Michigan Rehab Services

Michigan Rehab Services is a program to help Michigan residents with disabilities achieve employment and self sufficiency.

In order to meet my job requirements as listed by my employer, I am required to stand a small percentage of the time. My therapists at Mary Free Bed helped me trial a standing wheelchair and found one that worked perfectly. I was told that MRS would be a good place to check into and that they would likely pay for the chair so that I could return to work. I called MRS for information and found out that I had to first sit through a orientation before they can begin working with me.

My orientation was this morning at 10:00pm at the Michigan Works building in Paw Paw. I should have known from the start that something was amiss. 1) When I arrived 10 minutes prior to 10:00 and I was the only vehicle parked in a handicap parking spot. 2) When there were several 18-30 year olds who smelled like cheap weed milling around the entrance of the building. 3) When 4 of the 8 individuals attending the orientation were accompanied by their parents.

The orientation was a combination lecture and PowerPoint. The first topic was the types of disabilities that are eligible for MRS assistance. The speaker went over several obvious disabilities like being blind, hearing impaired, or being unable to walk. When the speaker mentioned that drug abuse was a disability... I almost fell out of my chair! Now I understood why the pot head meth group was here. When did having a drug problem become a disability?

I have absolutely no problem with tax money going to assist individuals who have true disabilities. However, I draw the line at tax money going to help individuals with a dependency on illegal substances and call it a disability. Maybe we should open up the disability program to tobacco users next. I'm sure there are individuals out there who are having trouble finding work or need to be re-trained now that smoking in public places has been outlawed.