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Community Partner Post

Partner Post Highlighting Collaboration and Shared Goals

News & Updates - June 15, 2026

Background Checks Due by August 1st

A friendly reminder that your annual criminal background checks are due to SSB by Saturday, August 1st.

Contracted Community Partners who are sole proprietors with no employees will be emailed the release form and instructions for SSB to run the background check with the BCA.

Please take the necessary steps to ensure they are submitted by the deadline. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Beilke - jennifer.beilke@state.mn.us

Listening Session

A Community Partner Listening Session was held on May 13th. The goal is to improve collaboration and better understand the needs and experiences of those we collectively serve. Your partnership and insight are essential to strengthening the services and supports we provide to Minnesotans who are blind, low vision, or DeafBlind. While many of you were unable to attend, we are extending the opportunity for you to submit your feedback via email. Deadline for submission is June 19th. Click this link to access the form to share your responses. Thank you!

Upcoming Events

A quick heads-up about a couple of upcoming events where we’d appreciate your help and support. More detailed information will be forthcoming in future Partner Post newsletters.

SSB Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey - Coming in August

SSB's annual Customer Satisfaction Survey will be sent via email to customers in mid-August. If any of your clients have been SSB customers between January and June 2026, please give them a reminder about the upcoming survey. Their feedback helps improve the services that SSB staff deliver to blind, DeafBlind, and low vision clients in our state.

White Cane Safety Awareness Day - Coming in October

Planning is already underway for the 2026 White Cane Safety Awareness Day event to be held at the MN State Capitol in October. We may solicit Community Partner representatives to host information tables about their services. We also appreciate you informing customers about this event so they can join in the celebration.

Spotlight Cafés Taking Summertime Hiatus

We have decided to take a pause on the June, July, and August Spotlight Cafés. We hope to bring these monthly information meetings back beginning in September.

Community Partner Elevator Pitch

Even though the Community Partner Spotlight Cafés are taking a break this summer, you are still encouraged to create an elevator pitch video. These videos are added to the Community Partner webpages for counselors and customers to review as they make decisions on selecting providers. Please contact lisa.rogers@state.mn.us to learn more and schedule your elevator pitch recording time.

Community Partner Forum - Monday, July 27th

The July 27th Community Partner Training Forum will proceed as scheduled with data privacy as the training topic. We plan for this Forum to be an hour-long session so we can include some news, updates, and announcements. Please register in advance to attend. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Date: Monday, July 27th

Time: 8:00 - 9:00 am

Click this link to register.

State Services for the Blind provides tools and training for employment, living independently, and accessing print. We assist Minnesotans who are blind, DeafBlind, experiencing vision loss, or have difficulty accessing the printed word.

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SSB is an equal opportunity employer and program provider.

The Minnesota State Services for the Blind Vocational Rehabilitation program receives 78.69 percent of its funding through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. For federal fiscal year 2024, the total amount of grant funds awarded were $10,410,449. The remaining 21.3 percent of the costs ($2,817,568) were funded by Minnesota state appropriations.