Plan to Reorganize Agency Serving Disabled Draws Protests

Blind and disabled Americans rallied outside the front doors of the Education Department yesterday to protest the Bush administration's plan to reorganize the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the largest federal program helping states provide job training to people with disabilities.

The plan would close 10 regional RSA offices where 65 federal employees work and consolidate their work at the Education Department's headquarters. The consolidation would reduce overhead and improve program efficiency, according to the department.

But opponents of the plan claim it would lead to reduced services and, over time, less money to help the disabled. "They really don't care about these programs," said Jim Gashel , executive director for strategic initiatives at the National Federation of the Blind.

The federation organized the protest, along with 44 other organizations, including the American Federation of Government Employees National Council 252 of Education Locals, which represents many of the displaced RSA workers.

Rally organizers estimated that 800 to 1,000 blind and disabled people protested yesterday; department officials estimated the crowd at 300 to 400.

The demonstrators carried signs -- one reading "RSA Consolidation Means No Rehabilitation" and joined in chants.

"Two, Four, Six, Eight, Hager's Plan Is a Big Mistake," demonstrators yelled, referring to John H. Hager , assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services, who is in charge of the consolidation. In a telephone interview after the rally, he said the idea of closing RSA offices has been debated for 20 years and has been pushed by the Office of Management and Budget during the last four years.

He predicted that RSA's effectiveness would increase. The reorganization would create five-person teams to provide technical assistance to each state and would streamline monitoring and financial management, he said.

But protester Don Hale , the legislative advocacy chairman for the Texas Rehab ACTion Network, said the plan would lead to "a degradation of services. . . . Texas, I think, will lose technical oversight and resources provided on a regional basis."

Thirty-seven of the 65 employees in the RSA field offices have been offered early retirement packages, Hager said. Employees also will be offered a chance to bid for jobs at headquarters, where nine new positions are being created. That will bring headquarters staffing for RSA to 81 jobs, he said.

About 40 percent of the RSA field employees are disabled, reflecting the agency's longstanding commitment to hiring people with disabilities.

Jerry Doyle , executive vice president of the AFGE local, said most RSA employees do not want to take early retirement. He said that past program audits have found the regional offices to be one of RSA's strengths and that the administration "has never reconciled that difference of opinion."

The department hopes to have the new organization in place by Oct. 1.

Retirement

Jack Covaleski , who played a key role in the creation of the Office of Government Ethics and served as the agency's deputy director for agency programs, will retire May 31 after 36 years of government service. Prior to joining the agency in 1979, Covaleski was a project manager at the Government Accountability Office, testified in Congress on the deficiencies in the executive branch ethics programs and helped draft legislation that established the ethics office. There, he set up an audit division and created an education division to train federal officials on ethics rules.

Talk Shows

David Shapiro of the Justice Department's civil division and Bill Kullman of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, will discuss legal careers in the government on "FEDtalk" at 11 a.m. today on http://federalnewsradio.com/ and WFED radio (1050 AM).

Andrew von Eschenbach , director of the National Cancer Institute, will be the guest on "The IBM Business of Government Hour" at 9 a.m. tomorrow on WJFK radio (106.7 FM).

"Still Glad About My Good Government Job?" will be the topic for discussion on the Imagene B. Stewart call-in program at 8 a.m. Sunday on WOL radio (1450 AM).

E-mail:barrs@washpost.com