The State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) for Blindness and Visual Services (BVS) began the year with continued commitment to improving services for customers and renewed energy provided by a number of new appointees. We began at a meeting/retreat held in State College in October. During our planning session, we listed a number of goals for what would become the final year for the BVS SRC as a separate entity.

The goals, formulated with the assistance of Mr. Terry Martin, facilitator, included a review and revision of by-laws, obtaining administrative support, completion of a consumer satisfaction survey, accessibility of one-stop employment centers, and SRC sponsorship of a breakfast to inform state legislators about our concerns. We established committees that would be coordinated by an executive committee.

The Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services has had several directors in the recent past and the changing leadership resulted in SRC work being slowed. The newly appointed interim director of BVS, Mr. Jay Birt, pledged his co-operation and support for SRC activities.

In January we learned that the Governor's budget included funds for the transfer of the agency from the Department of Welfare to the Department of Labor and Industry. Legislation for this transfer took effect in July. As a result, the BVS SRC was consolidated with the OVR SRC.

The uncertainty with regard to the delivery of vocational rehabilitation and other services to the blind which resulted from the combining of the agencies caused a great deal of concern in the SRC, consumer groups, and those served by BVS. It also caused several of the goals established at the Retreat to be postponed.

We are hopeful that many of the past service delivery issues identified by the SRC and BVS will be resolved by the combining of the VR agencies and are optimistic that newly created issues related to the transfer will find solutions in the near term. Members of the BVS SRC look forward to working with other members of the combined SRC on its various committees and projects.

The BVS SRC thanks all those who contributed time and energy to its activities in the past year. We remain committed to assuring that concerns of BVS customers are addressed in the new system and to retaining the valuable linkages that have been developed as we carried out our responsibilities in the past.

Mark Senk, Chairperson, 1998-1999