WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind has a long-standing commitment to separate identifiable services for the blind because this model delivers the best quality service to blind rehabilitation clients; and
WHEREAS, the most recent attempt by the organized blind of Maryland to create a separate rehabilitation agency for the blind in Maryland occurred in 2004 and 2005 because blind clients of the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) were receiving sub-standard services; and
WHEREAS, in response to our call for a new agency DORS created the Office of Blindness and Vision Services (OBVS) in January 2005; and
WHEREAS, under OBVS and the leadership of its Director, Sue Schaffer, services for the blind have improved, e.g., there are clear lines of accountability, the blind have an opportunity to raise concerns and these concerns are carefully considered in a collegial fashion leading not only to improvements to services for particular individuals, but also to enhanced programs and policies; and
WHEREAS, while we have come a long way, there is still a need for improvement to the quality of services available to blind clients, for instance, counselors and supervisors are not always up to date on the latest devices that will help clients reach their employment goals, and too many counselors still take the quick route to closure by merely offering magnifiers instead of introducing clients to the benefits of non-visual techniques; and
WHEREAS, in June 2010, Susan Paige became the new Assistant Superintendent for DORS and may wish to reorganize its structure:
Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in Convention assembled this twenty third day of October, 2010, in the city of Annapolis, Maryland, that this organization urge the new Assistant Superintendent of DORS to support the OBVS model of separate services for the blind; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge the new Assistant Superintendent of DORS to continue to provide adequate funding to at least maintain current initiatives at OBVS and to allow all OBVS staff members to continue to develop expertise in blindness; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization reaffirms its commitment to work in concert with OBVS and with the new Assistant Superintendent of DORS to ensure that blind clients receive the highest quality of rehabilitation services.