[il-talk] Important information from President Ricobonno

[denise avant]

Hello all,

Here is some important information I thought you would like to know. Please
see below.

Access Technology Affordability Act of 2017:
The Access Technology Affordability Act of 2017 was introduced in both
houses of Congress (H.R. 1734, S. 732). The bill was introduced by
Representatives David Young (R-IA) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) in the
House and by Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) in
the Senate. The legislation will establish a per-person individual
refundable tax credit to be used over a multi-year period to offset the cost
of access technology for blind people. Access technology includes items such
as text-to-speech screen-access software and electronic Braille displays
that blind people use to access computers, tablets, smartphones, and other
devices, as well as digital content. More information can be found in the
press release
<https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-applauds-introduction-access-tech
nology-affordability-act> . 

 

 

AIM HIGH Act Introduced:
And, in other legislative news, the Accessible Instructional Materials in
Higher Education Act of 2017, also known as the AIM HIGH Act (H.R. 1772) was
introduced by Congressman Phil Roe (R-TN) and Congressman Joe Courtney
(D-CT). This act will promote instructional technology and content that are
accessible to the blind and other students with print disabilities. The
entire press release is available at
https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-applauds-introduction-aim-high-act
. 

 

 

Lyft Press Release:
Yesterday we sent out a joint press release with Lyft announcing a
collaborative effort to ensure reliable and equal service to individuals who
are blind and use service animals. Also, Lyft announced the kick-off of
their first Service Animal Month. Lyft also announced a new policy that
clarifies that every Lyft rider who has a service animal must be
accommodated, regardless of a driver's preferences or circumstances. The
full text is available on the NFB website
<https://nfb.org/lyft-and-national-federation-blind-announce-comprehensive-a
ccessibility-improvements-lyft-riders-who> . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denise R. Avant, President

National Federation of the Blind of Illinois

Live the life you want.

For more information about NFBI, 

Go to www.nfbofillinois.org.