Department of Health and Social Services Division for the Visually Impaired

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Department of Health and Social ServicesDivision
for the Visually Impaired

• Joint Finance Committee Hearing
• Fiscal Year 2012
• Robert L. Doyle, III
• Division Director
• Monday, February 28, 2011

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Overview Accomplishments

• Mission Working in partnership with Delawareans
  who are blind or visually impaired empowering
  them to be self-sufficient
• 3,031 Identified Blind/Visually Impaired
  Delawareans on the Registry
• Youngest is 7 months old
• Oldest is 109 years old
• Leading Causes of Blindness
• Macular Degeneration (34.45)
• Glaucoma (7.94)
• Diabetes Related Vision Loss (7.89)

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Overview Accomplishments

• DVI Employs 113 individuals
• 35 Percent of our total employment base are
  blind/visually impaired individuals
• Revenues/Funding Sources
• State General Fund Appropriations 3.20M
• Various Federal Grants 2.02M
• Other Appropriated Funds (Donations, DIB BEP)
  2.90M

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Overview Accomplishments

• DVI Provides a Continuum of Services from Birth
  to Death
• Programs include
• Education
• Independent Living Services
• Technology Assistance
• Orientation and Mobility
• Low Vision Evaluation and Training
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Delaware Industries for the Blind
• Business Enterprise Program
• Instructional Material Center

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Overview Accomplishments

• Education
• 255 students are currently being served by
  teachers for the visually impaired and County
  Resource room staff
• Provide consultation to families of infants,
  toddlers, and school age children
• Provide consultation to school personnel on
  student needs and accommodations
• Provide instruction in reading Braille
• Provide instruction in the appropriate use of
  Assistive Technology in the classroom
• Conducts learning media assessments
• Conducts functional vision assessments
• Aids in the identification of rehabilitation
  technology
• Advocates on behalf of students for the
  Individualized Education Plan

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Overview Accomplishments

• Independent Living Services
• Provides
• Independent Living Skills Training
• Low Vision Services
• Sensitivity/Vision Simulation Training
• Training to individuals, groups organizations

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Overview Accomplishments

• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Provided a variety of services over the last
  twelve months to 258 Job Seeking
• Consumers (27.9 increase).
• Assessments, Financial Assistance, Rehabilitation
  Technology, Job Placement,
• Vocational Counseling, Job Retention and other
  services.
• Increased employment outcomes by 71 in FFY 2010
  in the following
• employment areas Teacher, Electrician, Global
  Product Line Manager,
• Pharmacist, Web Designer, Produce Clerk, and Mess
  Hall Attendant to name a
• few.
• Three non-profit organization partnerships
  resulting in 4 newly created
• positions.

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Overview Accomplishments

• Delaware Industries for the Blind
• Employment options for the blind and visually
  impaired through
• Delaware Industries for the Blind require various
  skill levels
• Leadership/Supervisory
• Customer Service Representatives
• Production of Promotional Products
• Janitorial Services
• Engraving
• Embroidery
• Marketing/Sales
• Call Center Services
• DIB achieved ISO 9000 Certification in Fall 2010

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Overview Accomplishments

• Business Enterprise Program
• Provides entrepreneurial opportunities for the
  Blind and Visually Impaired
• Cafeteria Operation Management FFY10 Sales
  755.4K
• Vending Machine Operations FFY10 Sales 1.06M
• Expanding into further markets

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Overview Accomplishments

• Instructional Materials Center
• Provides instructional materials to students and
  the visually impaired community in alternate
  formats.
• FY 10
• Braille - produced 18,733 pages
• Large Print - produced 58,799 pages
• Audio produced 106 tapes

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Trends and Performance Measure Indicators
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Trends
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Trends

• INCREASED TECHNOLOGY DEMAND
• Increase in requests for
• Web-based reading material
• Digital books for downloading (changing
  technology)
• Scripting to make state and business computer
  systems work with Assistive Technology Software
  programs like Jaws and Zoom Text

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FY 12 Governors Recommended Budget

• Base adjustments
• (32.6) Reducing summer coverage of 2 - 12 month
  teachers
• (105.1) Switch to NSF one Teacher Salary
• 78.9 Switch to GF one Teacher Salary
• (18.8) Switch to 50 NSF for Casual/Seasonal
• (40.0) Complement Reduction for vacant Admin
  Specialist I position.

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Challenges

• Identifying blind and visually impaired
  Delawareans who
• are unknown to DVI.
• Increasing awareness of the medical professionals
  to
• register patients with the Division for inclusion
  on the blind
• registry.

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Challenges
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Challenges

• Increasing the awareness of Employers (public and
  private) to the
• Abilities of Blind/Visually Impaired Workers.
• Overcoming some attitudinal dispositions about
  hiring blind/visually
• impaired Employees.
• Scripting to make state and business computer
  systems work with
• Assistive Technology Software programs like Jaws
  and Zoom Text.

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• Thank You!