DVI AGENCY OVERVIEW 1

DVI Agency Overview

Carol King-Ries

Wilmington University
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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

sight impaired to live fulfilling lives.

The Mission:

The mission of DVI is “To provide educational, vocational, and technical support to

empower and foster independence for Delawareans with visual impairments”

(www.dhss.delaware.gov/dvi/, 2018). They do this by providing educational services such as

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
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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

remaining are adults.

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
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making an effort to get information to all optometrists and specialist to promote the services that

they offer.

Policies and Procedures:

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

to how they provide counseling and services.

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

used to evaluate satisfaction and effectiveness of services.

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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
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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.

Relationship to Other Agencies:

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
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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

professional services for client needs.

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

support those who are blind and sight impaired.

Strengths, Trends and Challenges:

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

what he needs to be a better student.

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
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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

according to the Education Principal.

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

things like orientation videos.

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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

the groups will do around parent/family engagement.

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

administrator’s role in it.

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References

Division for the Visually Impaired. Retrieved October 5, 2018, from

https://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dvi/

National Federation of the Blind. Retrieved October 5, 2018, from https://nfb.org/