[nfbwatlk] Impressions of SRC Meeting

[Mike Freeman]

You have a point, Dan. I have always resisted Order of Selection but was 
beginning to wonder along the same line of reasoning as you outline 
below. For I believe that once the residential component of the OTC is 
no more, it will be but a short and almost inevitable step to closing 
the OTC altogether. Why DSB staff can't grock this is beyond my ken.

However, to adopt this stand I would feel more comfortable getting 
intput from the rest of the NFBW Board of Directors. What say you, NFBW 
Board members? I'm deliberately doing this on-list as I have no 
objection if word of this discussion gets out. Perhaps it will make all 
of us think a bit and take off the rose-colored glasses.

Mike Freeman, President
NFB of Washington

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Frye" <dfrye at nfb.org>
To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 08, 2009 7:42 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Impressions of SRC Meeting


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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