Massachusetts Commission for the Blind says it received initial FY26 federal grant funds, launches national recruitment campaign

The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind told its board that it has received initial portions of its fiscal‑year‑2026 federal grant funding and will roll out a national media campaign aimed at recruiting orientation and mobility, assistive‑technology and vision‑rehabilitation specialists.

"We would be getting approximately 33% of the fiscal year 26 grant," John said, describing the portion of the VR and Older Individuals Who Are Blind grants the agency has received. He said MCB will continue using remaining FY25 federal dollars through December to fund staff and services, then switch to FY26 funds while continuing to manage resources cautiously under the short‑term continuing resolution that, he said, runs through Jan. 30.

John also described earmarks awarded to the Carroll Center and the Massachusetts Association for the Blind that pay for computer and independent‑living training. He said consumers may self‑refer to those programs and that MCB will issue a request‑for‑responses for an additional earmark to fund in‑home training early next year.

The agency previewed a recruitment campaign it developed with UMass and a hired media buyer. John said the campaign relies on short reels and a landing page on mass.gov/MCB that links viewers to training programs nationwide and to contact pages for providers. "The intent is that you reach directly out to the program," he said. The campaign targets people roughly 18–45 and will run on TikTok, Instagram and Google's networks; MCB staff said they will track monthly metrics and follow up with training programs in the spring to see whether inquiries or applications rise.

Staff played three short reels at the meeting. One on‑camera speaker in the reels said, "My name is Carly Marcelina Vega and I'm orientation mobility specialist. I teach people who are blind or visually impaired ways to travel safely in their community." Other reel speakers described assistive‑technology work and vision‑rehabilitation therapy; the videos are short, staff said, and link from the landing page to program pages that contain contact and application information.

Nate reviewed program statistics and caseloads, reporting roughly 900 open cases for children, about 3,300 open older‑adult cases, approximately 204 open VR youth cases and 769 VR adult cases. He said MCB had issued about 7,800 certificates of blindness this year, processed 1,026 MCBIDS and recorded 1,673 new registrants to date.

Board members asked whether the governor's reported buyout proposals for state employees might affect staffing; John said he had no additional information beyond the news reports. Members also discussed White Cane Day and whether MCB could support regional events; staff said partnerships with local organizations could reduce the planning burden on central staff but cautioned that staffing and venues limit how many agency‑run events are feasible.

During public comment, Jerry Barrier said the reels sounded "really muffled" in the meeting and asked whether the clips would be available with transcripts or audio description. Justine and other staff said the original videos produced by ICI at UMass include text descriptions and transcripts, but how accessibility features render on social platforms can vary; staff committed to follow up to confirm how the clips will appear on each platform and how accessible versions will be provided.

Votes at a glance A motion to approve the minutes was moved and seconded; the board voted "Aye" and the minutes were approved. The meeting was later adjourned by unanimous consent.

What’s next Staff said they will begin procurement for the earmarked in‑home training, monitor the advertising metrics, continue pre‑conference planning for the Visions of Collaboration event, and follow up on accessibility details for the campaign media. The board adjourned with holiday greetings and will reconvene at its next regular meeting.