Report of Facilities Closure and Realignment Commission_to_Governor_Mark_Parkinson.pdf

Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (RCBVI)
The Commission visited RCBVI on July 28. Commissioners toured the facility in Topeka and held a public hearing.
Commissioners heard from 13 organizations and individuals about the services provided at RCBVI. The consensus
opinion was that the services delivered there were very important to blind Kansans and should be preserved. Testimony
was presented by the Kansas Optometric Association, Envision, and Alphapointe indicating there was interest from
private organizations in providing the same services being provided at RCBVI.
Commissioners asked SRS to provide information on what services would be available in the private sector and what the
comparative costs would be. SRS put together a plan which would utilize $300,000 in American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding to enhance and build community capacity. SRS identified a network of approximately
80 vocational rehabilitation counselors statewide and five facility based services in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa,
and Colorado which could provide similar or enhanced services at a lower cost than RCBVI.
SRS estimates the average cost for a consumer at RCBVI is $23,024 a month; SRS found the five facility-based services
surveyed could provide complete services for between $21,672 and $31,649. SRS determined that closure of RCBVI by
July 1, 2010 would generate a savings of $73,275 SGF/$344,015 All Funds.
Commissioners agreed with the SRS assessment that by closing RCBVI the state has an opportunity to enhance services
by utilizing savings and collaborating with current service providers to offer people an enhanced level of community
services. The Commission recommends RCBVI be closed by July 1, 2010 and the money saved by closing the facility be
used to make assistance available to persons across the state by reinvesting it in outreach programs. Resources can be
shifted to provide more services to a greater number of people without them having to travel great distances. It would
also be possible to contract with the School for the Blind to serve both the adult and child populations.
The Commission also recommends an Advisory Committee for the Blind and Visually Impaired be created that is similar
in size and responsibilities to the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The Commission makes no
recommendation on the disposal of the current RCBVI facility. According to SRS, there are two buildings that make up
RCBVI and each carries a current bond payment. For the AWL building debt service runs through FY 2011. For the
Woodward building, debt service runs through FY 2021 at a rate of approximately $100,000/year.
Therefore, the Commission submits two recommendations on the Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Visually
Disabled:
3. RCBVI will be closed and SRS will reinvest savings from the closure of the facility into outreach programs to
better serve the blind and visually impaired population in Kansas.
4. An Advisory Committee for the Blind and Visually Impaired be created either through Executive Order or
statutory change.
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