Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Council
Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2000

Advocacy through Relationships
In Government and Community

Letter From The Chairperson

The 1999-2000 fiscal year was marked by dramatic changes within the structure of vocational rehabilitation in Pennsylvania and within the Council. In July, 1999, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare's Blindness and Visual Services was moved to Pennsylvania's Department of Labor and Industry and became a Bureau within the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. This move required sweeping changes within the Council in order to facilitate the smooth integration of Welfare's Council members into the existing Rehabilitation Council under the Department of Labor.

The size of the Council doubled and the number of Ad-hoc committees increased. Not only was the geometric increase in size significant but also the process of integrating the Blindness Council was a challenge to be embraced. Logistically, materials for the Council now needed to be produced in three or four formats. Outsource locations for routine Brailling of multiple documents and adjusting of lead-time for distribution to accommodate these changes all fed into the mix. Council's Support Staff took all of this in stride and despite a few bumps was able to successfully transition the nuts and bolts of Council functioning. The bringing together of Council's role in policy development strategic planning, and goal setting was another issue.

• The two Departments had different views of eligibility.
• The Customers of the now Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (BBVS) had never been externally surveyed to determine the extent, scope and effectiveness of services,
• The provision of Adjustment to Blindness services needed to be assessed in both its similarities and differences from other adjustment to disability services.
• The goals of the two now unified agencies needed reprioritization and consolidation.
• A unified plan bringing the plans of the two agencies as well as the plans of all of the Workforce partners into one document was necessary.
• A plan for the development of a broader working relationship between the State's Independent Living Council and the blind community was needed.

In addition to all of this the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services had a social service component not present in the rehabilitation program in the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, with its own philosophy and functioning parameters.

• I am pleased to say that at this juncture, we are making progress both in the generalized goals of the Council as well as in the goals associated with transitioning these two agencies into one.
• A single agency policy around eligibility has been developed.
• A Council survey of customer satisfaction among blind customers is underway, in addition to a general customer satisfaction survey.
• A clearer understanding of sensory loss adjustment as compared to other disability adjustment is evolving.
• The goals are closer and a Unified Plan has been accepted.

The external relationships of the Council with the Independent Living Council and others along with the social service component of BBVS have not been addressed to date.

In conclusion, the people and institutions who have contributed to the success of the 1999-2000 fiscal year must be acknowledged and commended for their hours of donated time and effort.

• The employers of the Council members who permitted use of their time for Council activities;
• The support staff who maintained the focus of the Council on its goals demonstrating an effective, professional expertise in managing the many issues of the Council;
• The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, its Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services, and the State Workforce Investment Board who offered cooperation and assistance;
• And, those citizens of the Commonwealth who have come to us with their concerns and have permitted us to represent them, we express our gratitude.

Carol A. Baker, Chairperson 1999-2000