FFY 2024, Quarter 3 Report

Summary

April - June 2024
Presented September 13, 2024

Independent Living Blind Skills Services

Customers Served (Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2024 Q3)

Exited Customers Only.

Program	FFY 2024, Q3
Adults under 55	20
Adults age 55+	194
Total Customers during FFY 2024, Q2	214

Customer and Case Trends (FFY 2023, Q3 versus FFY 2024, Q3)

Exited Customers Only.

Trend	FFY 2023, Q3	FFY 2024, Q3
All exited participants	189	214 (12% increase)
Customers under age 22	0	0
Customers over age 100	1	6
Customers who identify as a minority	10%	17%
Homeless Customers	0	0
Customers who have multiple disabilities	30%	43%
Customers with incomes $30,000 or less	60%	56%
Cost per case average	$ 700	$ 835

FFY 2024 Preliminary Outcomes

Most popular Assistive Technology devices provided to customers:

Handheld magnifiers
Writing guides and/or pens
Large print address books, calendars, notepads, and other paper products
UV filters and sunshades for glare
Adapted kitchen equipment

*In addition, 69 Customers received cell phone and tablet apps demonstrations to see if a cell phone or tablet and apps for people with vision loss or blindness would be beneficial.

Customers who feel more independent and more confident in maintaining their current living situation:

Out of the 524 Customers with successfully closed cases in FFY 2024 to date, 487 or 93% reported being more confident in their current living situation and that their independent living skills have improved.

Counties without Customers served:

Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, and Wahkiakum

Carly’s Success Story

Carly is a positive and vibrant 79-year-old woman living in Eastern Washington with a love for dance and her community. After experiencing progressive vision loss, Carly was diagnosed with glaucoma. Being legally blind, Carly had relied on her late husband, Francis, for support with her day-to-day tasks. Francis had been there to take notes on Carly’s doctors’ appointments, help with medication, and cook for them both. After Francis’ passing, Carly knew that she needed help to maintain her independence and reached out to Independent Living Blind Services (IL) for help.

When Carly and her IL provider met, they established some initial goals to work towards. Carly’s top priorities were to be able to learn low vision cooking skills and techniques to help manage her medication.

As Carly and her IL provider began their appointments, she purchased a new iPhone that she wanted to explore the capabilities of. After setting a few accessibility options and gestures, the IL provider showed Carly Sullivan Plus, Be My Eyes, and Eye Note applications. After some practice, Carly expressed that she had been having fun using Sullivan Plus with items around her home. With the app reading out medication labels and the use of a large print pill organizer, Carly was able to manage her medication independently for the first time in years.

During their first appointment, Carly’s IL provider used bump dots to mark her microwave, and they practiced setting the time using the 30-second time feature. This allowed Carly to set the time without having to memorize the location of each button. After the microwave was properly marked, the IL provider began working with Carly on safe cooking skills. Her IL provider emphasized the importance of approaching an oven from a diagonal angle, checking for any pans before turning the oven on and opening the oven door all the way to avoid burns. The two then moved on to knife and peeling safety, chopping a bell pepper on a high contrast surface and with a finger guard to prevent injuries.

When they’d covered all the foundational elements, Carly and her IL provider worked on combining all the skills they’d covered into making an omelet bowl. With her provider’s supervision, Carly went through the steps of greasing the bowl, chopping vegetables, and cracking eggs into a bowl. Though Carly originally went 30 seconds over the correct time when initially setting up the microwave, she quickly realized her mistake and corrected course. In the end, Carly and her IL provider were proud & satisfied that she was able to complete a whole meal on her own after staying out of the kitchen for so long.

As Carly’s goals were met, she told her IL provider that she was ready to close her case. She said she was feeling more confident and had realized how much she is now able to do for herself. With a reminder that she could always come back to Independent Living Blind Services if she had a new goal, Carly’s IL provider praised her, saying that she had made “great strides” during their time together.

