External Partners, Colleagues, and Friends:
The Department of Human Services has asked that I advise all Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI or Commission) consumers, partners, vendors, and other external parties that , in order to have a Commission representative participate—and particularly speak or present--at an external event sponsored by a professional organization, constituency group, or other miscellaneous public gathering, that we receive two weeks notice of any such requests. These new timeframes and procedures are not intended to chill communications with the public; instead these measures are calculated to give DHS leadership and the Governor’s office an opportunity to determine if additional value could be added to any given requests for presentations by having other interested State representatives present or at least aware of the function. CBVI wants to continue being responsive to community requests for engagement, and this notice is offered to you so that we may efficiently and transparently process such requests.
I appreciate your understanding of, and cooperation with, these new procedures. Please understand that no matter how compelling the request may be, following this notification, CBVI will strictly honor the two-week timeframe for favorably responding to, or processing, requests for public presentations by Commission staff, received from external parties. If DHS leadership should liberalize this policy in the future, I will advise you. In the meanwhile, please be aware of and adhere to these procedures, even for the smallest, most seemingly inconsequential events, so that we are able to respond efficiently to requests and conduct the necessary vetting to guarantee whether the State will be able to participate in your events and activities. Should you have questions about this process, please feel free to contact me; my details are below in my signature block.
Thank you.
Daniel B. Frye, J.D.
Executive Director
NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired