WHEREAS there is now some sentiment throughout Maryland State Agencies involved in work with the blind that the dual problems of the over-lapping of some services rendered by these agencies at the expense of failing to provide other needed services and the overall poor quality of services, available to the blind in this State are due
to a lack of coordination between agencies and not to the need for a reorganization into a single comprehensive agency; and
WHEREAS Richard Dunn - Director, Maryland Office for the Coordination of Services to the Handicapped - has publicly indicated to the special panel appointed by the Senate Finance Committee to survey the problem in the area of services to the blind his willingness to
work with these agencies to promote a better coordination of services; and
WHEREAS Mr. Dunn has expressed in various conversations and meetings confidence in the ability of his office to affect a true coordination of services; and
WHEREAS Mr. Dunn has announced the creation of a task force in his office to deal with this coordination of services; and
WHEREAS it is the long-established position of the members of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland and of other blind consumers that meaningful reforms can be made only by a reorganization into a comprehensive agency and not by mere coordination of services: Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in Convention assemb1ed in the City of Baltimore on this 29th day of October that this organization views with reservations efforts on the part of Mr. Dunn to promote his plan for coordination of services to the blind over those efforts on the part of blind consumers to re organize services to the blind into a comprehensive agency; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization calls upon Mr. Dunn
to publicly acknowledge the legitimate responsibility of blind consumers and groups of blind consumers to in fluence the nature and direction of programs for the blind; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Mr. Dunn and his office pledge to take no actions which will adversely affect the interactive processes between the blind constituency and the State Legislature; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization accepts the premise that Mr. Dunn and his office can work effectively within the framework of any comprehensive agency for
the blind that may be established.
ADOPTED BY THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF MARYLAND
Baltimore, Maryland, October 1978