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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Greetings Kansas Federation family,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>President Riccobono and his legislative team have announced our legislative priorities for the 2018 Washington Seminar. As with 2017, there are 4 issues, 3 of which are the same as last year. Note that for the first time in many years we are working to oppose pending legislation, e.g., the ADA Education and Reforem Act of 2017 (HR 620.) Though we prefer to be proactive in our blindness policy agenda, it is necessary from time to time to register robust opposition to pending bills that, if passed, could be damaging to our interests either in the short term, and especially in the long term. This is one of those times. So get yourself informed and read the original posting below from Gabe Cazares. Fact sheets and related documents will be on the NFB web page, but probably not until after holidays. In the meantime, be sure to let your chapter or divisional president know if you want to go to Washington Seminar, especially if you need financial help. I wish everyone a happy holiday season.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Best regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Rob Tabor First <sup>st</sup> vice president / Legislative chairman, National Federation of the Blind of Kansas<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>(785) 865-9959<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Rob dot Tabor at SBC Global ndot net<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> NFB-Legislative-Directors [mailto:nfb-legislative-directors-bounces@nfbnet.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Cazares, Gabe via NFB-Legislative-Directors<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, December 21, 2017 8:13 AM<br><b>To:</b> nfb-legislative-directors@nfbnet.org<br><b>Cc:</b> Cazares, Gabe<br><b>Subject:</b> [NFB-Legislative-Directors] Legislative Priorities for the 2018 Washington Seminar<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Howdy Fellow Federationists,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>#ICYMI, yesterday afternoon, President Riccobono announced the legislative priorities of the National Federation of the Blind for the 115<sup>th</sup> Congress, Second session. During the 2018 Washington Seminar, we will be discussing:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>1. The Accessible Instructional Materials In Higher Education “Aim High” Act, (S. 2138/H.R. 1772)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Electronic instructional materials have replaced traditional methods of learning in postsecondary education, but the overwhelming majority of educational technologies are inaccessible to blind students. The law requires equal access in the classroom but fails to provide direction to schools for the way it applies to technology. The Aim High Act creates voluntary accessibility guidelines for educational technology to stimulate the market, improve blind students’ access to course materials, and reduce litigation for schools.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>2. The Access Technology Affordability “ATAA” Act, (S. 732/H.R. 1734)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Currently blind Americans rely on scarce sources of funding to acquire access technology. By providing a refundable tax credit for qualifying access technology purchases, Congress will stimulate individual procurement of access technology and promote affordability of these tools for blind Americans.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>3. Opposition to the “ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017,” (H.R. 620)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>H.R. 620 erodes protections for people with disabilities by removing incentives for businesses to comply with the law, and by placing excessive burdens on the very people the law aims to benefit. The ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 would weaken the ADA and set the disability community back nearly three decades.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>4. The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled “Marrakesh Treaty” <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>An international copyright treaty will give blind Americans access to millions of published works and improve the distribution of books around the globe.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please be on the lookout for updated fact sheets and frequently asked questions. Once these are available, they will be posted to the <a href="https://www.nfb.org/washington-seminar">Washington Seminar</a> webpage. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thanks for all that you do!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Best,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>...Gabe<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Gabe Cazares<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Government Affairs Specialist<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(410) 659-9314, extension 2206 | <a href="mailto:gcazares@nfb.org">gcazares@nfb.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://nfb.org/"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=210 height=76 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.png@01D37A3B.4AC46380" alt="National Federation of the Blind"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:image002.png@01D37A3B.4AC46380" alt=Facebook></span></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:image003.png@01D37A3B.4AC46380" alt=Twitter></span></a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 id="_x0000_i1028" src="cid:image004.png@01D37A3B.4AC46380" alt=Youtube></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>