NOTICES

Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services; Public Forums

[29 Pa.B. 1033]

   The Department of Labor and Industry, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, (OVR) and the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (BBVS), under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended in the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, announces a series of public forums to be conducted throughout this Commonwealth. The purpose of the forums is to provide individuals, advocates and other interested parties and/or organizations the opportunity to present their views and recommendations regarding vocational rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities. In this Commonwealth, those services are provided through a network of 15 OVR District Offices, the Hiram G. Andrews Center and six BBVS District Offices.

   OVR and BBVS are required, under law, to develop and implement a State Plan which must be reviewed and, as necessary, revised annually. This State Plan, currently in effect for the period 1998 through 2000, is the compliance document filed with the Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, United States Department of Education. It is a blueprint for the provision of vocational rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities in this Commonwealth. Customer input received through this series of public forums will be used to measure the effectiveness of the State Plan, and will form the basis upon which it may be revised. A copy of the State Plan is available upon request.

   Testimony at the OVR and BBVS public forums is invited relevant to any aspect of vocational rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities. Input focusing on customer awareness/understanding of services, customer satisfaction with services and recommendations for improvements to services will be particularly helpful.

   More specifically, OVR and BBVS are interested in hearing from persons with disabilities, advocates and the interested public regarding: (1) the State Plan and WIA Unified State Plan; (2) collaboration and coordination between the TEAM Pennsylvania CareerLink partners; (3) the Governor's Disability Agenda; (4) PRIDE (total quality management) initiative; (5) transition of BBVS from the Department Of Public Welfare to the Department of Labor and Industry; (6) transitioning services for students with disabilities; (7) the comprehensive system of personnel development; (8) methods to expand and improvement opportunities for people with the most significant disabilities; (9) due process procedures; (10) rehabilitation technology services; (11) personal assistance services; (12) customer choice; (13) utilization of community rehabilitation programs; (14) quality, scope and extent of Supported Employment services; (15) outreach to unserved and underserved populations; (16) information technology advancements; and (17) the Hiram G. Andrews Center.

   All meeting sites are accessible and interpreters for people who are deaf or hard of hearing will be present at each public forum. For additional information, reasonable accommodation requests or alternative format requests call the OVR District Office or BBVS District Office conducting the public forum a person wishes to attend.

   If an individual or organization is unable to attend the public forums, but wishes to give testimony, written comments may be mailed to the appropriate OVR or BBVS District Office serving the area in which the individual or organization resides. Written comments should be submitted to that District Office by Wednesday, April 2, 1999.

   A listing of OVR District Offices, the Hiram G. Andrews Center and BBVS District Offices and their addresses and telephone numbers (Voice and TTY) follows. The OVR and BBVS public forums are planned for March 22 through April 2, 1999. Persons or organizations wishing to obtain information regarding the specific time and location of the meetings in their area, a copy of the State Plan or other information regarding OVR or BBVS services should contact the appropriate District Office in their area.

Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Public Forums

Allentown OVR District Office
(Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton Counties)
160 Hamilton Street, Suite 100, Allentown, PA 18101
800-922-9536 (Voice)                        610-821-6144 (TTY)

Altoona OVR District Office
(Bedford, Blair, Centre, Fulton and Huntingdon Counties)
1101 Green Avenue, Altoona, PA 16601
800-442-6343 (Voice)           814-946-7240 (Voice and TTY)

DuBois OVR District Office
(Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson and McKean
   Counties)
199 Beaver Drive, DuBois, PA 15801
800-922-4017 (Voice)                     814-371-7505 (TTY)

Erie OVR District Office
(Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango and
   Warren Counties)
1600-C Peninsula Drive, Erie, PA 16505
800-541-0721 (Voice)                     814-871-4535 (TTY)

Harrisburg OVR District Office
(Cumberland, Dauphin, Juniata, Lebanon, Mifflin and    Perry Counties)
2971-B North Seventh Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110
800-442-6352 (Voice)                     717-787-4013 (TTY)

Johnstown OVR District Office
(Cambria, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland
   Counties)
Hiram G. Andrews Center
727 Goucher Street, Johnstown, PA 15905
800-762-4223 (Voice)                     814-255-5510 (TTY)

New Castle OVR District Office
(Armstrong, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence Counties)
100 Margaret Street, New Castle, PA 16101
800-442-6379 (Voice)                     724-656-3252 (TTY)

Philadelphia OVR District Office
(Philadelphia County)
444 North Third Street--Fifth Floor, Philadelphia,
   PA 19123
800-442-6381 (Voice)                     215-560-6144 (TTY)

Pittsburgh OVR District Office
(Allegheny County)
217 State Office Building, 300 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh,
   PA 15222
800-442-6371 (Voice)                     412-392-5936 (TTY)

Reading OVR District Office
(Berks and Schuylkill Counties)
1090 Commons Blvd., Reading, PA 19605-3332
800-442-0949 (Voice)                     610-378-4433 (TTY)

Rosemont OVR District Office
(Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties)
1062 Lancaster Ave., Rosemont, PA 19010
800-221-1042 (Voice)                     610-525-5835 (TTY)

Washington OVR District Office
(Fayette, Greene and Washington Counties)
201 West Wheeling Street, Washington, PA 15301
800-442-6367 (Voice)         724-223-4430 (Voice and TTY)

Wilkes-Barre OVR District Office
(Bradford, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike,
    Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming
   Counties)
665 Carey Avenue, P. O. Box 1105, Wilkes-Barre,
   PA 18773
800-634-2060 (Voice)                     570-826-2023 (TTY)

Williamsport OVR District Office
(Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter,
   Snyder, Tioga and Union Counties)
The Grit Building--Suite 102, 208 West Third Street,    Williamsport, PA 17701-6410
800-442-6359 (Voice)                     570-327-3620 (TTY)

York OVR District Office
(Adams, Franklin, Lancaster and York Counties)
2550 Kingston Road, York, PA 17402-3792
800-762-6306 (Voice)                     717-771-4433 (TTY)

The Hiram G. Andrews Center
727 Goucher Street, Johnstown, PA 15905
800-762-4211 (Voice)         814-255-8200 (Voice and TTY)

Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services
Public Forums

Altoona BBVS District Office

(Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Somerset, Union)
Executive House #1, 615 Howard Avenue, Altoona,
   PA 16601
814-946-7330 (Voice)                     814-949-7955 (TTY)

Erie BBVS District Office

(Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie,
Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, Warren)
448 West 11th Street, Erie, PA 16501
814-871-4401 (Voice)                     814-871-4599 (TTY)

Harrisburg BBVS District Office
(Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster,    Lebanon, Perry, York)
2923 N. Seventh Street, Suite B, Harrisburg, PA 17110
717-787-7500 (Voice)                     717-787-1733 (TTY)

Philadelphia BBVS District Office
(Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia)
Philadelphia State Office Building, 1400 Spring Garden    Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130-4064
215-560-5700 (Voice)                     215-560-5725 (TTY)

Pittsburgh BBVS District Office
(Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene,    Indiana, Washington, Westmoreland)
Room G-10 Kossman Building, 400 Stanwix Street,
   Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-565-5240 (Voice)                     412-565-5509 (TTY)

Wilkes-Barre BBVS District Office

(Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, Wyoming)
111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Wilkes-Barre,
   PA 18701-2361
717-826-2361 (Voice & TTY)

JOHNNY J. BUTLER,   
Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 99-275. Filed for public inspection February 19, 1999, 9:00 a.m.]

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