Welcome and congratulations on your appointment to the Minnesota State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind (SRC-B). The Member Orientation Material will assist members in finding the information and resources needed to become familiar with the workings of the SRC-B and State Services for the Blind (SSB).
Please read all this material carefully so that you will know what is expected of you and what you can expect. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the staff liaison, nyia.vang@state.mn.us, other members of the SRC-B, or SSB staff.
Please note the following information about SRC-B meetings. Typical meetings are held in person with an option to attend via Zoom. The in-person meetings are scheduled at our office which is located at State Services for the Blind, 2200 University Avenue West, Suite 240, St. Paul, MN 55114.
The meetings usually follow this schedule:
| Month | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| February | First Thursday of the month* | 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. |
| April | First Thursday of the month | 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. |
| June | First Thursday of the month | 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. |
| August | First Thursday of the month | 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. |
| October | First Thursday of the month | 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. |
| December | First Thursday of the month | 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. |
*The meeting may be on a different Thursday and voted on by the council. Please check the schedule. On occasion, special meetings are held.
Materials for the meetings (such as agenda, minutes, and other reports) will be sent out to members as well as posted on the Minutes, Agendas and Other Meeting Materials page at least a week prior to each meeting. Please read this information so that you will be prepared to participate fully in the meeting. Please contact the staff liaison Nyia Vang at 651-539-2377 or nyia.vang@state.mn.us if you need the documents in a different format.
As a member, attendance is expected at all scheduled meetings. If you are unable to attend any meetings, please notify the chair and/or another member of the Council, the staff liaison, or an SSB staff person that attends the meetings.
All full Council meetings are recorded and transcribed by a court reporter. Council minutes can be found on the SRC-Bs' Minutes. Agendas and Other Meeting Materials page and copies can be made available by contacting the staff liaison Nyia Vang at 651-539-2377 or nyia.vang@state.mn.us.
As a member of the SRC-B, you may be contacted on occasion outside of meeting times by other Council members, the staff liaison, other SSB staff, or members of the public regarding various issues.
Much of the work of the Council is done in committees and taskforce meetings. Each Council member is expected to participate on one or more of these committees and will be asked to volunteer for various taskforces. See the list of committees in the Committees and Task Force page. To select the committee on which you wish to serve an email of interest needs to be sent to the chair. Committee appointments typically happen once a year at the August meeting. If you are appointed mid-year you are able to send your email of interest at any time. Inform the SRC-B chair and the staff liaison of your preference. An SSB staff person also participates on each committee which provides essential history and helpful support to council and committee projects.
