From terrydeagle at yahoo.com Mon May 18 03:46:21 2015 From: terrydeagle at yahoo.com (Terry D. Eagle) Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 23:46:21 -0400 Subject: [Vendorsmi] More of the Same Illegal BS4BP BEP Activity Message-ID: Nice! Put a positive spotlight on this illegal and discriminatory activity! Roxanna Mann being given and accepting the Capitol and Anderson facilities is wrong and illegal because it violates the law as follows: It violates Public Act 260 of 1978; 1. A licensee can only have one facility; 2. Roxanna should have had herBEP license revoked,as she is not yet cafeteria certified, far beyond the 3 year requirement to become certified, which the law requires license revocation. 3The Anderson and Capito facility should be bid out according to the law. Didn't NFB successfully prosecute a lawsuit over this exact issue less than two years ago? Where is NFB? Roxanna Mann should be really excited to take over and operate this facility, as the taxpayers are picking up the tab and paying the employees wages! How can this be fair to all of the other struggling BEP licensed operators? Where is the justice? When will there be justice? Will NFB or ACB fight against this further corrupt illegal activity? The EOC has been bought, Roxanna Mann has been bought, and is NFB too? Life without sight a risk-taking adventure for Mann Rachel Greco, rgreco at lsj.com 8 a.m. EDT May 17, 2015 roxanna_mann_4 (Photo: Rod Sanford | Lansing State Journal) DIMONDALE - Roxanna Mann doesn't like the word "can't." In high school declining vision should have stopped her from playing volleyball and cheerleading. Doctors warned her parents that Roxanna's vision would eventually deteriorate and any blows to the head would jeopardize what sight she had. She did both anyway. Now 51 and legally blind, Mann has carved out a life for herself as a risk taker. On a Monday morning the Charlotte resident walks purposefully into Michigan's General Office Building, guide stick tapping the floor in front of her. Kristina Rae's An All-American Grill is on the first floor. She's run the eatery since 2011. It's the second cafe in a state building she's operated. This past week she took over two more for at least the next six months at the State Capitol and Anderson House Office Building. Ask people who know her and they'll talk about her energy, her purpose and her reputation for growing a business. Only then do they comment on the fact that she is blind. It's an afterthought, said Richard Longstaff, the cafe's manager. "Meeting her you don't even realize she's blind," he said. "She doesn't let it stop her from doing anything." Mann admits it is a mantra she believes in. Fear exists, she said, so you can conquer it. "This is life," she said. "Whatever life gives you, you have to just run with that. If you stop, even for a day, and really evaluate your life even if you're in a really bad spot that doesn't mean that tomorrow is going to be that way. You have to go every day with dreams. Nothing decides for me my outcome." Driven to overcome Mann's eyes have been operated on 14 times. The first surgery was at age 23. Her sight has never been better than 20/40 and over the years it simply became harder to see. "I started running into things, falling down, suffering concussions," she said. In 2008 the lights went out and Mann left her job as an Eaton County caseworker because she couldn't do the job the way it needed to be done. But Mann knew her new reality wasn't the end of the road and she wasted no time adjusting. She enrolled in classes at the Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons Training Center in Kalamazoo. There, she learned how to navigate spaces, read braille and cook. She and husband, Mike, started traveling too. They've visited 49 countries together and Mann said being blind has inspired her to be braver than she ever was with sight. She's been swimming with sharks, gone cliff diving and explored caves. These days Mann says there's very little a person who is blind can't do if they access the right resources. "I had to embrace it," she said. "People try to help me all the time. I just let them but I don't need it. I'm okay with that. With my cane, I'm good." Successful entrepreneur At Kristina Rae's, named after Mann's niece Kristina Rae Smith who died at 29 after a battle with brain cancer, she runs the business with an open mind, a smile and purpose. Mann said it didn't take long before she fell in love with it. "I started liking what I was doing, creating food. I like using spices and funky vegetables. I've always loved to cook. You would never be hungry here a second." In the four years that she's been in charge the eatery's menu has expanded and its catering business has grown. Mann created several dishes herself and her staff of five puts them together. She uses an automated "talk back" system to ring up customers and balance the books. The site is one of several state building eateries, snack bars or vending systems that are part of the Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons' Business Enterprise Program. Through it qualified blind Michigan residents receive training, are offered locations, equipment and start-up inventory. Program staff continue to monitor the business and offer advice but program participants are expected to make the operation successful. They run it, hire and manage staff and make or break the business, said Mike Pemble, the bureau's deputy director. He said Mann's real accomplishment has been growing her location. "She's always on top of her game," said Pemble. "She wants to earn her customers' business. She's done a fantastic job there and her customers love her." Pemble said Mann's success is expected to carry over to the locations at the State Capitol and Anderson House Office Building. Both spots need it. They haven't been profitable, he said. "I think she'll really turn the business around and take it to the next level," said Pemble. Mann said it's a challenge she's looking forward to. She has plenty of ideas for both. "I'll have a broader audience, so it's about looking at the bigger picture," she said. "It's awesome and I'm so ready for it." Pemble said Mann is as determined as she seems. "She does not want her disability to define her," he said. "She wants to be defined by the other abilities that she has. Every time I've met with her that is the person I see." 2. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dandrews at visi.com Tue May 26 18:51:57 2015 From: dandrews at visi.com (David Andrews) Date: Tue, 26 May 2015 13:51:57 -0500 Subject: [Vendorsmi] job announcement.FW: BEP Specialist Position Idaho Message-ID: > >From: Gina Washburn >Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2015 11:38 AM >To: BVI ICBVI STAFF; Bhavani ; Bill Hesseltine; Colleen McFadden; >Craig; Daniel Solis ; hotrodsvending at live.com; Justin Fish; Kevin >Servatius; Lynda Surles; Terry Harris; Theresia Hout; Tony Bridges >(toneb402 at gmail.com); Travis Beck >Subject: BEP Specialist Position > >Hi all > >As most or all of you may have heard Justin is switching gears and >joining ATC as the new shop teacher. He has been a great asset to >the BEP and will be greatly missed! The job posting for the BEP >Specialist position will close a week from today and can be found >here: >https://labor.idaho.gov/DHR/ATS/StateJobs/jobannouncement.aspx?announcement_no=09465022989 > >Thank you, > >Gina M. Washburn > >BEP Supervisor >Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired >341 W Washington >Boise, ID 83720 >W: 208.639.8387 >C: 208.789.3197 >F: 208.334.2963 > David Andrews and long white cane Harry. E-Mail: dandrews at visi.com or david.andrews at nfbnet.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: