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SALT LAKE CITY — A blindfolded Gov. Gary Herbert, guided by an instructor who is blind, cut wood on a table saw Monday during an event to celebrate the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation becoming part of the Department of Workforce Services.

The event, held at the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, marked the first day the rehabilitation office operated as part of the executive branch. Historically, the office has been overseen by the Utah State Board of Education.

HB325, passed by the Utah Legislature earlier this year, called for a change after legislative audits and an audit by Office of the Utah State Auditor found significant problems with the agency's budgetary practices and, as a consequence, challenges with service delivery.

Herbert's address to agency employees and constituents in an auditorium was broadcast statewide to Utah State Office of Rehabilitation employees who serve people with disabilities.

The governor admitted that cutting wood with a table saw while wearing an eyeshade that blocked his vision "was a little bit scary."

He credited instructor Ray Wright for guiding him through the demonstration.

"He said, 'Put your hands on my hands and I'll guide you,'" Herbert said, explaining it was a fitting metaphor for the mission of the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation.

"Together we'll achieve better outcomes and results," he said.

Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, sponsor of HB325, said the agency's transition to the executive branch was achieved in a matter of months.

"These guys worked super hard to cross all the T's and dot all the I's, working with technology services and HR, all the practical things you have to worry about," Thurston said.

"It happened. Everything was ready to go. Monday morning when people showed up for work they're not going to notice anything different except a little bit more enthusiasm."

Thurston said legislative audits showed the office lacked oversight and support.

"They were doing the best they could. They were small. They didn't have resources. They didn't have accounting and payroll. They didn't have IT services. They didn't have a lot of things that you really need to run a government agency. Now moving them over to this side of the government, they have all of it," he said.

The agency's 400 employees are "experiencing not only what it is like to be overseen" but also "what it is like to be actually supported," Thurston said.

"The big thing is, no one actually lost their jobs. We had some people who were assigned to other areas, but as far as I know, nobody lost their job over this, which was part of our goal," he said.

The Utah State Office of Rehabilitation is one of the oldest social services agencies in the state. Its first clients were veterans returning from World War I who had disabling injuries and needed job training to transition into the workforce.

The office serves more than 50,000 people with disabilities each year through the Division of Rehabilitation Services, Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Division of Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Disability Determination Services.

Utah State Office of Rehabilitation director Darin Brush said the office's transition from the Utah State Office of Education to Workforce Services occurred over a matter of months, instead of years as in other states.

"It went right down to the end of the (legislative) session," Brush said of the passage of HB325. "It's mid-March to October to have made it happen."

The transition was complex given the agency's 400 employees, $86 million budget and considering each of its four divisions work under different federal contracts and grants, he said.

"It's incredible what has to be done, and we did it faster than anyone's ever done it," Brush said.

"We did it, and we did it in style. I'm proud to say this agency is sound. The budget is balanced. There's no deficit going into (workforce services). We know our outcomes. We know our measures now. We're monitoring on a regular basis now."

Jon Pierpont, executive director of the Utah Department of Workforce Services, said the department and rehabilitation office are both committed to serving people "of all circumstances and providing them with resources to improve their quality of life.

"The (Utah State Office of Rehabilitation) is a valuable asset for us as we'll be able to improve our knowledge of serving individuals with disabilities across the department and provide additional resources to each other's clients," Pierpont said.

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