Watch the MCB video, "Changing Lives, Changing Attitudes" or listen to the audio.  Both versions include descriptions of all the visual images that appear in the video.  There are no captions in the online video, due to the small screen size, so the complete script is printed below.

Script:  Changing Lives, Changing Attitudes

We all have the potential to be successful in life. If we're highly motivated and properly prepared, we can succeed in a variety of areas.

A cabinetmaker, a physical therapist, a cafeteria manager, an engineer, a physician -- what do they have in common?

The answer is all of them are blind, or visually impaired, and they have all benefited from services provided by the Michigan Commission for the Blind, or MCB.

MCB, with its staff of more than 100 statewide, helps individuals achieve independence and employment regardless of their gender, age, or ethnic background.

The Michigan Commission for the Blind provides services to an average of more than 5,000 Michigan residents annually:

• 2,500 participate in Vocational Rehabilitation programs.
• 4 50 attend the MCB Training Center in Kalamazoo.
• 1 ,000 individuals age 55 or older participate in Independent Living programs.
• 5 00 are served by the Youth Low Vision program.
• A nd 100 individuals are licensed to operate vending stands, snack bars and cafeterias in public and private buildings.

Through these programs, the Michigan Commission for the Blind helps people set personal goals and provides valuable tools to assist them in fulfilling their potential.

MCB's Mini Adjustment Programs provide training in basic living skills, including Braille, telephone usage, handwriting, and sewing.  The programs also feature sessions on attitudes toward blindness.

More advanced programs are offered by the MCB Training Center, where blind, visually impaired, and DeafBlind students learn the skills of blindness needed for independent living, vocational training, and employment.  The center provides courses ranging from adaptive cooking to adaptive computer use, and from machine tool operation to cane travel training.

In addition, quality of life classes such as crafts and woodworking are available, along with optional evening talkback sessions with the center's director.

For those interested in pursuing careers after training, MCB partners with business community leaders to help them find job placements, and helps others establish their own small businesses.

The Michigan Commission for the Blind provides services that are changing lives and changing attitudes in very positive ways.

MCB helps blind and visually impaired individuals in Michigan live independently and productively, and achieve their own individual potential.

For further information on the Michigan Commission for the Blind, call toll-free:  1-800-292-4200.

That's 1-800-292-4200.

[Note:  In 2003, the Michigan Commission for the Blind became a part of the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth.]