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Ahs 8100 Dvi Agency Overview 181005
Ahs 8100 Dvi Agency Overview 181005
Ahs 8100 Dvi Agency Overview 181005
Carol King-Ries
Wilmington University
DVI AGENCY OVERVIEW 2
The organization I am interning with is the Delaware Division for the Visually Impaired
(DVI). This agency is the oldest state agency; it was established in 1908. It is also one of the
smallest state agencies with a budget of approximately $6 million, and a staff of around 70
people at full capacity. They provide services to over 2300 people a year. They also collaborate
with other state agencies such as the Department of Education; and they collaborate with non-
profit agencies that support the blind and sight impaired such as Blind Sight. They are, just like
other Human Services agencies, being asked to do more with less funding. Balancing service
requirements and budgeting realities is the underlying thread that runs through the administration
of this organization. However, they strive to provide services that assist those who are blind and
The Mission:
The mission of DVI is “To provide educational, vocational, and technical support to
Teachers of the Visually impaired (TVI) who support children and youth up to the age of 21
years with their educational needs. They also have a Materials Center that provide students with
large print and Braille materials in support of their education. Vocational Rehabilitation is a
large part of what DVI does. Their counselors work with those who are interested in working to
provide them with the skill set and tools they need to be successful in the workplace. They also
provide transitional services to youth ages 14 – 24 years of age to help with the transition from
high school into post-secondary education, the workplace, or independent living. Both the
DVI AGENCY OVERVIEW 3
Educational and Vocational Rehabilitation groups use the Orientation & Mobility Specialist
(O&M) to support their clients in their schools and workplaces. DVI also provides Technology
Support to clients who want to use computers, cell phones, and assistive technology devices for
school, work, or independent living. They also have a Business Enterprise program that support
entrepreneurial pursuits for those who are interested in self-employment. Their Independent
Living group focuses on developing skill sets that will support daily living. This includes safety,
health, household management, and communication skills such as Braille. They are a hub for
services that support the lives of those who are blind or sight impaired.
Demographic Information:
In the United States, there are approximately 7.3 million people classified as blind. The
designation of blindness varies, it can be those with a visual acuity of less than 20/200 in the best
eye with corrections, or a field of vision of less than 20% when corrected, or it could simply
mean those who do not have the ability to use sight to function (nfb.org/, 2018). The National
Federation of the Blind (NFB) estimates that there are 17,600 people in Delaware that can be
classified as blind. DVI currently has 3,340 people on their registry, and of those, 943 have
received services. Currently, they are providing services to 289 children and youth, and the
During a Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment (CSNA), the Sr. Social Services
Administrator identified some groups that they know are under-represented in their service
provision. The two main underserved groups were Latinos and veterans. She has met with key
organizations in these communities to try to understand their barriers to services. DVI is also
DVI AGENCY OVERVIEW 4
making an effort to get information to all optometrists and specialist to promote the services that
they offer.
DVI is held to many policies that deal with those with disabilities. The major ones are
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which deal with accessibility. The Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which affect the work they do in their Education group with
the schools and TVIs. The Rehabilitation Act which includes the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunities Act (WIOA). This act affects their Vocational Rehabilitation group with regards
Their main procedure for providing services is through the intake process. When a
request for service is made, it is passed to the Intake person who gathers all the necessary
information and determines what types of services the person requires. The request is then sent
to the appropriate supervisor for assignment. In the case of the Education group, they can also
receive referrals from the schools. If the person needs more than one type of service, it will be
coordinated by the main group. For example, Education might coordinate a student getting
orientation & mobility training and technology support. At the end of the process, a survey is
Structure:
The structure of DVI is hierarchical. There is a Director and Deputy Director. The
managers and administrators report to one of them. This type of structure can create silos which
may inhibit collaboration across groups. They are using mechanisms like leadership meetings
and department Town Hall meetings to try to overcome the effects of these silos.
Governance:
Because this is a government organization, the governance of it is two-fold, the state and
the people. DVI reports up through Delaware’s Department of Health and Social Services for
oversight and funding. The “people” part of governance is the Advisory councils that the
organization is responsible for reporting activities to and sharing information with regularly.
