On Thursday, August?14,?2003, services for blind persons in Pennsylvania came under serious attack. This attack came in the form of the releaset of the current director of the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services, Christine Boone.
Within less than three years, Mrs. Boone has taken the old, tired blindness agency in Pennsylvania from its usual, ineffective treatment of blind persons and transformed it into a clear, concise, customer-focused agency. As testimony to her achievements please consider these results.
Motivation through a positive attitude and a commitment by every member of the staff to making Pennsylvania the leader in providing top quality services to blind persons.
A significant increase in the number of successful rehabilitation/employment outcomes throughout the bureau.
The establishment of a comprehensive training program in Pennsylvania for persons entering the Blind Vending Program and the eventual outcome of raising the personal income of blind vendors to the highest level in the United States.
Access to current information in the form of five Pennsylvania newspapers, which include the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daly News, along with about 80 other papers across the country. Therefore, for the first time in their lives, blind Pennsylvanians can read a newspaper, for themselves, on the same day it is printed.
The inclusion of blind children as recipients of blindness skills training services and the formulation of a comprehensive program to meet children's' needs in the future in order that they be afforded the opportunities to enjoy the benefits of the most fulfilling society in the world along with their sighted peers.
For years, the bureau has been providing funds for the prevention of blindness. Not until Mrs. Boone's administration, has this program been critically monitored so as to discover that payments to some providers were purely arbitrary. Now, practices have been instituted to track the work being performed and pay specifically for those services provided on a person-by-person basis.
Under her leadership, employees, labor unions, vendors, service providers, associations of blind citizens, and many other organizations of and for the blind have come together to encourage and enable the bureau to provide top quality services for the blind in Pennsylvania.
You might ask why a person who has achieved so much should be released. This is exactly the question that we, the organized blind of Pennsylvania, would like to know. It is possible that her immediate supervisor, one Steve Nasuti, who has been openly critical of blind persons, could not accept the fact that a blind director could make such substantive improvements in such a short time. In fact, on at least one occasion, he demonstrated his lack of knowledge about the disability of blindness by indicating that all a newly blinded person should need is a few weeks with a travel instructor, after which they should be ready for work. Anyone who knows anything about the impediments of the disability of blindness knows that a blind person must be given the opportunity not only to learn the adaptive skills of blindness, but also the time to put them into practice until they become second nature. This is why there has always been specific legislation mandating that the blindness agency in Pennsylvania be separated from the general service disability agency. It was not until 1999 that the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services was moved from the Department of Public Welfare to the Department of Labor and Industry. At that time, the state congress continued to mandate this separation and the citizens of Pennsylvania were assured that services for the blind would improve. In fact, under Mrs. Boone's leadership, they have, indeed, improved. So, again we ask, "Why would such an obviously competent person be released from employment?" Officially, we are told that she was released for insubordination. This alleged insubordination was reported to have occurred a year ago. If true, why wait so long to deal with it? Also, why wait for eight months before bringing it into the open and then giving her no opportunity to prepare a defense? Could it be that by undertaking the mission to deliver quality services to the blind of Pennsylvania that she incurred the wrath of the top level administrator of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation because Mr. Nasuti did not agree that the blind should receive such services? These are matters that must be resolved.
It is our understanding that Mrs. Boone has documents which can prove that insubordination never did exist, but that the Secretary of Labor and Industry, Stephen Schmerin, chose not to meet with her to view these documents for himself. How many instances of discrimination against blind persons must occur before we put a stop to them? What can you do to make a difference? You can express your displeasure over this incident to Governor Rendell as well as the Secretary of Labor and Industry, Stephen Schmerin, by phone. Then get everyone you know to do the same. After completing your call to go on record in opposition of the unfair treatment of a blind person and the obvious threat to services to all blind persons in Pennsylvania, then write down your feelings and send it to both the governor and the secretary. Copies to your state senator and representative will also be helpful. Also, your personal support of the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania will be appreciated in aiding us to continue to work for outstanding services for the blind of Pennsylvania.
The following information should be helpful to you:
The Honorable Edward G. Rendell
Governor of Pennsylvania
225 Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg PA 17120-2020
Phone: 717-787-2500
Stephen M Schmerin, Secretary 1700 Labor and Industry Building Harrisburg PA 17120 Phone: 717-787-5279