Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) Secretary Janet Schalansky announced today a plan for continuing to provide services for persons who are blind and visually impaired who currently are receiving services on the grounds of Topeka State Hospital. The plan includes three components: 1) continue to offer facility-based services, 2) relocate to an area that is conducive to providing services, and 3) close Kansas Industries for the Blind (KIB).

As a result of the plan, SRS is looking for a facility to house the Kansas Division of Services for the Blind (DSB) and the Rehabilitation Center for the Blind (RCB), a unit of DSB. Both DSB and RCB are currently located on the Topeka State Hospital grounds at 2516 West 6 Ih Avenue, Topeka. Requirements for a new location include: close proximity to community housing; access to public transportation; availability of staff, and ability to offer a reasonable move-in date. Interested parties are asked to submit bids this week. SRS is expected to vacate the state hospital grounds by June 1.

The current facility on the state hospital grounds includes a dormitory that is operating at 25 percent of capacity. The dormitory will close and not be relocated with other services. Instead, community housing will be obtained near the relocation site.

In conjunction with the relocation, KIB will close by May 1. KIB is located at 425 MacVicar, Topeka. The decision to close KIB was made because the program is not the best means of providing competitive, integrated employment, a key component of the federal Rehabilitation Act, and the program is not cost-effective.

SRS plans to help place 27 people working at KIB in competitive, integrated jobs. For those not able to find such work, SRS will help place them in a workshop or a sheltered employment.

"This is an opportunity for us to make needed program improvements," said Secretary Schalansky. "The proposed sale of the state hospital grounds did affect the timing of these changes, but it is not the reason for the changes. It simply created good timing for much-needed program improvements. We will work with an advisory committee of consumers to assist in designing the program improvements."

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001