[Massachusetts-NFB] Proposed 2023 Resolutions
Al and Masha Sten-Clanton
sweeties2 at verizon.net
Tue Jun 27 20:03:08 UTC 2023
Cullen, thank you. I've just read them.
Al
On 6/27/23 13:25, Cullen Gallagher via Massachusetts-NFB wrote:
> Hello everyone,
> These 16 resolutions will be considered by the Resolutions Committee
> on Sunday afternoon, July 2. Those that the committee passes will be
> brought to the convention floor for a vote on Wednesday, July 5.
> The 16 resolutions are below. Please note that this list could change
> slightly following Sunday's committee meeting.
> Looking forward to seeing many of you in Houston,
> Cullen
>> Proposed 2023 Resolutions | National Federation of the Blind
>>
>> https://nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions/proposed-2023-resolutions
>>
>>
>> Proposed 2023 Resolutions
>>
>> The following resolutions will be considered by the resolutions
>> committee on July 2. Those that pass will be considered by the full
>> convention on July 5.
>>
>> Resolution 2023-01: Regarding the Promulgation of Americans with
>> Disabilities Act Title III Website Regulations
>> Resolution 2023-02: Regarding the Preservation of the Vocational
>> Rehabilitation Program in the United States through the
>> Liberalization of Policies Governing Federal Expenditures
>> Resolution 2023-03: Regarding the Accessibility of Twitter
>> Resolution 2023-04: Regarding the Opposition of the Brennan Center
>> for Justice, Common Cause, and Free Speech for People to Fully
>> Accessible Vote-By-Mail
>> Resolution 2023-05: Regarding Audio Delays During Live Radio
>> Play-by-Play Broadcasts
>> Resolution 2023-06: Regarding the Enforcement of Section 508 of the
>> Rehabilitation Act of 1973
>> Resolution 2023-07: Regarding Text Formatting in Real-Time
>> Refreshable Braille
>> Resolution 2023-08: Regarding the Transportation Security Administration
>> Resolution 2023-09: Regarding the Accessibility of Training
>> Administered by the American Red Cross
>> Resolution 2023-10: Regarding Opposing the Revival of Eugenics for
>> the Blind
>> Resolution 2023-11: Regarding the Nonvisual Accessibility of Hearing Aids
>> Resolution 2023-12: Regarding Expediting the Plan to Achieve
>> Self-Support Processing
>> Resolution 2023-13: Regarding Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and
>> their Information on Blindness
>> Resolution 2023-14: Regarding the Schedule A Hiring Authority for
>> Individuals with Disabilities
>> Resolution 2023-15: Regarding the Inaccessibility of C-SPAN's
>> Coverage of Congressional Votes
>> Resolution 2023-16: Regarding Urging the National Council of State
>> Agencies for the Blind and Council of State Administrators of
>> Vocational Rehabilitation to Promote Certifications Issued by the
>> National Blindness Professional Certification Board
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-01: Regarding the Promulgation of Americans with
>> Disabilities Act Title III Website Regulations
>>
>> WHEREAS, on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
>> was signed into law, including Title II requiring that state and
>> local governments be accessible to Americans with disabilities and
>> Title III requiring places of public accommodation to be accessible
>> to Americans with disabilities; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the twelve examples of public accommodation provided in
>> Title III of the ADA include, but are not limited to: places of
>> lodging, establishments serving food or drink, places of exhibition
>> or entertainment, places of public gathering, sales or rental
>> establishments, service establishments, public transportation
>> terminals/stations, places of public display or collection, places of
>> recreation, places of education, social service center
>> establishments, and places of exercise or recreation; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, on July 26, 2010, exactly twenty years after the ADA was
>> signed into law, the United States Department of Justice published an
>> advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) regarding website
>> accessibility regulations for both Title II and Title III of the ADA; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, six years after the publication of the ANPRM, the Department
>> of Justice issued a supplementary advance notice of proposed
>> rulemaking for only the Title II regulations on May 9, 2016; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, just nineteen months after the publication of the
>> supplementary advance notice of proposed rulemaking, the Department
>> of Justice suddenly announced that it was withdrawing the website
>> ANPRM entirely on December 26, 2017; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, thirty-two years after the ADA was originally signed into
>> law, and twelve years after the original ANPRM regarding Title II and
>> Title III website regulations, the Department of Justice announced in
>> the Fall 2022 Unified Agenda that it would issue an NPRM regarding
>> Title II website regulations in the spring of 2023, but has failed to
>> announce any plans regarding Title III website regulations: Now,
>> therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization demand the United States Department of
>> Justice immediately begin the process of promulgating Americans with
>> Disabilities Act Title III website regulations by publishing a notice
>> of proposed rulemaking.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-02: Regarding the Preservation of the Vocational
>> Rehabilitation Program in the United States through the
>> Liberalization of Policies Governing Federal Expenditures
>>
>> WHEREAS, a disproportionately high rate of unemployment and
>> under-employment exists among the nation’s blind, causing genuine
>> hardship and suffering; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind has long championed and
