Don, I've been trying to behave and be respectful all 
day.  Now I
>> have to say this.  What you are essentially saying is that this 
is a done
>> deal.  Let's just get it out on the table."  Debbie Cook then 
explained that
>> the issue isn't about jobs, and she reiterated again that if 
something isn't
>> done, DSB will go to order of selection, and as other DSB 
personnel said
>> throughout the day, order of selection is the first step toward 
melding DSB
>> into general VR.  Cindy responded that my motion, she believed, 
stemmed from
>> frustration that the Council has no information, or very little 
information,
>> yet DSB continues to say they are listening to our ideas.  I 
withdrew my
>> motion after discussion, and simply requested information 
(again) to help
>> the Council understand how DSB arrived at its current decision.
>> So, my impression is that we might get to keep 2 apartments, 
since Lou Oma
>> mentioned that as something they are considering.  However, I 
wouldn't take
>> it to the bank.  As the consumer representative on the Council, 
I will share
>> what I know as I learn it, and I know Cindy will do the same.  
Frankly, I
>> came away feeling that if we get 2 apartments, we'll be lucky.  
The SRC
>> members did agree that we needed conference calls between 
face-to-face
>> meetings so that we can remain informed and in communication 
with the
>> Agency.
>> I think people can and should feel some comfort in the fact that 
without
>> exception, each member of the SRC felt concerned that the 
Council was not
>> involved in any way shape or form until after a decision had 
been made.  One
>> member even came straight out and said that when it comes to an 
agency job
>> or serving blind people in the most appropriate manner, he 
didn't care who
>> had to go.
>> Another thing we discussed is the possibility of streaming 
council meetings
>> live on ACB Radio.  Stay tuned, we'll see what happens.
>> Thank you for reading this; these are my personal observations, 
and should
>> no way be misconstrued to be representative of actual approved 
minutes from
>> yesterday's meeting.  This is simply how Marlaina Lieberg saw 
things, and
>> how she reacted in the best way she knew how.
>> Warmly,
>> Marlaina
>> I use to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure!

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