Plan to Reorganize Agency Serving Disabled Draws Protests

By Stephen Bar
Washington Post
Friday, May 27, 2005; Page B02 

Blind and disabled Americans rallied outside the front doors of the
Education Department yesterday to protest the Bush administration's plan
to reorganize the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the largest
federal program helping states provide job training to people with
disabilities.

The plan would close 10 regional RSA offices where 65 federal employees
work and consolidate their work at the Education Department's
headquarters. The consolidation would reduce overhead and improve program
efficiency, according to the department.

But opponents of the plan claim it would lead to reduced services and,
over time, less money to help the disabled. "They really don't care about
these programs," said Jim Gashel, executive director for strategic
initiatives at the National Federation of the Blind.

The federation organized the protest, along with 44 other organizations,
including the American Federation of Government Employees National
Council 252 of Education Locals, which represents many of the displaced
RSA workers.

Rally organizers estimated that 800 to 1,000 blind and disabled people
protested yesterday; department officials estimated the crowd at 300 to 400.

The demonstrators carried signs -- one reading "RSA Consolidation Means
No Rehabilitation" and joined in chants.

"Two, Four, Six, Eight, Hager's Plan Is a Big Mistake," demonstrators
yelled, referring to John H. Hager , assistant secretary for special
education and rehabilitative services, who is in charge of the
consolidation.  In a telephone interview after the rally, he said the
idea of closing RSA offices has been debated for 20 years and has been
pushed by the Office of Management and Budget during the last four
years.  He predicted that RSA's effectiveness would increase.  The
reorganization would create five-person teams to provide technical
assistance to each state and would streamline monitoring and financial
management, he said.

But protester Don Hale , the legislative advocacy chairman for the Texas
Rehab ACTion Network, said the plan would lead to "a degradation of
services. . . . Texas, I think, will lose technical oversight and
resources provided on a regional basis."

Thirty-seven of the 65 employees in the RSA field offices have been
offered early retirement packages, Hager said. Employees also will be
offered a chance to bid for jobs at headquarters, where nine new
positions are being created. That will bring headquarters staffing for
RSA to 81 jobs, he said.

About 40 percent of the RSA field employees are disabled, reflecting the
agency's longstanding commitment to hiring people with disabilities.

Jerry Doyle , executive vice president of the AFGE local, said most RSA
employees do not want to take early retirement. He said that past program
audits have found the regional offices to be one of RSA's strengths and
that the administration "has never reconciled that difference of opinion."

The department hopes to have the new organization in place by Oct. 1.