>> advocated for programs within federal and state government,
>> non-profit organizations, and elsewhere that will effectively help to
>> minimize and address the multiple economic and social disadvantages
>> stemming from unemployment and under-employment; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the national Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program, a
>> federal/state partnership charged with supporting disabled people who
>> have an impediment to securing work within an integrated, competitive
>> environment, has—during its hundred-plus years of existence—received
>> priority attention and resources of the National Federation of the
>> Blind, calculated to advocating that the VR program in this country
>> adopt policies that positively affect the lives of blind people by
>> increasing choice provisions, unique nonvisual training, and
>> ultimately employment opportunities; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, within at least the last decade, Vocational Rehabilitation
>> agencies have started to return substantial portions of their unused
>> Federal VR grants to the Rehabilitation Services Administration
>> (RSA), a part of the United States Department of Education, for
>> either redistribution through the annual federal re-allotment process
>> or ultimate return to the United States Treasury; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, members of the United States Congress and other relevant
>> Executive Branch officials have observed that the national VR program
>> has increasingly been challenged to spend its federal resources,
>> giving the reasonable impression that this valuable federal
>> employment program may not be proving effective or does not require
>> the level of funding it is currently receiving; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, federal VR officials and leaders of state VR agencies that
>> manage the day-to-day administration of the VR program propound
>> different institutional reasons for the existing Federal VR
>> expenditure challenge, both perspectives having some merit; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, many state VR Directors and senior fiscal policy staff
>> believe that some of the reasons for state VR agencies needing to
>> return large portions, or occasionally the entire federal VR grant,
>> back to the federal government include the strict Federal fiscal
>> enforcement and interpretation that has deterred state VR agencies
>> from spending their Federal grant dollars and the requirement to
>> reserve and spend 15 percent of the federal VR grant on
>> Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) services; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the alarming pattern of state VR agencies returning federal
>> VR grant resources has caused federal leaders in both the Legislative
>> and Executive Branches of government to sincerely conclude that this
>> pattern of non-expenditure reflects some type of dysfunction within
>> the national VR program or that the VR program is simply over-funded; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, Federal officials from RSA have been adopting administrative
>> measures and encouraging state VR agencies to liberalize some of
>> their policies and practices that falsely attribute the inability to
>> spend federal resources due to an inaccurate interpretation of the
>> federal VR regulations; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, on October 29,2019, the Office for Special Education and
>> Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) issued its Frequently Asked Questions
>> (FAQ) document, which granted prior approval for certain Participant
>> Support Costs and Equipment Purchases, making it markedly easier for
>> VR agencies serving blind consumers to spend their Federal grant
>> dollars with greater practice and speed; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, during the consecutive fall 2022 conferences of the Council
>> of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation and the National
>> Council of State Agencies for the Blind, senior RSA officials charged
>> state VR agency directors with being creative in reviewing
>> long-existing state policies that may be legal, but which may not
>> fully take advantage of latitude that the federal VR Act allows state
>> VR agencies to exercise: Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization call upon the Rehabilitation Services
>> Administration, the Council of State Administrators of Vocational
>> Rehabilitation, and the National Council of State Agencies for the
>> Blind, to join together to develop policies that may be relied on to
>> support state VR agencies to spend their federal VR grant resources
>> responsibly and consistently.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-03: Regarding the Accessibility of Twitter
>>
>> WHEREAS, social media has become a significant part of many people’s
>> lives, serving as a vehicle for staying in touch with friends,
>> seeking advice, searching for jobs, and staying up-to-date on
>> information about local and national news and events; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, Twitter, a mainstream social media platform, has been a
>> space for the blindness community, having prioritized accessibility
>> by establishing a dedicated accessibility team, and providing
>> frequent accessibility-related updates and communications; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, Twitter in the past allowed for third party clients that use
>> its application programming interface (API) to ensure an accessible
>> experience; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, in the fall of 2022 Twitter laid off its entire
>> accessibility team and made changes to its API that have broken
>> accessible Twitter clients used by our community; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, frequent updates to social media platforms and apps like
>> Twitter introduce new features and bring changes to existing
>> features, and without the accessibility team, accessibility is no
>> longer taken into account with new builds and features: Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization condemn and deplore all acts of blatant
>> discrimination and disregard of blind people by Twitter; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Twitter shall no longer be a platform
>> this organization supports due to its complete lack of regard for
>> equal access by the blind; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization shall not abandon our
>> supporters on Twitter, but shall no longer use it as a primary source
>> of social media engagement; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand that Twitter
>> build back its commitment to creating more inclusive experiences by
>> prioritizing accessibility.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-04: Regarding the Opposition of the Brennan
>> Center for Justice, Common Cause, and Free Speech for People to
>> Fully Accessible Vote-By-Mail
>>
>> WHEREAS, the ability to cast a secret and anonymous ballot is a
>> cornerstone of our democracy that enables citizens to vote their
>> conscience without fear; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
>> requires that voters with print disabilities must be provided an
>> opportunity to mark and return their by-mail ballot privately and
>> independently at home that is equal to the opportunity provided
>> voters without disabilities; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, thirty-two states currently permit military and overseas
>> (UOCAVA) voters to return their marked ballot either by email, fax,
>> or web portal; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, twenty-eight states currently permit blind and low-vision
>> voters to mark their by-mail ballot using a remote accessible
>> vote-by-mail (RAVBM) system, but only thirteen states (Colorado,
>> Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada,
>> North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, and West Virginia)
>> have passed state laws or have been ordered by a federal court to
>> permit voters with disabilities to return their marked ballot
>> electronically; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, states that do not permit electronic return of ballots
>> require that ballots that are marked using an RAVBM be printed out
>> and returned by regular mail, or placed in a ballot drop-box, which
>> is a barrier that prevents many voters with print disabilities from
>> exercising their right to vote by mail privately and independently; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, organizations such as Common Cause, Brennan Center for
>> Justice, and Free Speech for People oppose fully accessible vote by
>> mail, and therefore the right of voters with print disabilities to
>> vote by mail privately and independently, solely on the basis of
>> unfounded security concerns; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, Common Cause, Free Speech for People, and the Brennan Center
>> for Justice claim that their missions are to “ensure that every
>> eligible American can cast a ballot,” and “to ensure people can
>> participate equally and meaningfully in our democracy”; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the most commonly used RAVBM, the Democracy Live OmniBallot
>> portal, is hosted on an Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud server, which
>> is the server used by the US Department of Defense, Department of
>> Homeland Security, Central Intelligence Agency, and other US federal
>> government intelligence agencies to house top secret documents; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, Synack Security, the nation’s premiere security testing
>> company, has conducted continuous penetration testing of the
>> OmniBallot portal since 2020, and a Synack Security report, dated
>> July 27, 2022, indicates that recent testing by over four hundred
>> independent security testers found just one low-risk security
>> vulnerability, which was later confirmed to be fixed and no longer
>> present in OmniBallot; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, ballots electronically returned on the OmniBallot portal are
>> encrypted, protected from being changed or overwritten, and securely
>> stored until the elections office prints out and tabulates the
>> ballot; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the Democracy Live OMNIBallot RAVBM portal has been deployed
>> in over four thousand elections in ninety-six countries since 2010
>> with no security breaches, and is the most deployed RAVBM in the US; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the Enhanced Voting System, another RAVBM portal commonly
>> used in the United States, has incorporated Microsoft ElectionGuard,
>> an end-to-end verification system, that permits the voter to verify
>> their submitted ballot from the time it is submitted to when it is
>> counted: Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization demand that Common Cause, Free Speech
>> for People, and the Brennan Center for Justice adhere to their
>> mission that every eligible American be able to cast a ballot,
>> including a by-mail ballot by blind, low-vision, and voters with
>> other print disabilities, privately, and independently, and to amend
>> their position on fully accessible vote by mail to reflect the actual
>> security status of the state-of-the-art systems currently in use, and
>> to reflect the requirements of Title II of the ADA.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-05: Regarding Audio Delays During Live Radio
>> Play-by-Play Broadcasts
>>
>> WHEREAS, many blind people are sports fans who support their local
>> sports teams; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, live radio broadcasts of sporting events, where available,
>> are pivotal in helping many blind people to enjoy sporting events,
>> even when they attend the events in person, because radio
>> broadcasters typically provide thorough nonvisual descriptions of the
>> action on the field of play for listeners; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, there may be a significant audio delay, ranging from a few
>> seconds to a minute or more, between the action and the description
>> of the play over the live radio broadcast, which can mean that blind
>> people listening to the broadcast in the stadium or arena do not
>> receive timely information about the action as it occurs; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, some sports franchises have worked with their broadcast
>> partners to eliminate such delays, indicating that there is no
>> broadcast requirement that the delays be present to meet Federal
>> Communications Commission standards: for example, the Baltimore
>> Orioles worked with the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the National
>> Federation of the Blind to resolve this issue; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, other franchises have reportedly solved the problem by
>> providing dedicated pre-tuned receivers to blind fans, tuned to a
>> direct feed from the broadcast booth, allowing fans to hear the
>> play-by-play with no delay; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, while these solutions have been implemented by some
>> franchises, there are not any league-wide policies, practices, or
>> standards that recognize and address the negative effects of
>> broadcast delays: Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that we urge all of the professional sports organizations in
>> the United States, including but not limited to Major League
>> Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball
>> Association, and the National Hockey League, to develop policies,
>> standards, and/or best practices in collaboration with the National
>> Federation of the Blind and with their franchises and broadcast
>> partners to eliminate audio delays during live play-by-play broadcasts.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-06: Regarding the Enforcement of Section 508 of
>> the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
>>
>> WHEREAS, the Workforce Investment Act, which significantly expanded
>> and strengthened the technology access requirements for Americans
>> with disabilities under the original Section 508 of the
>> Rehabilitation Act of 1973, was signed into law in 1998; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the strengthened Section 508 went into effect and became
>> enforceable in 2001; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires Federal
>> agencies to give employees with disabilities and members of the
>> public access to information comparable to the access available to
>> others; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, Section 508 requires Federal agencies to make not only
>> websites and information published on the internet accessible, but
>> all electronic and communication technology (ECT), including when
>> those agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use ECT; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the Department of Justice is required by Section 508 to
>> provide a report to Congress and the President every two years
>> regarding federal technology accessibility; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the publication of these reports has been sporadic, and
>> frankly ignored, with the previous report’s publication in September
>> of 2012; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, on June 30, 2022, Senators Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Tim
>> Scott of South Carolina, along with five other senators, sent a
>> letter to the Attorney General demanding the publication an updated
>> Section 508 report; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, in July 2022, the Senate Committee on Aging, led by Senators
>> Casey and Scott, held a hearing on the impact of lack of 508
>> compliance on blind and disabled employees, veterans, and members of
>> the public as part of a Senate investigation on Section 508, which
>> resulted in the Committee publishing a Report on December 1, 2022,
>> entitled, “Unlocking the Virtual Front Door: An Examination of
>> Federal Technology’s Accessibility for People with Disabilities,
>> Older Adults, and Veterans”; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the December 1, 2022, report included clear and actionable
>> recommendations for Congress and executive branch Federal agencies
>> for improving data collection, enforcement, accountability, and
>> compliance for Section 508; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the effort led by Senators Casey and Scott ultimately
>> resulted in the Department of Justice publishing an updated Section
>> 508 report in January 2023, which showed a significant level of
>> inaccessibility among federal agency websites, including 10 percent
>> of external agency pages being inaccessible, 59 percent of internal
>> agency pages being inaccessible, and 80 percent of PDF documents
>> being inaccessible; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, given the degree of inaccessibility that the January 2023
>> Report shows, it can be reasonably assumed that Federal agencies are
>> failing at making other types of ECT accessible in the same way they
>> are failing for web content; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the United States Access Board has regulatory authority over
>> Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the United States Equal
>> Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has regulatory authority
>> over employment discrimination but no authority over Section 508; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, neither the Access Board nor EEOC have enforcement authority
>> over Section 508, resulting in little oversight or accountability for
>> employees and members of the public who encounter non-508 compliant
>> ECT; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, inaccessibility to this degree after more than twenty years
>> of the law being in effect and enforceable is outrageous,
>> inexcusable, and unacceptable: Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization demand federal agencies immediately
>> cease the development, purchase, maintenance, or use of inaccessible
>> information and communication technology as well as the publication
>> of inaccessible website content and PDFs; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand federal agencies
>> develop and publish a roadmap by July 5, 2024, to remediate all
>> Section 508 violations; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand the United
>> States Department of Justice publish the next required bi-annual
>> accessibility report no later than January 2025 and every two years
>> thereafter; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge Congress to
>> introduce and adopt legislation that gives the Access Board and EEOC
>> the authority to enforce Section 508 and hold Federal agencies
>> accountable that fail to make their ECT 508 compliant; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization strongly urge that
>> Congress and executive branch Federal agencies adopt the
>> recommendations in the December 1, 2022, Report of the Senate
>> Committee on Aging; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization commend Senators Bob
>> Casey of Pennsylvania and Tim Scott of South Carolina for leading a
>> bipartisan effort to demand the Department of Justice publish the
>> Section 508 report and improve Section 508 across the Federal government.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-07: Regarding Text Formatting in Real-Time
>> Refreshable Braille
>>
>> WHEREAS, italics, boldface, underlining, and other formatting
>> attributes are often used as an integral aspect of much written
>> material to emphasize certain words, indicate a shift in time or
>> speaker, show insertions, or otherwise convey information that is
>> necessary for comprehension of the full meaning of the text; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, such text formatting can be displayed in Braille by the use
>> of specifically-defined Braille indicators that clearly identify
>> which attribute is being used and where it begins and ends; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, to reduce clutter, when formatting attributes are used for
>> visual appeal but do not add meaning, they are generally not shown in
>> Braille; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, screen reader technology makes the contents of a digital
>> screen accessible via not only speech output but also by displaying
>> the words in Braille via real-time translation software and a
>> connected refreshable Braille display; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, in speech output, most screen readers can, if set to do so,
>> represent italics, boldface, underlining and the like by the use of a
>> different pitch, tone, or voice when speaking the affected words; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, in Braille, indication of text attributes by screen readers
>> is inconsistent at best—for example, NVDA is the only screen reader
>> which will, when set to do so, display the assigned Braille boldface,
>> italic, and underline indicators wherever these formatting attributes
>> occur in the text; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, a recent software update gave Apple’s VoiceOver screen
>> reader the ability, in very limited circumstances, to render the
>> Braille boldface, italic, and underline indicators, but the
>> implementation does not extend to many popular applications such as
>> the Kindle; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the methods generally used by other screen readers to render
>> this formatting information in their real-time Braille translation
>> are either non-existent or are very cumbersome and do not use the
>> assigned Braille indicators; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, lack of access to this formatting information not only
>> denies the Braille reader some needed elements of the full meaning of
>> the text, but also represents a missed opportunity for the Braille
>> reader to learn about the print formatting customs used in résumés
>> and many other documents they may be called upon to create as part of
>> employment or educational endeavors: Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization call upon developers of screen reader
>> technology to prioritize the implementation of displaying the Braille
>> indicators for boldface, italics, underlining, and other attributes
>> with assigned Braille indicators, wherever these attributes appear in
>> print, so that the user can show or hide the indicators as preferred.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-08: Regarding the Transportation Security
>> Administration
>>
>> WHEREAS, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is
>> responsible for screening all passengers and their belongings for
>> safety purposes; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, blind people traveling through airports every day for work,
>> vacation, or personal reasons interact with TSA agents while
>> navigating through the screening process; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, TSA agents will frequently request long white cane users to
>> send the cane through the X-Ray machines, but then fail to