Business Enterprise Program (BEP)

Facilities Update

BEP continues to forge ahead albeit a bit slowly, yet exciting. We are finishing designs for multiple facilities in the works, creating a robust procurement for a food trailer and replacing much-needed equipment at many of our sites. We are two years into the refresh project and the program is starting to show what it can be. Progress may not meet everyone’s timeline or original vision. However, no start up business ever goes 100% to plan; the important fact is we are steady to the plan and never give up.

As a reminder we just finished the Leg session which was a huge milestone for us. OB-2 café is continuing to grow, and the owner Robert Ott is continuing training to get his systems in place for the long haul. This is/was a huge lift, and it took all of the BEP team plus a variety of other support partners to accomplish. All said, Chin Don Bistro offered a variety of fresh meals, coffee services and micro market options to the State employees on the capital campus in Olympia.

Our industry partner Northwest Food Alliance continued to be an important ally to us. They performed many tasks over the quarter to ensure BEP is receiving great consultations for the program. We continue to focus on menus, training, management development, product sourcing and sustainable practices. All of which are critical to business success in today’s climate.

Training and Potential New Vendor Update

The BEP team has been regularly engaging with Asst Director Lisa Wheeler to map out our goals around VR engagement, curriculum updates and needs. We are also actively talking about ways to attract future operators as we update facilities and/or seek new ones of relevance.
Along these lines Jim continues to collaborate with his peers across the industry and within BEP nationally to seek additional ideas and resources. He continues to participate in training/discussions around the Randolph-Sheppard Act.

Staff Update

The BEP team is forging ahead with much needed updates to process, planning for training, and actively supporting operators in the field. The fast pace previously shared has not changed, the team is finding ways to harness the collective experience of everyone and redefine how to do our work. Much of the thought process comes from the Agency initiative to revision how we impact our customers and serve them.

Business Relations

Third Quarter Milestones

Employ Ability Job Fair

In April, we had a job fair geared towards individuals with disabilities called the Employ Ability Job Fair. This job fair had 99 individuals who attended, and 17 employers. There were 20+ individuals from DSB who attended including students from the OTC. The job fair was well received, with hires reported for Title 4 customers, and reports of hires of DVR customers.

Building the Business Relations Team

Business Relations staff, Griff Bisbee, and Josh Resnick, started with DSB in mid-April. The entire Business Relations team was onboarding this quarter, which included meeting new staff internally, learning about agency policies, reviewing past trainings and more.

Throughout the month of May, all three new Business Relations specialists continued to receive support in their ramp up.

Offsite Meeting with Blind Consumer Groups

In mid-June all of the business relations specialists gathered for an all-day offsite meeting. This offsite had presentations by Marci Carpenter, from the National Federation of the Blind, and Andy Arvidson, from the Washington Council of the Blind. We talked about how Business Relations will brand the agency, support those that we serve, and more.

Lunch and Learn with DVR

In late June, DVR and DSB partnered to provide a Lunch and Learn about Recruiting and Hiring People with Disabilities in State Government. Over 75+ individuals attended.

Training Offered in June

On June 24th and June 27th, there was two business relations trainings presented to DSB staff. The training on the 24th was “How does a recruiter think? What does the day in the life look like?”, by an actual recruiter. The training on June 27th was about Interviewing. This training was done by contractor Karen Van Liew-Creek and was her third training to staff. It had 46 attendees, making it the largest business relations training we have had yet at DSB.

Services to Customers

Snapshot of Performance Comparison: [Q3 FFY23 vs Q3 FFY24]

New VR Applications [233 vs 244]
VR Customers Receiving Planned Services [966 vs 1,028]
Students with a Disability served [246 vs 239]
Competitive Career Outcomes [74 vs 73]
Average Hourly Wage FFY24 Q1 [$27.86 vs $34.76]

Employment Outcomes

Successful outcomes made this quarter, including job retention cases:

