Something is rotten in the state of Colorado…

The Department of Vocational Rehab to be specific…

Let me tell you a story:

Once upon a time, there was a young blind man, who moved a thousand miles from his home to Denver, CO. Who knows what strange fate brought him here? It is something that I will not question and something for which I will remain forever grateful. You see, this young man is my husband. He is legally blind, but he has never let that stop him from doing what he wanted to do and doing what needed to be done.

Now, our hero, Michael, decided that he needed to find a job, but he was having a hard time finding work. Perhaps it was the soft economy, perhaps the simple fact of his blindness kept him from finding full time employment. Whatever the reason, and the reason is not at issue, he needed assistance. Enter the Colorado Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. For those gentle readers not familiar with this particular state agency, allow me to explain: The entire reason for the existence of these state employees is to help people like Michael find work. They are supposed to make sure that those who have a physical (or mental) handicap, who want to work, are able to. They help people figure out transportation issues, figure out living arrangements, and most of all, figure out how to earn a living. (Vocational, is after all, in their title.) Each person needing the help of this agency is assigned a counselor, who takes on the responsibility of helping that person become a productive member of society.

So Michael contacts the state and explains that he is blind and needs their assistance to locate work. The department assigns him to counselor #1 – who doesn’t seem as interested in helping her new charge as one would hope. Michael tells this person several things about himself. First, he explains that he has been a writer for several years, and would, ideally, like to find a job writing (freelance or otherwise) for a local publication. He is also interested in a career in radio. Both are noble professions, though hard to break into, as Michael understands. The counselor suggests other employment. Michael has no objection. He mentions that he might like to start his own business. He also mentions that he might like to go back to school. The counselor balks at the school idea. (After all, who needs an education these days? This move confused and confounded me. I was a touch angry, but eventually let it go in the interest of domestic harmony…) The counselor suggests customer service and explains that the state will get him any equipment he needs to do the job. She has Michael fill out a form stating that he would like to find work doing customer service (not what he had intended, but work is work…) he fills out his form, and waits for the next step.

And waits…

And waits…

He calls back and is told that he needs to fill out a form. So the counselor faxes the same form back and he dutifully fills it out again, sends it back and waits.

And waits…

And waits…

Eventually, Michael requests a new counselor. He explains that the counselor originally assigned to him has been less than helpful, and he really does need assistance finding work. The state happily assigns counselor #2 – who I shall call Dumb-Dumb – to protect the ignorant. Now, Dumb-Dumb starts out on the right foot. She explains that there is a program designed to help people start a business. You can run a concession at a government facility – not exactly what Michael had in mind, but he would still be in charge. She explains the program and gets him some information. The program was not a good fit. So Michael explains that he would still prefer work. She tells him that they no longer help people find work, but they do outsource this task to other employment agencies… She gives him a list of numbers and helpfully tells him to call them himself.

Now I am confused… The Department of VOCATIONAL Rehab is no longer in the business of helping people find a VOCATION? What the hell? I should mention here that I knew all about Voc Rehab before meeting Michael. You see, my father worked as a Voc Rehab counselor for years when I was a child. I remember him helping clients find work – not just a job, but a career where they could progress and be happy. I remember him helping them get equipment and transportation. I remember him visiting them in their homes when something made it prohibitive for them to come to his office – something like – I don’t know – a blind man who can’t drive…. Michael’s counselor is not interested in coming to him. She is not interested in helping him find work. She has done nothing to earn her state paycheck as far as I can see. But I digress. This will all become clear in a moment.

Michael calls the “employment agencies” which it turns out aren’t agencies at all, but people who work part time from their homes. The lady he settled on (because he can only use one according to the state…) looks at his resume and asks him if he thought about writing or media. Well, now it seems like we are getting someplace. Michael feels energized and immediately begins sending out his resume again. (As instructed….) He gets some bites. He has some interviews. He gets nowhere.