>> immediately return it, resulting in blind travelers feeling inferior
>> and being forced to rely on the agent to help navigate the screening
>> area; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, for guide dog users, TSA officers will frequently attempt to
>> separate the user from their animal, require that they be screened in
>> a separate screening room, or attempt to improperly remove the
>> harness from the dog during the detection process; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, TSA agents often incorrectly inform these travelers that
>> they are breaking the law, but when pressed for said law the agent is
>> unable to provide further information; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, blind passengers have been unnecessarily delayed or missed
>> their flight entirely because of aggressive TSA agents not allowing
>> us to quickly and independently move through the screening process:
>> Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization demand that the Transportation Security
>> Administration adopt proper training on dealing with blind
>> passengers, including how to handle long white canes, guide dogs, and
>> assistive technology products, as well as respectfully asking blind
>> people if they would like assistance, to be consistently used at all
>> airports while interacting with blind travelers; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand that the
>> training be developed in direct consultation with the National
>> Federation of the Blind, thereby ensuring the agents understand how
>> to best accommodate blind travelers’ needs.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-09: Regarding the Accessibility of Training
>> Administered by the American Red Cross
>>
>> WHEREAS, the American Red Cross is the premier organization providing
>> first aid and CPR training to individuals across this nation; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, accessibility to these training programs is vital to
>> individuals who are blind and wish to administer life-saving aid to
>> their friends and family members who may experience medical
>> emergencies and need assistance prior to when emergency medical
>> personnel may arrive; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, members of the National Federation of the Blind have
>> enrolled in American Red Cross training programs and found that over
>> the last several years the electronic portion of training, including
>> materials provided after training, have been inaccessible to them; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the American Red Cross has recently begun to include videos
>> in their training programs, but these videos are not audio-described
>> and thus do not provide full access to blind participants; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, members of the National Federation of the Blind have
>> communicated with the American Red Cross for over three years to
>> offer assistance in making the American Red Cross electronic
>> materials accessible with limited success to date: Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization strongly urge the American Red Cross to
>> take meaningful steps to make all training programs and services
>> accessible to the blind and print-disabled; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon the American Red Cross to
>> seek the input and partnership of blind consumers, notably the
>> National Federation of the Blind, in its efforts to obtain and
>> maintain accessibility.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-10: Regarding Opposing the Revival of Eugenics
>> for the Blind
>>
>> This resolution addresses suicide. Suicidal thoughts or actions (even
>> in very young children, older adults, and people with
>> life-threatening illness/disability) are a manifestation of extreme
>> distress and should not be ignored. If you or someone you know needs
>> immediate help, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
>>
>> WHEREAS, people faced with vision loss often go through an initial
>> period of depression, sometimes including suicidal feelings, that are
>> actually calls for help in living with blindness, coping with
>> depression, dealing with anxiety about the future, managing grief,
>> identifying ways to avoid inadequate care options, and learning
>> independence as a blind person; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, some people who become blind encounter lack of control,
>> fear, and spiritual despair; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, for most people who express suicidal desires, public
>> agencies operate a network of services from public health, medical,
>> and legal agencies to prevent medical professionals, caregivers, and
>> family members from taking advantage of or encouraging a person’s
>> impulse for self-harm or suicide; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, people with disabilities are sometimes denied access to this
>> protective network of services based solely on a doctor’s “good
>> faith” diagnosis of terminal disability, where terminal disability
>> describes a medical condition that some doctors would describe as an
>> incurable and irreversible disease that has been medically confirmed
>> and will, within reasonable medical judgment, result in death within
>> six months—with or without medical care; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, far too many people consider a loss of sight as a dying, as
>> evident from the opinion of one professional: “When, in the full
>> current of his sighted life, blindness comes on a man, it is the end,
>> the death, of that sighted life. It is superficial, if not naive, to
>> think of blindness as a blow to the eyes only, to sight only. It is a
>> destructive blow to the self-image of a man…a blow almost to his
>> being itself.” Father Thomas J. Carroll, founder and director of St.
