Hon. Leslie Osborn
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Room 240
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Dear. Rep. Osborn:
We are Commissioners on the board of the Department of Rehabilitation Services. We wanted to share our concerns and those of the blind community on HB 1861.
Our staff
What you probably know from our website is that the Older Blind Program provides services and equipment free of charge for people who are 55 years or older and legally blind to assist them to live independently through a $400,000 federal formula matching grant. What you may not know is that the funds are used to support 16 certified rehabilitation teachers and orientation and mobility specialists who provide one-on-one assistance and equipment to our clients. Nine, of the Older Blind Program staff, are either blind or visually impaired. They travel to all 77 counties from six locations: Ada, Idabel, McAlester, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Weatherford.
Attached is a survey of our program. Of the 45.3 percent who responded, 96.1 percent reported that they feel more confident in their ability to stay in their current living situations as a result of services received. Ninety-one and one-half percent said they continue to use the adaptive equipment provided by Visual Services staff.
Our gravest concern is that some if not all of the older blind staff would lose their jobs. They have done a great job and we believe no one can legitimately say they will do better. The state’s blind organizations believe it is wrong to put these people out of work for a program that is succeeding. We agree. Attached are their comments and we hope you willbe able to visit with them and the consumers that have benefited from our services.
Client Choice
As commissioners, we hear from a lot of good providers, who are essential for our clients. But the choice of who to use is up to our clients. We don’t believe that we should ever direct business to a specific provider. Our last Director did this and he was wrong. We don’t think this is any better.
We are passionate about our service to our clients, so we appreciate you taking the time to consider our concerns. We would also be glad to meet with you to explain why it is so important. Please let us know if we can be of any help on this issue.
Sincerely,
______
Jack TuckerLynda CollinsApril Danahy
Cc:
Governor Mary Fallin
Sen. Pro Tempore Mike Shultz
Speaker Charles McCall