Department of Human Services

STATEWIDE REHABILITATION COUNCIL (SRC)
Purpose | Intent | Priority #1 | 2005 Meeting Schedule | Meet the Members

PURPOSE

The Statewide Rehabilitation Council (SRC), working on behalf of New Jersey residents who are blind or visually impaired, will review, analyze and advise the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI) regarding the performance of its responsibilities in providing quality services to the people it is their mission to serve.

INTENT

We will be a catalyst for the emergence of the Commission as a leader in the development and implementation of effective service programs and advocacy for persons who are blind or visually impaired throughout our state, to ensure that they have access to full equality of opportunity.

Priority #1

That all individuals who are blind or visually impaired have access to opportunities that will enable them to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency through employment.

SRC MEETING DATES 2005

SRC MEETINGS ARE HELD IN COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 105 OF THE FEDERAL REHABILITATION ACT, AS AMENDED; AND THE NJ OPEN PUBLIC MEETING ACT, N.J.S.A. 10: 4-6

• February 25, 2005
• April 22, 2005
• June 24, 2005
• August 26, 2005
• October 28, 2005
• December 16, 2005

All of the meetings will be held at the following location:

Joseph Kohn Rehabilitation Center
130 Livingston Avenue
New Brunswick, N.J. 08901
(732) 937-6363
For More Information About the SRC, please contact Jamie Hilton at: 973-648-3160 ; Jamie.Hilton@dhs.state.nj.us

MEET THE CBVI SRC

Robert B. Sensale - Chairperson
E Mail: Robert Sensale@ML.com
Bob is an Attorney, employed by Merrill Lynch as a debt trading desk Supervisor. He was recently elected as the new Chairperson for the SRC. He is a Parent Representative to the SRC and is the father of 4. His daughter, Angela, attends St. Joseph’s School for the Blind in Jersey City.

Nicholas (Nicky) Gacos - Vice Chair
E-mail: nickycolorado@netscape.net
Nick operates Colorado Café, which is a Restaurant Management Company. He is also a member of the State Employment & Training Commission (SETC), Chair of the Middlesex County Workforce Investment Board, and Vice President of the National Federation of the Blind Merchants Association. Nick is the State Workforce Investment Board Representative to the SRC.

James H. (Jim) Fox
E-mail:jim2447957@comcast.net
Jim is the President of the Toms River Lions Club, a Community Service Organization. He is a Group Leader for Eye Openers of Toms River, a blind self help support group, and also is a member of the Blind Veterans National Chapter of Disabled American Veterans and the National Church Conference of the Blind. He is the Disability Advocacy Groups Representative to the SRC.

Bernie Zuckerman
E-mail: Bzucker505@aol.com
Bernie is a self- employed accountant. He is the treasurer for the Alliance for the Disabled in Action, an Independent Living Center, and the Vice President of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) of Central New Jersey. Bernie is the Business, Industry & Labor Representative to the SRC.

Anne McArthur
Assistant Librarian
New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped
2300 Stuyvesant Avenue
Ewing NJ 08618
Phone: (609) 530- 3242 or (800) 792-8322
E-mail: amcarthur@njstatelib.org
Anne is the Assistant Director of the New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped (LBVH). The LBVH is the public library for N.J. residents who for any reason are unable to read with ease regular printed books. The Library supplies free through the mail to our eligible customers informational and recreational books in Braille, large print, audiocassette, and a specialized cassette player. She is also a member of the New Jersey chapter of the Association for the Education & Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired. Anne is the Community Rehabilitation Programs Representative to the SRC.

Robert E. Paige
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services
135 E. State Street, PO Box 398
Trenton, N.J. 08625
Phone: (609) 777- 4930
E-mail: Robert.Paige@dol.state.nj.us
Bob is a Program Development Specialist with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS). DVRS provides Vocational Rehabilitation Services to individuals with disabilities other than blindness in New Jersey. Bob is the DVRS Representative to the SRC.

Lillie Lowe-Reid, M.Ed.
NJ Client Assistance Program (CAP)
New Jersey Protection and Advocacy, Inc.
210 South Broad Street, 3rd Floor.
Trenton, NJ 08608
Phone: (609) 292- 9742 or (800) 922-7233 NJ ONLY
E-mail: llowereid@njpanda.org
Lillie is the Coordinator of the New Jersey Client Assistance Program, part of New Jersey Protection and Advocacy. She provides: Individual legal representation and non-legal individual and system advocacy, information and referral services, outreach, and education. Lillie is the CAP Representative to the SRC.

Ed Kawalec, M.S.
Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
Joseph Kohn Rehabilitation Center (JKRC)
130 Livingston Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: (732) 729- 6562
E-mail: Edward.Kawalec@dhs.state.nj.us
Ed provides Vocational assessment, occupational research and career planning assistance to Commission for the Blind and visually Impaired consumers attending the JKRC program. Ed is the VR counselor, Representative on the SRC and is an Ex-Officio, non- Voting member.

Ronnie Siriani
NJ TRANSIT
One Penn Plaza East, 7th floor
Newark, NJ 07105
Phone: (973) 491- 7242
Fax: (973) 491- 8707
800-955-6765 TT
E-mail: rsiriani@njtransit.com
Ronnie is the Director of ADA Services for New Jersey Transit. She provides: ADA Services consultation to the corporation regarding ADA compliance issues, Statewide accessible Bus, Rail and Light Rail and administers the ADA Paratransit program (Access Link) including eligibility and operations. Ronnie is a Business, Industry & Labor Representative to the SRC.

Carol Castellano
President, Parents of Blind Children-NJ
23 Alexander Ave.
Madison, NJ 07940
Phone: (973) 377- 0976
E-mail: center@webspan.net
Carol provides Information, referrals, training, support, and advocacy for parents and teachers of blind/visually impaired children, including those with additional disabilities from infancy through college age. She is the President of Parents of Blind Children- NJ. Carol is the Parent Training & Information Center established under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Representative to the SRC.

Rocco J. Meola
The First Occupational Center of New Jersey
391 Lakeside Avenue
Orange, NJ 07050
Phone: (973) 672-5800
E-mail: ocnj@ocnj.org
Rocco is the President and CEO of the First Occupational Center of New Jersey (OCNJ). The Center provides vocational rehabilitation, training, education, counseling, job placement and follow-up services for the disabled & disadvantaged statewide. OCNJ is the oldest non-profit agency in New Jersey assisting people with disabilities and operates 6 businesses that employ disabled and non-disabled individuals in an affirmative industry model. The Center also Assists visually impaired senior citizens in Essex County, ages 55 and older, to live independently by providing a wide range of support services. Rocco is the Community rehabilitation programs Representative to the SRC.

James F. Dougherty
E-mail: jfd208@optonline.net
Jim provides Consumer Advocate Services. Liaison with the following organizations: NJAER, ACB, NFB, DBLNJ, MAVIS, Computer Talk, Area Wide Transportation, Network of Blindness Organizations, and Local Lions Clubs. He is a former consumer and worked for the CBVI as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and as the Assistant Manager of the Joseph Kohn Rehabilitation Center in New Brunswick. Jim is the Former VR recipient Representative to the SRC.

Judith G. Watkins
Community Health Law Project
650 Bloomfield Avenue
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
Phone: (973) 680-5599
E-mail: JWatkins@chlp.org
Judith is the Supervising Paralegal Advocate for the Community Health Law Project (CHLP).The CHLP is a private non-profit agency that provides legal and advocacy services such as landlord tenant issues, Social Security, consumer issues, child support, transportation and other concerns for individuals with disabilities. Services are provided without charge to individuals who are blind and visually impaired. She provides Administrative activities for the Advocate staff at the CHLP and represents individuals with disabilities in appealing Social Security decisions on a variety of issues and Is responsible for handling speaking engagements for the CHLP. Judy is the Representative for the CHLP to the SRC.

David M. Zulli, Ph.D.
E-mail: dmzulli1@optonline.net
Dr. Zulli is President of DMZ Economics and performs economic loss evaluation and critical analysis of adversary reports in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Wrongful Termination, Life Care Plan and Commercial Damage cases, as well as statistical analysis in Disparate Impact and Unfair Business Practice cases. He also provides consultation, damage reports, adversary report reviews and expert testimony for plaintiff and defense attorneys in New Jersey and metropolitan New York. He is the President of the New Jersey Council of the Blind (NJCB). The NJCB seeks to elevate the social, economic, and cultural level of people who are blind by improving educational and rehabilitation facilities. Dr. Zulli is a Business, Industry & Labor Representative to the SRC.

Darryl Banks
E-mail: headshot@ureach.com
Darryl is a Board member of MOCEANS, a Center for Independent Living in Central New Jersey. He provides personal advocacy for MOCEANS, maintains computers for blind and visually impaired individuals, and provides computer assistance and training for blind and visually impaired individuals in adaptive technology. Darryl is State Independent Living Council Representative to the SRC.

William Freeman
CSPD Coordinator- Office of Special Education Programs
NJ Department of Education
100 Riverview Plaza
P.O. Box 500
Trenton, NJ 08625-0500
Phone: (609) 292- 0362
Fax: (609) 292-5558
E-mail: Bill.Freeman@doe.state.nj.us
Bill provides Training and technical assistance to school districts, family members, and students with disabilities on Special Education topics, including transition from school to adult life. Bill is the State Education agency responsible for the public education of students with disabilities Representative to the SRC.

Vibert George
E-mail: vngeorge@earthlink.net
**CBVI consumer

Paulette M. Eberle
E-mail: peberle@comcast.net
Paulette is Co-chair of the Board of Directors of CitizenAction, a national consumer advocacy organization. She is a facilitator for Monday Morning Project, a grass roots advocacy organization and is co-chair of the Federal Legislation Task force of Monday Morning Project. She also sits on the Women with Disabilities Health Care Task Force and chairs the Media and Publishing Sub-Committee of that group. A journalist, she writes for the magazine People with Disability and Families. She is an outreach worker for Health Project in Newark, a grant from Seeing Eye, Inc. Paulette co-facilitates the Hudson County Network, is a member of the Transend Advisory Board (Para transit service for Hudson County), as well as Advisory Board member of Heightened Independence & Progress (hip) in Hudson County. She is a Business, Industry & Labor Representative to the SRC.

Irving R. Dickman
Idmd94@aol.com
Irving is a much- published author, who has written on disability and disability issues. He has a son, Kenneth, who has a disability and that is the reason that he first became involved with the SRC. He is an active advocate and is has a special interest in senior issues. Irving is an Advocate/Parent Representative to the SRC.

Together……

• We provide resources and work in partnership
• We advocate assertively and knowledgably on behalf of people who are blind and visually impaired

• We encourage supportive services, informed decision making, and self-determination

• We take an active leadership role in partnering with other organizations or groups to benefit people who are blind and visually impaired

• We facilitate communication among and between CBVI, consumers, public policy makers, advocacy groups and the communities in which we live and work as needed to improve employment

• We promote employer awareness of the value of hiring people who are blind and visually impaired

• We support diversity and integration in employment, education, and job training programs

• We seek to eliminate barriers for transportation

• We move towards increasing access to technology/assistive technology