[Colorado-talk] a great day at the Capitol

[Scott C. LaBarre]

    Greetings:

Despite the fact that a blizzard was raging in the Mile High City yesterday, over 40 Federationists showed up at the Capitol to witness  the adoption of Senate Joint Resolution 31 which noted the release of the Louis Braille Coin and its attendant literacy program.  The measure passed both houses unanimously.  In both the Senate and Jouse, they read the Resolution in its entirety, a rare occurance, and members in both houses rose and said very complementary things about the Federation.  We held a Press Conference prior to the morning session.  Senator Shaffer, our chief Senate sponsor, and Representative Rice, our chief House sponsor, attended and addressed our group.  Unfortunately, no media attended because all media were out and about the city covering the winter storm.  I want to thank Chris Foster, our Director of Community Relations, for doing a great deal of the leg work to make sure yesterday's events and the Resolution itself came off in great shape.  We will plan and carry out many other events this year at which we should be able to draw media, assuming, of course, other blizzards won't pick the same day as our events.

I am pasting the text of the Resolution below as it was adopted.  This comes from the official PDF document and it contains line numbering, which is a bit awkward with speech.  Down the road, we will release a version without the line numbers.  With or state and national events, yesterday was a banner day for our Federation.

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SJR031_rev.pdf

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First Regular Session Sixty-seventh General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO  
REVISED   
LLS NO. R09-0962.01 Joel Moore  
SJR09-031   
Shaffer B.,  
SENATE SPONSORSHIP     
Rice,  
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP    
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Senate Committees House Committees 

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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 09-031   
101  
CONCERNING THE CONTINUING IMPORTANCE OF BRAILLE LITERACY IN   
102  
THE LIVES OF BLIND CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN COLORADO AND   
103  
ACROSS THE NATION, 
AND, 
IN CONNECTION THEREWITH,   
104  
RECOGNIZING "NATIONAL BRAILLE READERS ARE LEADERS   
105  
DAY".  
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1 WHEREAS, Since its invention by Louis Braille, the reading and 
2 writing code for the blind that bears his name has become the accepted 
3 method of reading and writing for the blind the world over; and 
4 WHEREAS, Braille is used to represent not only the alphabets of 
5 most written languages but also mathematical and scientific notation and 
6 the reproduction of musical scores; and 
7 WHEREAS, Braille provides people who are blind with the power 
8 of knowledge, expanding their opportunities and equipping them with the 
9 tools to be productive and imaginative contributors to society; and 
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment. 
Capital letters indicate new material to be added to existing statute. 
Dashes through the words indicate deletions from existing statute. 
HOUSE 
FinalReading 
March 26,2009 
SENATE
FinalReading 
March 26,2009 
1 WHEREAS, Contrary to popular belief, Braille is not difficult to 
2 learn, nor is reading Braille slower than reading print; and 
3 WHEREAS, While technology has improved the lives of blind 
4 people by facilitating quick access to information, no technology can 
replace Braille literacy since literacy is the ability to read and write and6 to do both interactively; and 
7 WHEREAS, Despite Braille's efficiency, versatility, and universal 
8 acceptance by the blind, the rate of Braille literacy in the United States 
9 has declined to the point where only 10 percent of blind children are 
learning to read and write Braille; and 
11 WHEREAS, Just as a literacy rate of 10 percent among this 
12 nation's sighted children would be rightly viewed as a crisis and as cause 
13 for national outrage, the decline in Braille literacy is a crisis, and swift 
14 action must be taken to reverse this dangerous trend; and 
WHEREAS, Braille literacy is the key to independence,
16 productivity, and success for blind people, as evidenced by the fact that, 
17 while 70 percent of the blind are unemployed, 85 percent of those who 
18 are employed use Braille; and 
19 WHEREAS, The United States Congress officially recognized the 
importance of Braille by passing the Louis Braille Bicentennial--Braille21 Literacy Commemorative Coin Act, authorizing the striking of a United 
22 States silver dollar in commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary 
23 of the birth of Louis Braille; and 
24 WHEREAS, The National Federation of the Blind, the nation's 
oldest and largest organization of blind people and the leading advocate26 for Braille literacy, has launched a national "Braille Readers are Leaders" 
27 campaign to promote awareness of the importance of Braille and the 
28 magnitude of the Braille literacy crisis and to increase the availability of 
29 competent Braille instruction and of Braille reading materials in this 
country, with funding for said campaign to come from a portion of the31 proceeds of the sale of the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar; and 
32 WHEREAS, The National Federation of the Blind has today 
33 released a comprehensive report, "The Braille Literacy Crisis in 
34 America--Facing the Truth, Reversing the Trend, Empowering the Blind", 
and the United States Mint has this day released the Louis Braille36 Bicentennial Silver Dollar for purchase by the general public; now, 
37 therefore, 
38 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-seventh General Assembly 
39 of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: 
(1) That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, do41 hereby proclaim March 26, 2009, as National Braille Readers are Leaders 
42 Day, to celebrate the hope, opportunity, and power that literacy in Braille 
43 provides to the blind and to our nation; and 
44 (2) That we call upon all public officials, educators, and citizens 
-2-031 
1 throughout Colorado and this nation to recognize the importance of 
2 Braille in the lives of blind people and to assist the National Federation 
3 of the Blind in its efforts to increase instruction in and use of Braille in 
4 Colorado and across the United States. 
5 Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent 
6 to Governor Bill Ritter, Jr.; the members of the Colorado Congressional 
7 delegation; and Scott C. LaBarre, President, National Federation of the 
8 Blind of Colorado. 
-3-031