There are internal councils such as the Vocational Rehabilitation Advisory Council (VRAC) and
DVI AGENCY OVERVIEW 6
the Independent Living Council (ILC). There are also external Advisory councils such as the
Governor’s Advisory Council for the Blind. This dual governance requires that the Director and
Deputy spend a great deal of time in meetings. However, it provides not just for meeting the
state’s goals, but for meeting the expectations of the people to whom DVI is tasked with
providing services.
Funding:
The 2018 fiscal year budget for DVI was $6.6 million. They receive 30.6% of their
funding from Federal funding, 67.1% from State funding, and 2.3% from other sources.
According to the Senior Fiscal Accounting Officer (FAO), there are several challenges with
regards to funding. The first is that they do not get enough funding, and it is a challenge to
stretch the funding to meet the needs. The second is that the Federal and State fiscal years end at
different times, which calls for some very observant financial management. The third is that you
have to be very aware of the expenses you are applying to the various funding sources. Funding
is becoming stricter about the types of expenses you can apply to them, and sometimes the areas
of most need have the least funding. According to the Sr. FAO, this is the most challenging part
of the job.
Because this is a state agency, they have access to a broad range of services to which they
can provide referrals. The Social Services Administrator states that they have provided referrals
DVI AGENCY OVERVIEW 7
for services such as housing and social welfare. They also provide referrals to private providers
of services such as low vision specialist and psychologist. She manages contracts with private
DVI also interacts with non-profit groups like Blind Sight and Independent Resources
Inc. to provide a wider circle of support for their clients. Organizations like these provide peer
support services and technology support. DVI is currently the hub of all organizations that
The primary strength of DVI is the people who work there. Almost every supervisor and
administrator I spoke with addressed this as their primary strength. They have a high level of
experience in the organization. I have been using their services since the 1990s, and many of the
people who were around then are still working at DVI. Each group has their individual
strengths. For example, the Independent Living group brings a level of compassion that is
encouraging, and the Orientation and Mobility group bring a level of competence that produces
confidence. A student who uses a TVI told me that because this person has been in and out of
his life since he was a baby, the person knows him well. This in turn, helps him to get exactly
The current trends are the same for all groups. There is a push for results and outcomes.
Grants, both public and private, are moving away from outputs to outcomes. Therefore, for
example, Vocational Rehabilitation cannot just say that they have given you services, but they
must show how these services improved your ability to get employment. This trend puts
DVI AGENCY OVERVIEW 8
additional responsibilities on the organization and the clients. Also, the changes in policies such
as the WIOA are shifting the way Vocational Rehabilitations deals with their clients. According
to one manager, they are in constant flux trying to adjust to the changes.
The primary challenge of the organization is funding. The Federal government is giving
far less funds and putting more stipulations on the funds it is providing. This, of course, affects
state funding as well. The secondary challenge is the fact they are currently receiving a
challenge to their existence. An influential member of the community is stating that he does not
think they need to exist and that other organizations can provide the services that DVI currently
provides. This has prompted a commission to investigate, which is now consuming a great deal
of time and effort. The third challenge is the strength I mentioned earlier, experience. In the
next five to ten years or sooner, there will begin to be mass retirements. This will mean that
there will have to be replacements. In some areas, this will be easier. However, positions like
TVIs and Orientation and Mobility Specialist are hard to replace due to a national shortage
Intern’s Role:
My role at DVI is primarily to observe and to learn. I will also be working on projects in
the Volunteer Coordinator’s group and the Education group. The Volunteer Coordinator has
some very dedicated volunteers; he just wants to see if there are grants out there that can help
him to improve the volunteer services. He is looking for funds for background checks, and
In the Education group and the Transition Vocational Rehabilitation program, I will be
looking at ways to improve parent/family engagement. This will involve some parent interviews
and presenting the findings. Hopefully, I will also get a chance to participate in the planning that
In conclusion, DVI is an organization that meets many needs of the blind and sight
impaired in Delaware. It is also experiencing a very critical period in it’s over 100 year history.
As an intern, I get to experience this. The challenges it is currently facing are trying the
leadership and the foundation of the organization. The Chinese symbol for crisis is made up of
two symbols: danger and opportunity. They are facing the danger of being disbanded, but I also
know that they have the opportunity to come out of this challenge as a more solid and secure
organization. I am sincerely hoping for the latter, and am keenly watching this process and the
References
https://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dvi/