<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Please read below. This is a serious issue affecting our blind vendors. Sign this petition and support the Oklahoma Association of Blind Merchants. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thanks.<br><br>Audrey T. Farnum<div>Sent from my iPhone</div></div><div><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> Rhonda Hutson via NFBOK-Talk <<a href="mailto:nfbok-talk@nfbnet.org">nfbok-talk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Date:</b> January 29, 2017 at 5:03:17 PM CST<br><b>To:</b> NFBOK-Talk <<a href="mailto:nfbok-talk@nfbnet.org">nfbok-talk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Cc:</b> Rhonda Hutson <<a href="mailto:rhondahutson3@gmail.com">rhondahutson3@gmail.com</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[NFBOK-Talk] On behalf of All Working Blind Individuals that choose to work rather than collect a disability check.</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> Rhonda Hutson <<a href="mailto:rhondahutson3@gmail.com">rhondahutson3@gmail.com</a>>, NFB of Oklahoma Internet Mailing List <<a href="mailto:nfbok-talk@nfbnet.org">nfbok-talk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><br></div></blockquote><div><span></span></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>
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<div style="font-color: black"><b>From:</b> <a title="rhondahutson3@gmail.com">Rhonda Hutson</a> </div>
<div><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, January 29, 2017 8:10 AM</div>
<div><b>To:</b> <a title="rhondahutson3@gmail.com">Rhonda Hutson</a> </div>
<div><b>Subject:</b> On behalf of All Working Blind Individuals that choose to
work rather than collect a disability check.</div></div></div>
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<div>The Tulsa County Sherrif is trying to change the law to get us out of the
Tulsa County Commissary. Would you please sign the petition to say no to the
Oklahoma House of Representatives?</div>
<div><a style="LINE-HEIGHT: 24px" href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/tulsa-county-sherrif-against-working-blind" target="_blank"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/tulsa-county-sherrif-against-working-blind</font></a></div>
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<div>The article reads:</div>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><img title="Mike-Spencer" style="BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: none; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; DISPLAY: inline; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px" border="0" alt="Mike-Spencer" src="cid:3A595BB357194AD49258104BF9626E42@DESKTOP9DHK66V" width="364" height="484" aria-label="0 bytes" aria-roledescription="Attachment"> </font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">SUBJECT:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>House Bills 1196; 2230; &
2278</font></font></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">These house bills are attempting to amend Oklahoma
Statute Title VII whereby County Commissaries would become exempt from the
statute; thereby removing opportunities for blind individuals to become
self-supporting rather than depending on a disability
check.</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">In 1994 in the case of </font></span><span lang="EN" style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-ansi-language: en"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Glanz v. McCray, the Tulsa County Commissioners and
Sheriff lost the case where they tried to remove a blind individual from making
an honest living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font><u><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Now it seems they are attempting the same battle on a
new battlefield.</font></u></span></font><u><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Mike Spencer, the current blind individual operating the
Tulsa County Jail Commissary not only employs his regular full time staff but
also employs part-time jail detention officers.</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">In the year 2016 the following agencies/individuals
benefited from the earnings of this county commissary:</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" align="right"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department<span style="mso-tab-count: 5">
</span>$ 110,492.00</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" align="right"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitative Services<span style="mso-tab-count: 3">
</span>$<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>73,
662.00</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" align="right"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Oklahoma Tax Commission<span style="mso-tab-count: 6">
</span>$ 115,016.00</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" align="right"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Jail Detention officers & Commissary Employees<span style="mso-tab-count: 3">
</span>$ 204,084.00</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" align="right"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Aramark (Kiosk and equipment supplier)<span style="mso-tab-count: 4">
</span>$ 169,060.00</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" align="right"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">
</font></span><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Oklahoma vendors supplying
commissary products <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>$ 653,471.00</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Mr. Spencer played OU football through two National
Championships then went to work as a dock supervisor until he lost his vision
overnight in the mid 1990’s and was forced to quit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He went unemployed for years until he
learned of the EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES afforded blind individuals provided by
Title VII.</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">He continues to operate Tulsa County Commissary and
deliver commissary goods to inmates when he is never paid by Tulsa County
Sheriff’s Department in a timely fashion.</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Currently the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department is
behind in payments for goods delivered to inmates by Mr. Spencer to the tune of
$ 77,000.00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Delinquent payments
are very normal for the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department but they continue to
demand purchase and delivery of commissary goods which Mr. Spencer must pay for
while awaits his payment.</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">It seems that the greed of the Tulsa representatives:
Kirby, Mulready and O’Donnell<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and
the Tulsa County Sheriff’s department is more important than allowing blind and
other disabled individuals the right to earn a living and contribute to society
in a positive manner.</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">WORKING BLIND INDIVIDUALS ARE BEING TREATED
UNFAIRLY.</font></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></font></font></span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 6pt 0in; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 6"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">
</font></span><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Mike Spencer</font><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">
</font></span></font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">
</font></span><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4">
</span>918-640-1807</font></font></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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</div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>NFBOK-Talk mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:NFBOK-Talk@nfbnet.org">NFBOK-Talk@nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbok-talk_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbok-talk_nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFBOK-Talk:</span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbok-talk_nfbnet.org/atfarnum%40icloud.com">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbok-talk_nfbnet.org/atfarnum%40icloud.com</a></span></div></blockquote></body></html>