Job Title	Employer	Wage	Hours	Region/County
Customer Service Representatives	Quest Casino	$ 24.06	37	East/Spokane
Media and Communication Workers	Washington State Department of Labor and Industries	$ 46.05	40	North/King
Office and Administrative Support Workers	Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA)	$ 15.74	10	South/Pierce
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors	Comprehensive Health	$ 38.22	40	East/Yakima
Teachers and Instructors	Tech Vision Training	$ 20.00	40	North/Snohomish
Speech-Language Pathologists	Renton School District	$ 68.91	40	North/King
Counselors	Western Washington University	$ 30.61	40	North/Whatcom
Residential Advisors	Washington State School for the Blind	$ 20.80	30	South/Clark
Customer Service Representatives	Costco Wholesale	$ 27.60	30	East/Yakima
Software Developers	Meta	$ 81.73	40	North/King
Teachers and Instructors	Washington State Department of Services for the Blind	$ 26.55	10	North/King
Media and Communications Workers	Brooks Running	$ 49.04	40	North/King
Loan Officers	Professional Realty Services International	$ 71.34	40	East/Spokane
Stock Clerks and Order Fillers	Quality Food Centers	$ 29.48	10	North/King
Teaching Assistants	Kids Country	$ 16.50	40	North/King
Public Relations Managers	American Heart Association	$ 57.95	30	North/King
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	Walmart	$ 16.00	40	South/Clark
Material Moving Workers	Home Depot	$ 16.50	35	East/Spokane
Chief Executives	ARC of Spokane	$ 57.69	40	East/Spokane
Retail Salespersons	Fred Meyer	$ 18.03	30	North/King
Special Education Teachers, Preschool	Renton School District	$ 42.80	40	North/King
Rehabilitation Counselors	Washington State Department of Serivces for the Blind	$ 32.39	40	South/Pierce
Recreation Workers	Boys & Girls Clubs of America	$ 18.20	21	South/Clark
Building Cleaning Workers	Metro Parks	$ 19.98	5	South/Pierce
Mental Health Counselors	A New Thing	$ 22.92	40	South Pierce

Percentage of Customers aged 55 and older who exited with employment outcome: 29%
Eldest with employment outcome: Age 72 – Retail Customer Service (retention case)
Youngest with employment outcome: Age 23 – Retail Stocker

Orientation and Training Center Highlights

Progress Towards Strategic Initiative 1 – Telling the DSB Story: OTC Spotlight – Douglas Sommer’s OTC Experience

My name is Douglas Sommer. I started at the OTC in May of 2023. I learned of the center by calling around trying to find what services there were for blind or low vision individuals. I talked with a man named Jim, we discussed what the school offered, and we set up a tour for me to come and visit the school and the apartments.

After the tour I submitted all the papers and medical forms required and I was accepted. I moved into the apartment I was assigned to and started at the OTC within a month and a half after the tour.

The first day of class was a meet and greet on a Monday afternoon where we met with all the students and had pizza. Classes began the next day.

The classes I had were Home EC, Braille, O&M, Computers, and a Seminar discussion for one hour two times a week. I also had a Careers discussion once a week which included all students. I found myself immersed in a plethora of blindness skills that I never even thought I would need.

I was born with glaucoma in my left eye, I had several surgeries as a youth to correct the issue however it caused more damage and left the eye weakened. I have sight in the eye however it is very blurry.

In 2021 I was sitting watching TV and my right eye had a white cloud in the middle of the eye. I thought maybe it was because I was tired. I took a nap, got up and it was still there. Long story short, my son took me to the ER, lots of tests later, it was thought to be a stroke, but later it was determined to be a burst artery in the retina and the damage was permanent. The vision was severe enough that my Ophthalmologist, and Retina specialist declared me Legally blind, low vision. I have peripheral vision in my right eye only.

The skills I was learning were imperative to my independent living and attaining a job. I assertively immersed myself in the classes. I did not do so well in Braille; I have difficulty learning new languages.

Attending classes, utilizing the knowledge from the instructors, and gaining the skills were the reason I came here. I started in May of 2023, and graduated having attended all my classes, and being able to complete my home EC class early and being a TA for a term. I then was hired by the DSB to help with the front reception in November as a part time temporary staff until February 15, 2024, my time was then extended till April 19th.

