Program Overview

Public Act 260 of 1978, as amended, established the five-member, governor-appointed Commission, three of whom shall be blind, to provide consumer input at the policymaking level.  For more information, contact Patrick D. Cannon, MCB State Director, 517-335-4265.

General information regarding Commission services may be obtained by calling MCB toll-free at 1-800-292-4200 (voice) or 1-888-864-1212 (TTY).

REHABILITATION SERVICES is a federal-state partnership designed to provide vocational rehabilitation to blind persons under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.  The program provides or purchases an array of services including diagnostic services, counseling, low vision remediation, job training, technical and college education and job placement.  To be eligible, a person shall be legally blind and their vision shall present a functional impediment to employment.  Consumers are referred to the program by community agencies, employers, ophthalmologists and optometrists, state agencies, and individuals. 

THE INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAM is a federal-state partnership providing services to older blind individuals so they can remain independent in their own homes and apartments. Older blind individual means an individual 55 years or older whose severe visual impairment makes competitive employment extremely difficult to attain but for whom independent living goals are feasible.  Older blind individuals are at risk of losing independence because they are four times more likely to be institutionalized than older sighted individuals. Services include homemaking, communications, individual and family counseling, information and referral, provision of adapted equipment and appliances, peer group involvement, orientation and mobility, community resource development and empowerment training.  Persons are referred directly to the program from various and community agencies and individuals.

YOUTH LOW VISION is a state funded program providing low-vision evaluations and microscopic and telescopic glasses to visually impaired school-age children throughout the state.  Children qualify for the program if they have a visual acuity, after normal correction, of 20/70 or less in the better eye or a visual field of 20 degrees or less in the better eye.  Children and youth are referred by local or intermediate school districts, and low-vision evaluations and aids are purchased from ophthalmologists and certified low-vision optometrists. For more information, contact Leamon Jones, Consumer Service Division Director, 517-335-4956.

DEAFBLIND SERVICES provided by the Michigan Commission for the Blind include traditional vocational rehabilitation services as well as specialized services to individuals with dual sensory impairments.  This population includes those persons who are DeafBlind as a result of  Usher Syndrome, Congenital Rubella Syndrome, neurological disorders, disease, accident, the aging process, etc.  MCB staff who provide DeafBlind Services are also responsible for the utilization and supervision of the intervenor program.  This program is a mutual effort between local communities, mental health agencies, and the Michigan Commission for the Blind.  MCB delivers in-service training sessions and provides consultation to parents, consumers, other health providers and community service groups.  MCB also works closely with the Michigan Division on Deafness and the Department of Education, DeafBlind Project, to further identify persons in the state with DeafBlindness.   For more information, contact Cynthia Caldwell, DeafBlind Specialist, 517-335-9424 (voice) or 888-864-1212 (TTY).

THE MICHIGAN COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND TRAINING CENTER (MCBTC) is a residential facility in Kalamazoo that offers classes in Braille and other communication methods, orientation and mobility, homemaking, personal management, personal adjustment counseling, training in adapted aids and appliances, and industrial arts.  Staff also provide training to college students and vending and cafeteria operators.  Persons are referred to MCBTC by other MCB programs.  For more information, contact the MCB Training Center director at 269-337-3848.

THE BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PROGRAM (BEP) is the state licensing agency for blind persons operating vending stands and cafeterias in federal and state buildings.  The program is a federal-state partnership established through the Randolph Sheppard Act of 1936, as amended, and the act establishing the Michigan Commission for the Blind, Public Act 260 of 1978, as amended.  The BEP establishes vending and cafeteria services in mandated state and federal buildings.  The BEP also establishes vending operations in non-mandated properties such as county and city buildings.  Potential vending and cafeteria operators are referred for assessment and training by the MCB Rehabilitation Program.  The BEP works closely with the Elected Operators Committee to establish policies and procedures for program operation and operator promotion.  For more information, contact the Business Enterprise Program manager at 517-373-3459.

THE MCB BRAILLE AND TALKING BOOK LIBRARY provides audio books and Braille books to individuals who are unable to read standard printed books as a result of blindness or another disability. (For additional information on Braille and Talking Book Library eligibility, see the BTBL section of the MCB website.)