[Nfbnet-members-list] Fwd: National Federation of the Blind of Michigan Calls for Reversal of Executive Order on Commission for the Blind

[David Andrews]

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>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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>
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>CONTACT:
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>Fred Wurtzel, Spokesperson
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>National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
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>(517) 485-0326
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>(517) 256-5575 (Cell)
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>f.wurtzel at att.net
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>National Federation of the Blind of Michigan Calls for Reversal
>of Executive Order on Commission for the Blind
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>Blind Citizens to Protest Order Tomorrow
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>Dearborn Heights, Michigan (February 29, 2012): The National 
>Federation of the Blind of Michigan, the voice of blind citizens in 
>Michigan, calls upon Governor Rick Snyder and the Michigan Senate 
>and House of Representatives to rescind Executive Order 2012-2 and 
>conduct an open and transparent review of services to blind 
>citizens.  In response to legitimate concerns about mismanagement, 
>poor performance, and a high degree of consumer dissatisfaction over 
>the past ten years that reached a crescendo this year, Governor 
>Snyder issued Executive Order 2012-2 abolishing the Michigan 
>Commission for the Blind and transferring its remnants to the 
>Michigan Department of Human Services (the welfare department) and 
>the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget.
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>The National Federation of the Blind of Michigan vigorously objects 
>to Executive Order 2012-2 on several grounds:
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>    * It appears to violate federal laws and regulations regarding 
> rehabilitation and it jeopardizes nearly 15 million dollars in 
> federal funds targeted to provide rehabilitation and training to 
> approximately 2,500 blind Michigan citizens.
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>    * It threatens the jobs of more than forty blind persons who 
> operate vending facilities on federal property and along Michigan's 
> interstate highways plus an additional sixty employees of these 
> blind entrepreneurs.
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>    * It abolishes the Michigan Commission for the Blind, a 
> consumer-driven board that sets policy for the agency serving blind 
> persons.  Three of the five persons on the board are required to be 
> blind.  This arrangement assured that blind citizens have oversight 
> of services to the blind of the state.
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>    * Neither the Governor, nor his staff, consulted with the board 
> of the commission or any other blind person or organization 
> representing blind persons.  No staff of the agency was consulted 
> about the necessity, viability, or legality of the executive order.
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>    * Blind people object to being served by the Department of Human 
> Services (the welfare department).  Blind people want work, not welfare.
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>"Given the Governor's emphasis on open, transparent, and data-driven 
>decisions in state government, we are astonished by the 
>poorly-thought-out executive order and the potential negative 
>consequences it brings to blind people and the citizens of 
>Michigan," said Larry Posont, president of the National Federation 
>of the Blind of Michigan.
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>"Where will the forty blind vendors go for work?" Posont 
>continued.  "What will happen to their families?  This will force 
>more people into unemployment and on to welfare rather than creating 
>jobs as the agency is designed to do."
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>"We do not have any problem with the legal structure, the staff, or 
>the funding of the commission," said Mike Powell, the National 
>Federation of the Blind of Michigan's first vice president.  "It is 
>the mismanagement of services and programs, the lack of results, and 
>the lack of responsiveness to which we object, not the legal 
>structure of the commission.  We want a strong commission board that 
>will make good public policy, set high goals for job placement, and 
>raise respect for blind people here in Michigan.  We call upon the 
>Governor and the legislature to consult with the representatives of 
>blind citizens in this state to craft a better approach than this 
>ill-considered executive order."
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>Members and supporters of the National Federation of the Blind of 
>Michigan will gather at noon tomorrow in front of the Romney 
>Building in Lansing to protest the executive order and inform the 
>public about the negative impact that it will have on blind citizens 
>of Michigan, their families, and their employees.
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>About the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
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>The National Federation of the Blind of Michigan is the state's 
>oldest and largest organization of blind consumers.  Founded in 
>1941, we have chapters in most large cities in Michigan and provide 
>advocacy, information about blindness, scholarships, and many other 
>services that work toward our goal to change what it means to be 
>blind in Michigan.
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