Resolution 2002-03
          American Council of the Blind of Texas, Inc.


WHEREAS, The American Council of the Blind of Texas, Inc.
(ACBT) strives to increase the independence, security, equality
of opportunity, and quality of life for all people who are blind or
visually impaired through all its established goals, including
encouraging and assisting people who are blind and visually
impaired, especially those who are newly blind or visually
impaired, to develop their abilities and potentialities and to
assume their responsible place in the community, and improving
educational and rehabilitation facilities for people who are blind
or visually impaired; and

Whereas, The American Council of the Blind of Texas, Inc.
supports and embraces only the highest quality of rehabilitation
services provided by the most qualified and highly trained and
certified rehabilitation teachers and orientation and mobility
instructors for the safety, well-being, and  best possible
rehabilitation training outcome for people who are blind or
visually impaired, especially those who are newly blind or
visually impaired; and

Whereas, The Texas Commission for the Blind operates Criss Cole
Rehabilitation Center in Austin, Texas for the training of people
who are blind or visually impaired, especially those who are
newly blind or visually impaired, and 

Whereas, The Texas Commission for the Blind does not allow its
trained rehabilitation teachers in its district or regional offices
to instruct a consumer of that agency in orientation and mobility,
if that rehabilitation teacher is not certified in orientation and
mobility; and 

Whereas, The Texas Commission for the Blind and Criss Cole
Rehabilitation Center do not only employ certified orientation
and mobility instructors, but also employ non-certified
orientation and mobility instructors:





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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the American Council of the
Blind of Texas, Inc. assembled in meeting this fifteenth day of
September, 2002, in the City of Lubbock, Texas, that The
American Council of the Blind of Texas, Inc. disapproves and
condemns the employment of non-certified orientation and
mobility instructors, tutors, trainers, coaches, or whatever job
title they may be given, whether the non-certified individual is
fully sighted, partially sighted, or legally blind to any degree;
and

Be it further resolved that the American Council of the Blind of
Texas, Inc, express our disapproval of the employment of non-
certified orientation and mobility instructors as dangerous,
incompetent, inadequate, inconsistent, and not in the best
interest of people who are blind or visually impaired, especially
those who are newly blind or visually impaired in the State of
Texas, and that such employment of non-certified individuals in
such a critically important position of training people who are
blind or visually impaired to develop the skills needed to live
independently with the highest quality of safety and security is
inappropriate use of rehabilitation funds.

Unanimously approved


Recommended dissemination
The Texas Commission for the Blind, Board of Directors 
Executive Director  of TCB
Director of Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center, 
Executive Director, Health and Human Services of Texas, 
the Attorney General of the State of Texas 
All State Senators and Representatives,
ACB
Posted on ACBT web site