One thing that has bothered me from the beginning of this whole saga is the lack of understanding of employers in their dealings with the blind. Many of the interviews expressed concern that he would be able to physically meet the demands of the job (seeing things). Michael explained that the State will help him get equipment he needs to do whatever job he is hired for. The state should be there advocating for him. They are not. Michael, at one interview for BY JEEVES, was flat out told that he couldn’t interview because he is blind and couldn’t fill out the application. They knew going in that he was blind. His counselor knew he was going in for the interview. When he left, disgusted, he called his counselor, who told him that he should go back when someone could go with him to fill out the application. (By the way – I am boycotting By Jeeves, and ask everyone else to join me… They behaved in a manner that is immoral and illegal. Michael has chosen to not pursue the matter with a lawyer, but that doesn’t mean that I will be giving them any kind of business ever again.) As his state advocate, his counselor should have been down there that day advocating for him, explaining the Equal Employment laws as they pertain to the handicapped, and helping him file a formal complaint, if that is what he wanted. Instead Dumb-Dumb took a very hands-off approach, choosing instead to tell her client, “Sorry, can’t help you.”

This scene played itself over and over and over until Michael started to sink into a depression that I was afraid he would not come out of.

The counselor one day tells Michael that there is another program designed to help the blind start a business of their choosing. Now why didn’t anyone mention this before? He was confused, but excited, and started to do the research that was required for him to get into this program. Michael wants to DJ and have a company that will encompass anyone’s media needs, from music to video to photography. A great way to make some money – and not a lot of start up costs involved for a person with an enormous music collection, great taste, and a knowledge of how to work various types of equipment. He begins his research and starts to fill out the forms required. The state will pay $5,000 of the start up costs. Unless, he already has $5,000, in which case, the state will pay an additional $10K. Michael doesn’t have $5K, and neither do I, but we reason that he can start with $5K and build from there.

Except the state will only pay for certain business ventures. His counselor is not sure if a DJ business will do. She also tells him that if he has a blemish on his credit, they will not help and that the state will retain control for 3 years and then they will decide if he should remain in business. Now it looks less attractive. First of all, Michael has a blemish on his credit. If it was a case of an unblemished credit record, we could have gone to a bank for the start up costs. Secondly, why is a DJ business any different from, oh say a haberdashery or a butcher shop or a shoe store? People get married and have parties and need the services of a DJ. He can get references and he can advertise with some of that money. Except he can’t as his counselor explains – because the $5K is to pay for equipment which the state will purchase through a vendor and they will decide what he needs and why he needs it – advertising costs are not part of the package.

I tried to start a business without proper advertising built in. Ask me where I am now…. Go on ask. I have had to return to the working world, a valuable lesson in business learned. You have to advertise.

The business is not looking like a good idea after all, at which point, Michael once again tells his counselor that he would just like to find work – and no not in customer service. That wasn’t his idea in the first place. He needs work, because he needs to make money because he needs to pay rent and power and bills. (It could just be me, but maybe having been out of work for so long, contributed to his credit issues….) Michael is again told about the “agencies” that help.

Then one day, I am driving to work down Broadway in Denver. I pass Goodwill as I always do, and outside is a sign “Goodwill Job Fair, Saturday 1-4PM”. A light goes off in my head. OF COURSE! Who else but Goodwill to hire the handicapped? I call Michael, excited and explain about the sign. We go down Saturday; he is offered a job on the spot. He will be working in a back room sorting books. It’s not glamorous, but it is work. And it is not customer service, which is something that he really didn’t want to do. It will leave him free to start his business on his own, and will provide him with the ability to save for it. He will still be able to write because he will not be mentally exhausted at the end of the day. They provide benefits and vacation time. Michael is excited. They set his start date. He goes home and emails his counselor.

And waits…

And waits…

And calls her and leaves a message…

And waits…

And waits…

Finally she calls back. He tells her about the job and tells her what equipment he needs to do the job (after all, the agency will provide equipment….) The counselor says that only the “tech guys” can recommend the equipment and they are recommending hand held magnifiers rather than the type worn on his head. Michael explains that since he will be sorting books and shelving books, he will need his hands free and will need the type worn on his head despite what the “tech guys” tell her. She says she will get back to him.

