FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: March 1, 2011

CONTACT: Mike Powell – 586-754-1325 or Larry Posont – 517-482-1800

Governor Snyder Fills 2 Vacancies on Michigan Commission for the Blind board

Lansing, Michigan – The national Federation of the Blind of Michigan (NFBM) is proud to announce that Governor Rick Snyder has appointed Larry Posont, president of the national Federation of the Blind of Michigan as Chairperson of the Michigan Commission for the Blind (MCB). Governor Snyder has also appointed Parents Of Blind Children member Lydia Schuck to a 3-year term on the MCB Board. President Posont was notified by telephone on Friday February 25 of the 2 appointments.

“I am honored that the Governor has placed his trust in me to lead this very important Commission. The Commission is important to the thousands of blind people in Michigan who, without rehabilitation services, face a 70% unemployment rate. Michigan can do better than this.” Posont commented by phone from his Dearborn heights home. “The commission has a quality staff and adequate funds to provide the highest quality services available in America. Michigan has a strong law which provides that the 5 person policy-making board has at least 3 blind members. We expect to act aggressively to focus on jobs, jobs, jobs. Every employee of the agency needs to have quality, well-paying jobs for all blind MCB customers as their first priority. Through the years, various studies of rehabilitation programs show that $5-6 are returned for every dollar spent on quality rehabilitation, when blind people are moved from public benefit rolls to taxpayer rolls. It is a privilege to have a job and pay taxes, said Posont, a retired 30-year veteran of the business Enterprise program and entrepreneurial program sponsored by the Commission.

“The Michigan commission for the Blind will be an active participant in Governor Snyder’s program to help Michigan regain its strong role in our nations’ economy and provide high quality jobs for our state’s citizens. We are committed to quality effective data-driven government services that put the customer first,” Posont said.

Lydia Schuck from Mason, near Lansing, a parent of a blind child, a Transition Specialist and a doctoral candidate in Interdisciplinary health Science at Western Michigan University commented, “I hope to work to increase the capacity of the Michigan Commission for the Blind to work collaboratively with the Department of Education to increase results and opportunities for blind students in Michigan schools. I have the experience, background and passion to help improve services to create an environment where blind people can compete on terms of equality and achieve first-class citizenship.”

Posont and Schuck join Jo Ann pilarski, a school teacher from Alpena, Geri Taeckens, a retired School Social worker from Sault Ste Marie and john Scott, an attorney from Detroit on the MCB board which sets policy for the 34 year old Commission.

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The national Federation of the Blind is the oldest and largest consumer organization of blind people in America. Founded in 1940, the Federation advocates for quality services and programs, sponsors Newsline for the blind, a free Newspaper and periodical service, scholarships and is a leader in technology to assist blind people, including the Blind Driver Challenge, where for the first time, a blind person navigated a car on a road course at the Daytona Race track in a Demonstration of how blind people can accomplish things never before thought possible.

Visit www.nfb.org and www.nfbmi.org to learn more about the national Federation of the Blind of Michigan.