Specialized Services And Training-- In blind rehabilitation, the blindness skills are highly specialized. In order to provide essential adjustment to blindness skills, the professional staff must have knowledge and training for Braille, Orientation and Mobility, Adjustment to daily living, Access Technology training, and employment experience which reflects blindness specific needs. These are not skills which can be effectively performed by generic staff; individuals who have a general rehabilitation training are not equipped to provide adjustment to blindness training. The general vocational professional is typically a person whose training reflects "general" disabilities. Therefor, to place blindness training among the whole range of disability needs almost certainly means that the necessary skills of blindness will be ignored.
Blindness Is A Very Low Incidence Disability-- Today and historically, the low incidence of blindness has meant that in the allocation of time, money, and staff time, blind persons have been overlooked. With a 0.5% incidence among the population, there is something over one million legally blind persons in the United States. As a consequence, blind citizens are competing for limited resources and very often get what is "left over".
Separate Agencies Provide For Seamless Service Delivery-- One consideration in separate services for blind persons is an opportunity to maintain a system which is comparatively seamless. We have the ability to move youngsters, transition age young adults, and finally adults through a service system which does not require readjustments at each age level. It is difficult enough for blind citizens to find proper services for blindness skills, without requiring them to search for services in general vocational services. Parents of blind children can more easily locate services for their blind children. Moreover, as the child grows parents will have a continuum to follow for services.
Blindness Has An Extremely High Fear Ratio-- Today and historically, the fear of blindness has caused services to reflect society's fear of blindness, rather than the "truth" about blindness. If one is blind, it means that you do not have good acuity; perhaps you have no vision at all. The ability to get general, nonblindness specific staff to address the psychology of blindness is limited. It is true that most people do not want any disability, but for blindness the fear is particularly pernicious. If you are blind, you can, with training and opportunity become fully integrated into society; however negative attitudes toward blindness frequently prevent blind individuals from achieving their potential.
Separate Agencies Provide Accountability-- One of the most important factors for having separate agencies for blind citizens is accountability. In order to assure high standards of service, a separate agency for the blind should have an easily identifiable administrator and a board of directors who are visible. Furthermore, the Board of Directors should be appointed by the Governor and responsible for the ideas and interests of blind citizens. Any attempt to have services for blind persons without a board, which is responsive and responsible to blind citizens, will fail. Without such an arrangement, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to hold policy makers accountable for their actions. It is necessary to know and have access to the persons who administer services. A policy making board is one of the most important elements in creating an effective separate agency which can provide quality services and be held accountable.
Vocational Services Has No "Economy Of Scale"--- With the possible exception of administrative costs, which may allow for some cost reduction, the large umbrella agency offers no savings. In fact, the low rate of successful rehabilitation among blind citizens is directly a result of"over grown" human services agencies. For blind citizens, it is far more effective to have a smaller, separate agency providing adjustment to blindness services. Since blindness is a very low incidence disability, and since the Federal-State program puts such an emphasis on "production", the blind consumer is left out. The specialized services needed by many blind persons are viewed as too expensive and time consuming. Frankly, the no cost savings is but a piece of the predictable outcome. More than likely over a long time, more money will be spent for unsuccessful results. A separate, blindness specific agency will bring the necessary expertise along with the accountability to hold the blindness system responsible.
States With Separate Agencies Have Better Results-- It is widely acknowledged that in those states where separate blindness agencies exist, the prospects for successful rehabilitation are dramatically increased. The ability to concentrate specialized services and skills in a single blindness agency allow for the level of expertise to improve drastically. In commissions for the blind and similar, identifiable, blindness programs the rate of consumer satisfaction significantly increases. In other words, there is demonstrable evidence that attempting to place blind services in a generic agency is destined to fail. In a blindness specific agency, the emphasis and focus on one disability is clearly an advantage which cannot be achieved in a broad human services organization.
CONCLUSIONS--
1. Separate, identifiable agencies for blind services are much more effective and efficient.
2. Public policy is more likely to reflect needs and interests of blind citizens if there is a separate agency for the blind.
3. A board, appointed by the Governor, will give accountability which has been absent from the large general human service agency.
4. There are no savings from integrating blind services into a general disability structure; in fact, the long view suggests that the per capita costs will continue to increase.
5. The highly specialized nature of blindness skills requires blindness professionals to provide quality services.
Blindness and negative attitudes about it, demand that a strong persistent public policy be established and implemented. It is imperative to keep blindness services as a separate agency in state government.