Joint Finance Committee Hearing Fiscal Year 2015 Daniel M. Madrid Division Director February 25, 2014 "Working in partnership with Delawareans who are blind or visually impaired in empowering them to be self-sufficient” Division for the Visually Impaired (DVI) "Working in partnership with Delawareans who are blind or visually impaired in empowering them to be self-sufficient”

Delaware Health and Social Services Educational Services Vocational Rehabilitation Consumer and Business Services Delaware Industries for the Blind Business Enterprise Program Independent Living Services Materials Center Training Centers Orientation and Mobility DVI as an Organization

Delaware Health and Social Services Visual Impairments and Blindness in Delaware Leading Causes of Blindness in Delaware Macular Degeneration (33%) Glaucoma (8%) Diabetes Related Vision Loss (8%) Visual Categories of Qualified Consumers Legally Blind (69%) Severely Visually Impaired (26%) Totally Blind (4%)

Delaware Health and Social Services Independent Living Services FY Persons Served Adaptive skills training and techniques Low Vision Services Sensitivity/Vision Simulation training Staffed by Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapists Implemented group training sessions and assistive technology labs to augment one on one training

Delaware Health and Social Services Education Services FY 13 – 291 Students Served 8 DVI itinerant teachers 3 DOE District Resource Rooms Coordinate with University of Delaware’s Center for Disability Studies’ Accessible Instructional Materials Program Provides braille instruction, assistive technology, functional vision assessments, learning media assessments to ensure all students are able to access their needed curriculum

Delaware Health and Social Services Vocational Rehabilitation Business Services FY 13 – 276 Persons Served Staffed by qualified vocational rehabilitation counselors and business service specialists. Serving our dual customers of persons with visual impairments and the business community. Services to young persons with visual impairments begin at least four years prior to graduation through coordinated efforts with the Delaware Department of Education.

Delaware Health and Social Services Orientation and Mobility Services. FY Persons Served Ongoing collaboration with DART and DELDOT to ensure Delaware’s roadways, crosswalks, and transportation systems are fully accessible.

Delaware Health and Social Services Delaware Industries for the Blind DIB provides a wide array of custom promotional products to our customers FY 13 – Gross Sales – $1,399, Employment opportunities for the blind and visually impaired Over 80% of the staff in this department are legally blind. Average wage for a DIB employee is currently $10.50 per hour Partner with other agencies that support the employment of persons with disabilities under the State Use Law.

Delaware Health and Social Services Business Enterprise Program Provides entrepreneurial opportunities for the blind and visually impaired: Doubled the number of licensed business owners FY 13 – Gross Sales – $1,778,973 Average Operator Income -$31,692

Delaware Health and Social Services Challenges The growth of vision related disabilities is expected to grow by 70% in the next decade. The primary drivers behind this trend are the aging population/ workforce and the obesity epidemic in America.

Delaware Health and Social Services Opportunities There is a growing interest and awareness in hiring persons with disabilities on the heels of Governor Markell’s National Governor’s Association Platform – A Better Bottom Line: Employment of People with Disabilities. Restructuring for K-12 services as national programs shift toward itinerant models with an increased emphasis on inclusion for students with disabilities.

Delaware Health and Social Services Thank You!.