I put myself out there, I applied myself, I proved that I was dependable, and capable of doing what was asked of me, and thus was given opportunities that I would not have been offered had I not assertively gave the effort that the instructors deserved. I must say I was not and am not perfect, I make and made mistakes. I made the appropriate measures to rectify the problems and assured that I did whatever I could to make sure they did not happen again.

Coming to the OTC should not be seen as an opportunity for fun and games, to receive a paycheck weekly, not to have to pay rent, to socialize. It’s a Training center, for learning, gathering skills for you to live in a world of sight. It should be treated respectfully.

I lost this for a short time, however I kept my focus on my attendance and work. There was space for community building, potlucks, going out as a group of friends to build relations with other blind individuals. Take caution in this, set boundaries, disclose only what you want to share, otherwise what you think is private can become public very quickly, and can damage a lot of feelings and relations that you have built in a very quick beat of a drum.

Post-OTC: Doug has been able to return to his position at the IRS and hopes to move up to a management position in the future.

VR Highlights – East Region

Customer Stories

Success Navigating College Campus

DSB Spokane had an international student with a US work visa who came to study abroad at Whitworth University. Orientation and Mobility (O&M) was not available in her home country. She lived on a compound that was indoors, and she had never crossed streets prior to coming to the US. Her school was one large building, and she had the layout of it memorized.

Attending University was a culture shock in a lot of ways, with one of the largest obstacles being orientation and mobility. With the assistance of the University of Washington, DSB was able to provide the customer with a 3-D map that highlights all her routes and classes. Intense O&M lessons were provided by DSB, and they were able to develop decent cane skills and street crossing techniques on the campus. The student has excelled at her class work, and she will be returning next semester after a successful year.

Accomplishments in Yakima

Yakima VRC Karla Jessen has had several great successes as of late: One is TC who is working from home as a registered nurse. DSB has helped her with Assistive Technology, tinting, specific lighting, and visits to Casey Eye center where they were able to give her eye drops that drastically reduced her migraines. Her case was a job retention case, and her case will be completed once a part for a lamp is purchased and delivered.

Another is HN, who Karla has had her on her caseload since high school, and who has been extremely active in our student programs for the past several years. She went on to college and earned her BA degree (taking one quarter to study abroad in Scotland), and was an A student. HN has recently accepted a position at WSSB as a residential student counselor and found an apartment in Vancouver that she will move into next week. Since her job is new, DSB will continue to monitor her progress and provide support as needed.

The last success shared by Karla is TB, who has accepted a two-year paid BIT (Blind Institute of Technology) apprenticeship in computer access testing which started in February this year. This is related to the CPACC (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies) certification that she earned with DSB support. She was also provided with software and technology, computer training for the new software, and adaptive skills training.

Success with Independence

AZ wanted assistance finding work and being able to do things more independently. DSB AT Specialist Donna Elkin in Spokane provided her with a typing program to help her become more familiar with her computer, and Vision Rehab Specialist Lena Norton provided AZ with O&M training, helping her learn to use a cane and utilize the Paratransit bus system. AZ is now doing things more independently and continuing to look for work.

Agency Communications Report

Progress towards Strategic Initiative - Telling the Story for the Highest Impact

Website Refresh Project

Continued project to rebrand and redesign website to make it more relevant for clients, easier to access needed information, and to ensure the DSB website meets the needs of clients and the citizens of the state. Scheduled completion: September 2024.

Online Communications

Website Analytics

Metric	Definition	Current	Change
Users	Number of unique individuals who visited the site	6,100	-327
New Users	Individuals visiting the site for the first time	5,719	-396
Page Views	Number of pages looked at	18,455	-1,880

Channels

How people found the website.

Type	Definition	Users	Percent	Change
Organic Search	Used Google, Bing, or another search engine to find the site.	3,143	54.96%	-360
Direct	Typed in the URL.	2,279	39.85%	+51
Referral	Clicked a link on a different website.	181	3.16%	-47
Organic Social	Clicked on a non-ad link from a social media platform, like Facebook or Twitter	115	2.01%	-34
Email	Clicked on a link embedded in an email message	1	0.02%	-3

Technology

Type of device used to view the website (per session).