He waits…

And waits…

We fill out his paperwork at Goodwill and they move the start date back to the 14th. This is good, because as of 7/5 we were still waiting for the counselor. He calls and emails again. Finally, she tells him (Tuesday 7/8) that the once her supervisor signs off on the equipment request, the Jordy will be ordered. (Jordy is extraordinary (think Geordi LaForge and you get the basic idea. It is life changing – and expensive. If I could afford one, I would have bought one when we first met… of course, as I have come to find out, even the hand held equipment is expensive. I thought I might try to buy him one of those, but they are still prohibitively expensive….) Michael is ecstatic, and so am I. We celebrate. His new job is about to start. After being in the state system for more than 3 years, he will finally be able to work and achieve some bit of independence. Finally, everything is coming up Michael…

Then he gets an email from Dumb-Dumb:

“Upon my supervisor's review, I was informed yesterday that only low vision specialists can recommend head-borne equipment, such as a Jordy.
At our center, we only have VRT's who are not allowed by our policy to recommend/prescribe such equipment (their limitations are CCTV's, portable CCTV's, etc). In order to authorize purchase for a Jordy, I need the recommendation to come from the low vision specialist. I have left a voicemail with a few of our low vision vendors to see who would be able to get you in the soonest. Unfortunately, this may be another few weeks.”

This comes in on Friday 7/11. He was supposed to start 7/14. Now, because of the complete incompetence of the state agency designed to help him, he is in danger of loosing the opportunity to work. The opportunity he worked so hard for.

I am angry. No, strike that. I am well beyond angry. I was furious to the point of tears on Friday. Now I am determined to help Michael get his Jordy, and I am determined to help anyone else I can. Friday, I placed a few couple of bids on broken Jordy’s on eBay, but lost both. Then I sent an email to the company that makes this product, in the hopes that they would be able to point me in a direction where I can get a used Jordy or a refurbished first generation model. They responded immediately and said that they will try to help in any way they can. Enhanced Vision. Good people there. I don’t know if they can help, but at least they are responding.

I called my father and explained the scenario to him. He suggested calling the client advocate, and then the director or Voc Rehab and then the media. Believe you me, if Michael gets no response from the state today, we will be on the news tomorrow. I am through messing around with these incompetent assholes. I am tired of state employees passing their job off on other people, not responding to emails or phone calls from clients, and then acting as though it is no big deal if they cannot help, when help was promised, when help was needed, and when help was required of their position. No wonder people hate the government. I always had faith. I remember my father and how hard he worked for his clients. I remember his friends doing the same. I have never met such a group of incompetent fools as work at the Colorado Department of Vocational Rehab. Feel free to tell them I said so.

So, I don’t know where this story will end. I am hoping that some angel will intervene and help Michael get the equipment he needs to do a job that he really wants so that he can have the one thing that all of us deserve – a bit of dignity. We all take for granted that we can see. I know I did. I took for granted my sight, my ability to walk down the street and see the sights and potential hazards. I took for granted my ability to walk into an office, fill out an application and get a job. I took for granted my ability to get in a car and drive someplace, or barring that, to find a bus stop in a strange part of town. I took for granted the fact that I don’t need to wear a specialized camera on my head to read the title of a book. I can just do it. Michael can’t. I never really thought about what it would be like if I couldn’t see. It never crossed my mind.

I have learned so much from Michael. He has patience when I couldn’t possibly. He has tolerance when I am loosing my mind an want to ring someone’s neck. He has a gentleness about him that I love and very much admire. He is a nice man. He is an honest man. He is a funny man. He is the most wonderful man you would ever want to meet. He asks for nothing, and gives everything. He seriously would give someone what was left of his vision if it would help them. I know he would. All he needs is a little help. It breaks my heart that I cannot afford one simple piece of equipment that would help him work and change his life. It kills me that we have to ask the state for help. It brings me to my knees, in front of God, asking for clarity and strength and patience. It is deeply ironic that my passion is photography and everything in my life is visual, where my husband can’t see the hand in front of his face (unless he holds it very very close…)

There are thousands of people like Michael, whose lives would be profoundly changed with the help of a small, albeit expensive, piece of equipment. I have been blessed so far in my life. I don’t want to see this happen to anyone else. When a parent cries themselves to sleep every night because they cannot afford to help their child see, I want to help. When a husband or wife sees their spouse struggling with little or no help from the state, I want to be there. When a teacher knows that a student would excel if only they had a bit of technology, I want to be there. I don’t want anyone else to be as angry or as frustrated as I have been over the ineptitude of the state.

I swear to each of you reading this now, as long as I have breath, I will find a way to make this happen. I want to be able to help change the life of a child or two or ten or a thousand. I want people to have the independence that they deserve and the ability to lead full and fully independent lives.

We all deserve at least that much.