>> Paul’s Rehabilitation Center for the Blind; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, under the guise of “mercy” and “dignity” in dying, nine US
>> states and the District of Columbia have passed laws legalizing
>> physician-assisted suicide, which is a revival of old eugenic
>> ideologies that steer people with terminal disabilities away from
>> necessary mental health care, medical care, and disability supports,
>> and toward death by suicide; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, this misguided concept of mercy and dignity creates a
>> two-tiered medical system in which people who are suicidal sometimes
>> receive disparate treatment responses from their physicians and
>> varying levels of protection from the state; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, people without disabilities are encouraged in response to
>> suicidal desires to seek counseling, medical care, and other
>> protective supports; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, those with disabilities are regarded as facing lives of
>> incapacity and despair that are not worth living, and thus directed
>> toward suicide itself; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, people who are newly blinded often seek information from the
>> medical profession, and they encounter doctors who, although they
>> have much experience in curing ailments, have essentially none in
>> managing the disability of blindness; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, these doctors sometimes conclude that they could not
>> possibly function in society without sight and therefore mistakenly
>> believe that their patients who are blind must face irreparable
>> incapacity and irreversible sorrow from an incurable condition that
>> can never be reversed, making the lives of these patients no longer
>> of any value; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, a number of groups without knowledge of disability have
>> decided to persuade state legislatures that physician-assisted
>> suicide is a benefit to people with disabilities, which has led to
>> the adoption of assisted suicide legislation in a number of states; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, such groups argue that to permit people with disabilities to
>> escape the dreadful conditions of their lives is the kindest thing
>> that society can do; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, it becomes clear to legislative committees that assisting
>> people with disabilities to achieve suicide preserves scarce
>> resources available to the medical and social services
>> communities—suicide is cheaper than providing service; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, in direct contrast to this flawed perception, the National
>> Federation of the Blind, in the words of its founder Dr. Jacobus
>> tenBroek, recognizes that “…the blind as a group are mentally
>> competent, psychologically stable, and socially adaptable. And that
>> their needs are, therefore, those of ordinary people, of normal men
>> and women, caught at a physical and social disadvantage. This thesis
>> affirms the capacity of the blind for self-reliance and
>> self-determination, for full participation in the affairs of society
>> and active competition in the regular channels of democratic
>> opportunity.”; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind asserts that laws
>> legalizing physician-assisted suicide violate the Equal Protection
>> Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by treating people with terminal
>> disabilities differently as compared to everyone else who expresses a
>> wish to die to their medical doctor and fails to include sufficient
>> safeguards to ensure that a judgment-impaired, or unduly influenced
>> person does not receive and/or ingest lethal physician-assisted
>> suicide drugs without adequate due process in waiving their
>> fundamental right to live; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is
>> not the characteristic that defines you or your future and encourages
>> and supports those individuals faced with vision loss contemplating
>> suicide, their families, and friends to come to an understanding that
>> blind people live full and productive lives, adding value to society:
>> Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that we categorically oppose assisted suicide and euthanasia
>> public policy for people with disabilities as inherently
>> discriminatory violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act
>> Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Equal
>> Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment of the
>> United States Constitution; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the United
>> States Department of Justice to enforce the protections for people
>> with disabilities granted under the Equal Protection and Due Process
>> Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States
>> Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of
>> the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to assure that disabled people,
>> including people who are blind, have access to adequate services from
>> medical professionals, social service personnel, and law enforcement
>> agencies to prevent fast-track assignment to suicide; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we demand that State medical, social
>> service, and rehabilitation agencies immediately desist in supporting
>> assisted suicide and instead provide supportive services to affirm
>> the value of the lives of people with disabilities; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that nothing in this resolution shall be
>> construed in a manner that limits the autonomy of any blind or
>> disabled individual with the capacity to make their own medical
>> decisions in considering and exercising end-of-life choices.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-11: Regarding the Nonvisual Accessibility of
>> Hearing Aids
>>
>> WHEREAS, the mission of the National Federation of the Blind is to
>> improve the lives of blind people by fostering personal empowerment,
>> coordinating nationwide advocacy, and building a network of
>> collective achievement; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, in today’s society, blind and deafblind individuals need
>> equal access to a wide variety of information as well as access to
>> computers, smart phones, and other communication devices; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, recently at least one hearing aid manufacturer, Sonova, has
>> made the controls for their Phonak hearing aid accessible,
>> demonstrating that blind and deafblind individuals can use these
>> controls independently and safely; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, other manufacturers of devices should be able to duplicate
>> accessibility; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, many hearing-care professionals have the same
>> misunderstandings about the abilities of deafblind individuals that
>> the rest of the public has; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, all hearing-care professionals must recognize the
>> capabilities of deafblind individuals to manage their accessible
>> devices; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the United States Food and Drug Administration has recently