Technology Used	Users	Percent	Change
Desktop	4,116	70.03%	-111
Mobile Phone	2,284	35.67%	-244
Tablet	90	1.45%	-7

Top Ten Web Pages

Rank	Page	Views	Rank Last Quarter
1	Home	3300	1
2	Independent Living	549	3
3	Our Services	549	2
4	Contact Us	430	7
5	Request Services	336	5
6	Careers	326	4
7	Events	307	6
8	Seattle Office	318	9
9	Aids and Devices	271	10
10	Services for Students & Youth	320	NA

Online Referral Forms

Type	Users	Change
Self-referrals	117	-30
Physician referrals	63	+15

Facebook Analytics

Metric	Definition	Current	Change
Total Followers	The number of people/pages that follow the page.	599	+10
Total Impressions	An impression is counted as the number of times a post is on the screen for the first time.	5,374	-457
Total Reach	The number of people who had any content from or about the page enter their screen through unpaid distribution.	1,923	-212

Topic	Date	Reach
DSB is hiring! If you're interested in a career that assists in the stable employment and increased independence of Blind, Deaf Blind and Low Vision Washingtonians, visit our website to see the current openings. https://dsb.wa.gov/about-us/careers	May 20	503
WE'RE HIRING! DSB is seeking a Pre-Employment Transition Services Specialist for our Vancouver, Washington office. As a Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) Specialist with DSB's Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program.	April 2	283
It’s #VisionRehabilitationWeek – June 10-16. Almost 20 million people in the US live with blindness or vision loss that creates significant challenges with everyday activities	June 10	223
Are you a parent, guardian or teacher of a child who is Blind, Low Vision, or Deaf-Blind? Your insights are invaluable! Take a short survey to share your experiences, preferences, and needs.	May 29	205
Are you a parent, guardian or teacher of a child who is Blind, Low Vision, or Deaf-Blind? Your insights are invaluable! Take a short survey to share your experiences, preferences, and needs.	June 7	163

LinkedIn Analytics

Metric	Definition	Current	Change
Total Followers	Number of people that follows the account	462	+34
Impressions (organic)	Number of views when an update is at least 50% on screen or when it is clicked, whichever comes first.	2,745	-2,558
Impressions (sponsored)	FOR PAID POSTINGS ONLY. Number of views when an update is at least 50% on screen or when it is clicked, whichever comes first.	16,627	-266,045

Topic	Date	Reach
It’s #VisionRehabilitationWeek – June 10-16 *	June 5	524
DSB is hiring Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) Specialist for our Vancouver DSB Office.	April 10	457
DSB is hiring two Vision Rehabilitation Specialists Senior - in training (O&M) for Vancouver and Yakima	May 2	296
nTIDE April 2024 Jobs Report: Post-Pandemic Gains Seen in Employment for People with Disabilities Appear to Continue	May 7	231
nTIDE March 2024 Jobs Report: Despite Recent Declines, People with Disabilities Remain Engaged in the Labor Market	April 9	161
DSB is hiring! We have currently three positions open	May 15	157

Topic	Date	Impressions
DSB is hiring! We have currently three positions open	May 15	88,436
DSB is hiring two Vision Rehabilitation Specialists Senior - in training (O&M) for Vancouver and Yakima	May 2	45,996
DSB is hiring Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) Specialist for our Vancouver DSB Office.	April 10	32,477

Communications Events / Meetings / Trainings

State Agency Communications Directors Meetings
Bi-weekly, Virtual
Washington State Accessibility Community of Practice
Monthly, Virtual
Website Redesign Meetings
- Core Team – Weekly, Virtual
- Organizational Change Management – Weekly, Virtual
- Steering Committee – Monthly, Virtual
Washington Public Information Officer Training
April 2
Tacoma, WA
DSB All-Staff Meeting
April 21 – 27
Chelan, WA
Job Shadowing
May 14
Olympia, WA
DSB Leadership Retreat
May 21 – 22
Vancouver, WA
PRSA Public Affairs and Government Summit
June 12 – 14
Seattle, WA
Association of Washington Principals/Washington Association of School Administrators Summer Conference
June 23 – 25
Spokane, WA

