An Act To Address the Documented Educational and Rehabilitation Needs of Persons Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Sec. 1. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.

LABOR, DEPARTMENT OF
Blind and Visually Impaired - Division for the 0126

GENERAL FUND	2011-12	2012-13
All Other	$140,000	$145,600
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$140,000	$145,600

Blind and Visually Impaired - Division for the 0126

GENERAL FUND	2011-12	2012-13
All Other	$140,000	$145,600
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$140,000	$145,600

Blind and Visually Impaired - Division for the 0126

GENERAL FUND	2011-12	2012-13
All Other	$90,000	$93,600
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$90,000	$93,600

Blind and Visually Impaired - Division for the 0126

GENERAL FUND	2011-12	2012-13
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT	2.000	2.000
Personal Services	$83,678	$117,187
All Other	$15,000	$10,000
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$98,678	$127,187

LABOR, DEPARTMENT OF
DEPARTMENT TOTALS	2011-12	2012-13
GENERAL FUND	$468,678	$511,987
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS	$468,678	$511,987

SUMMARY

This bill addresses the documented educational and rehabilitation needs of blind students and adults by funding approximately 50% of the professional staff shortage identified by both:

1. The report of the stakeholder working group established to review the current and future needs of blind or visually impaired individuals established pursuant to Resolve 2009, chapter 39; and

2. The recommendations of the Department of Education's corrective action plan work group in regard to Disability Rights Center v. Maine Department of Education dated July 28, 2010.

The bill addresses the immediate crisis in staff shortages identified by both of the above-referenced reports, thereby avoiding a failure by this State to comply with federally mandated levels of special education services for Maine students who are blind or visually impaired.

The bill meets the rapidly expanding need for vision rehabilitation and independent living services for adults dealing with vision loss due to both the general aging of the population and age-related eye diseases that cause vision loss.

The bill provides funding for the following positions:

1. Two Certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired positions, to be competitively contracted by the Department of Labor, Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired, currently contracted through Catholic Charities of Maine;

2. One Orientation and Mobility Instructor for the Blind position and one Blindness Rehabilitation Specialist position, both to be employed by the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired;

3. One full-time and 2 half-time Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist positions, to be competitively contracted by the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired, currently contracted through The Iris Network; and

4. One Director of Program Design and Evaluation position to be competitively contracted by the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired.