Mission
Statement
The Arkansas Division of Services for the Blind (DSB) is committed to providing specialized, quality
rehabilitation services to blind and visually impaired Arkansans, creating opportunities
for individuals to achieve maximum personal and economic independence. We are further
committed to promoting positive awareness about blindness, and advocating for informed
choices and equal opportunity for blind Arkansans; thereby changing the present to improve
the future.
AGENCY
HISTORY
During the 1940's and early 1950's, rudimentary
services for blind people were provided by "home teachers" who
were employed by the Arkansas Department of Welfare.
In 1955, services to blind people were transferred to the
Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, then in the Department of Education.
Arkansas Rehabilitation Services for the Blind was created
in 1965 by Arkansas Act 180. This Act established a Division of Rehabilitation Services
for the Blind within the State Board for Vocational Education. All services for the blind
were transferred to said Division from the Arkansas Rehabilitation Services.
Act 38 of 1971 transferred the functions, powers and duties
of the Rehabilitation Services for the Blind to the Department of Social and
Rehabilitation Services (now the Department of Human Services) and placed them in the
Division of Rehabilitation Services.
Arkansas Act 393 of 1975 amended Arkansas Act 38 of 1971 to
require that the functions, powers and duties of the Rehabilitation Services for the Blind
be located within an Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired in the Division of
Rehabilitation Services. Act 393 gave the Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired
statutory authority and legal authority to promulgate rules, and established an Advisory
Committee appointed by the Governor.
In 1983, a number of consumer, education, and service
organizations identified a critical need for specialized services to visually impaired and
blind Arkansans. In response to this concern, the Governor and Legislature established the
Division of Services for the Blind (DSB) under Act 481. Although previously Arkansas had
offered separate services for blind and visually impaired persons, Act 481 provided that
the agency should be governed by a policy-making board, the majority of whom must be blind
persons. Within the past decade, DSB has been commended for innovative programming,
consumer responsiveness, and consistently high performance in the rehabilitation of
severely disabled persons.
DSB functions both as a direct service provider and as a
consumers agent in locating and purchasing quality services (including medical and
educational services; equipment or supplies related to self-sufficiency; job placement or
employment services; etc.). All direct services are made available to consumers in their
own communities.
DSB serves consumers through three interdependent units:
Field Services, Vending Facility Program, and the DSB
Directors Office. These three service units were designed by the DSB
Board to offer two advantages to the State of Arkansas:
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First, to enhance the personal self-sufficiency of consumers
eliminating costs associated with unnecessary skilled care; and
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Second, to maximize the potential contributions made by
consumers as citizens and taxpayers.
Philosophy
and Goals
The Arkansas Division of Services for the
Blind is dedicated to the independence of Arkansans who are blind or visually impaired and
is committed to the principle that these individuals have the right to make informed
choices regarding where they live, where they work, how they participate in the community,
and how they interact with others.
Our mission is to work in partnership with
these Arkansans by assisting them in obtaining the information they need to make informed
choices and by providing them with access to services that increase their opportunities to
live as they choose.
Within the constraints of state and federal
laws and based on available funds, the Division of Services for the Blind fulfils its
mission through the following goals:
1. Employment - To assist
Arkansans who are blind or visually impaired to secure or maintain employment and
consistent with their skills, abilities, and interests.
2. Rehabilitation Teaching -
To assist Arkansans who are blind or visually impaired to live as independently as
possible through the development of skills, accommodations, or adaptations that are
necessary to perform all activities of daily living.
3. Prevention of Blindness -
To assist in preventing blindness stabilizing vision, and, where possible, restoring
vision.
Arkansas Department of Human
Services
Division of Services for the Blind
700 Main Street
P.O. Box 3237
Little Rock, AR 72203
(501) 682-5463
Toll Free: 1-800-960-9270
TDD: (501)682-0093
Fax: (501)682-0366
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