Financial Report

Federal Fiscal Year 2024, through June 30, 2024

2024 State Fiscal Year – Review Through June 30, 2024 (in thousands)

Source	Allotment Authority	Expenditures	Balance
General Fund - State	$ 5,128	$ 5,128	$ 0
General Fund - Federal	$ 16,304	$ 14,458	$ 1,846
Donations	$ 33	$ 12	$ 21
BEP Remodel	$ 1,552	$ 1,552	$ 0
BEP Operations *	$ 1,110	$ 1,021	$ 89
State Funds for Birth - 13 Program	$ 201	$ 186	$ 15
State Funds for IL Program	$ 184	$ 184	$ 0
Total	$ 24,512	$ 2,2541	$ 1,971

* Allotment authority represents estimated revenue and GFS.

2024 State Fiscal Year – Federal Grant Funds through June 30, 2024 (in thousands)

Grant	Grant Funds	SFY 23 Federal Expenditures	SFY 24 Federal Expenditures	Balance
2022 Voc. Rehab Basic Services $1.4 million is for Pre-ETS set aside	$ 10,472	$ 8,382	$ 2,090	$ 0
2023 Voc. Rehab Basic Services $1.9 million is for Pre-ETS set aside	$ 13,167	$ 0	$ 11,826	$ 1,341
2024 Voc. Rehab Basic Services	$ 11,438	$ 0	$ 27	$ 1,1411
2022 IL Older blind	$ 677	$ 677	$ 0	$ 0
2023 IL Older Blind	$ 685	$ 106	$ 576	$ 650
2024 IL Older Blind	$ 676	$ 0	$ 25	$ 651
Total	$ 37,112	$ 9,165	$ 14,544	$ 14,053

2024 State Fiscal Year – Total Expenditures by Program Through June 30, 2024 (in thousands)

Program	Grant Funds Expended	State Funds Expended	Other Funds Expended	Total Funds Expended
Voc. Rehab Services Adult	$ 11,960	$ 4,705	$ 22	$ 16,687
Voc. Rehab Pre-ETS	$ 1,982	$ 0	$ 0	$ 1,982
Independent Living Part B	$ 0	$ 107	$ 0	$ 107
IL Older Blind	$ 399	$ 200	$ 0	$ 598
Birth - 13 Program	$ 0	$ 186	$ 0	$ 186
State Only Funds for Non-Allowable Grant Charges	$ 0	$ 392	$ 0	$ 392
Business Enterprise Program	$ 0	$ 1,625	$ 1,021	$ 2,646
Total	$ 14,341	$ 7,215	$ 1,043	$ 22,598

Spending Targets for Pre-Employment Transition Services Set Aside

Expenditures through June 30, 2024 (in Thousands)

Federal Grant	Grant Amount	Pre-ETS Set Aside	Pre-ETS Spent Dollars	Unspent Balance
FFY 2022 (ends 09/30/2023)	10472	1571	1571	0
FFY 2023 (ends 09/30/2024)	13167	1975	1557	418
FFY 2024 Estimated (ends 09/30/2025)	11438	1716	27	1689

What’s Happening in World of the Finance

The 2024 Supplemental budget is signed into law. DSB is provided $1.8 million in state dollars for the Natural Resource Building Café Renovation. These funds are available for State Fiscal Year 2025.
The Pre-ETS requirement is tracked at the state level to include DSB and DSHS/DVR’s expenditures. At the state level, the 15% requirement is met as DSHS/DVR exceeded the 15% set aside. DSB will revert Pre-ETS dollars in the amount of approximately $415,000 back to VR and will begin spending down the FFY 2024 Pre-ETS set aside

Human Resources Update

New Hires

Personnel	Job Title	Team	Duty Station	Effective Date
Maryam Wolff	Pre-ETS Specialist	Pre-ETS	Vancouver	07/16/2024
Tara Cochran	VRC 4	VR	Tacoma	06/24/2024
Nikki Brueggeman	Agency Training & Learning Development Specialist	HR	Seattle	06/17/2024