[Ohio-talk] HOW DO WE GET IT DONE?

[mzavoli at roadrunner.com]

Hi Eric and all,

I don't understand why Ohio, Texas and a few other states have chosen to place blind rehab training in the same shoebox as all other disabilities.  It never worked.  We need to creat a Commission for the Blind here.  The Pan-disabilities umbrella has always short changed the blind.

Ultimately, we need to build our own center to give the blind an incentive to stay in Ohio.  Moving to an NFB-friendly state is challenging to most, because for one thing, the counselors in Ohio won't pay for out-of-state training.  Yes, we are told that we have informed choice, but when it comes to paying up, that concept goes out the window.  Counselors are breaking their own rules, and they don't
want to admit to it.

I don't know how we can fund our new center.  Perhaps our legislators will give us a hand if we can show that the existing private agencies are not doing their job effectively. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable on this list has some ideas on how best to proceed.

Even if we don't get our new center right away, more qualified blind individuals need to be hired at these agencies, such as the Cleveland Sight Center.  There should be more blind people hired in rehab and management, and the CSC does not appear to have either of these positions addressed. 

By the way, let's get rid of this Cleveland Sight Center name.  This is not a clinic or medical institution.  What's wrong with the original name--Cleveland Society for the Blind?  Are they so embarrassed about us blind folks or even the word "blind" that they would eliminate it entirely from their lexicon?  

Additionally, regarding the Nebraska Center for the Blind's service model, all information is found at:

http://www.ncbvi.nebraska.gov/services/orientation-center/ 

>From the website:
"Nebraska Center for the Blind has been approved by the National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB). This approval is granted only to those Centers that meet strict standards for high quality services, uphold a positive philosophy of blindness and high expectations, adhere to Structured Discovery instructional methodology, and are dedicated to assuring genuine Informed Choice for all consumers. The Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired adheres to these standards of quality assurance in every area of its service delivery."

Wouldn't it be great if we could express the same philosophy here in Ohio? May that day come soon!

Milena Zavoli