>> issued a ruling, effective October 17, 2022, allowing the
>> over-the-counter purchase of hearing aids without a prescription from
>> a hearing health specialist; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, such a ruling opens the market for hearing aid manufacturers
>> to produce more widely available, affordable, and potentially
>> accessible products: Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization call upon all hearing care
>> professionals, marketers, and manufacturers to work with the National
>> Federation of the Blind so that blind and deafblind individuals can
>> incorporate independent management of their own hearing aid and
>> assistive listening device profiles; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge the Food and Drug
>> Administration to require that all hearing aids be accessible to
>> blind and deafblind people.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-12: Regarding Expediting the Plan to Achieve
>> Self-Support Processing
>>
>> WHEREAS, a Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS) is a Supplemental
>> Security Income (SSI) provision to help individuals with disabilities
>> return to work so that the applicant can find employment that reduces
>> or eliminates SSI or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
>> benefits; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the Social Security Administration (SSA) fact sheet on Plan
>> for Achieving Self-Support states, “PASS is a written plan of action
>> for pursuing and getting a particular type of job.”; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, a PASS can include supplies to start a business, school
>> expenses, equipment, transportation, uniforms, and other items or
>> services that an applicant needs to reach his or her employment goal; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, an advantage of an approved PASS is that SSA does not count
>> the money set aside to reach a work goal, thus making the participant
>> eligible for SSI and other public assistance programs such as
>> Medicaid and SNAP; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the SSA can take years to make a decision on the approval or
>> denial of this plan, causing hardship to the applicant because their
>> decision is not retroactive and the client must wait in limbo for
>> other public assistance programs; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the SSA does not assist beneficiaries in developing a PASS,
>> but instead directs the applicant to seek help from the state
>> rehabilitation agency; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the applicant is forced to work with two bureaucracies, the
>> state rehabilitation agency and SSA, resulting in duplication and
>> indefinite delays; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the state vocational rehabilitation agency has
>> organizational knowledge and experience evaluating education and
>> training programs and already has a good working relationship with
>> the applicant; therefore, these agencies should take over the
>> approval of the plan; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, precedent already exists for SSA to get information from the
>> state rehabilitation agency because it currently uses disability
>> determination from the state vocational agency: Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization urge the Social Security Administration
>> to issue rulemaking procedures that will delegate authority to state
>> vocational rehabilitation agencies to approve individual plans to
>> receive self-support.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-13: Regarding Artificial Intelligence Chatbots
>> and their Information on Blindness
>>
>> WHEREAS, an artificial intelligence chatbot is any computer program
>> that can carry on a natural conversation with a user and provide
>> responses drawn from a set of existing data; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, chatbots and other artificial intelligence technologies are
>> becoming increasingly prevalent in society, including in the
>> provision of customer service and information; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind is committed to
>> ensuring that blind and low-vision people have equal access to
>> information and technology; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, it has come to the attention of the National Federation of
>> the Blind that some chatbots, including ChatGPT and Bard, may provide
>> users with stereotypical and inaccurate information about blindness
>> and blind individuals; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the provision of such information perpetuates harmful
>> stereotypes and contributes to the marginalization of blind
>> individuals; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind believes that creators
>> of chatbots have a responsibility to ensure that their technology
>> does not perpetuate harmful stereotypes or misinformation about
>> blindness: Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that we urge the creators of ChatGPT, Bard, and any future
>> chatbots that may be developed to work with the National Federation
>> of the Blind to build their chatbots in a way that ensures the
>> provision of accurate, non-stereotypical information about blindness
>> and blind individuals; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon the creators of these
>> chatbots to collaborate with the National Federation of the Blind to
>> develop and implement best practices for ensuring that their
>> technology is accessible and inclusive for blind and low-vision
>> people and that these best practices should include the use of blind
>> and low vision people in the development and testing of these chatbots.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-14: Regarding the Schedule A Hiring Authority for
>> Individuals with Disabilities
>>
>> WHEREAS, the United States Federal government claims that one of its
>> primary goals is to be the model employer of individuals with
>> disabilities; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the Federal government hires individuals either
>> competitively into the competitive service or noncompetitively into
>> the excepted service; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, since the 1930s, Schedule A appointments to the Federal
>> government have included a variety of categories of individuals who
>> are hired non-competitively and into the excepted service; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, President Jimmy Carter issued Executive Order 12125 on March
>> 15, 1979, which, for the first time, established the Schedule A
>> Hiring Authority for Individuals with Disabilities as a section
>> within the broader Schedule A Hiring Authority, in order to create a
>> pathway to level the playing field for applicants with disabilities
>> who are seeking employment with the Federal government; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals with
>> Disabilities is intended to create a vehicle for individuals with
>> severe psychiatric, mental, and physical disabilities, including
>> blindness, to be excepted from the competitive hiring process in
>> order to increase the number of individuals with disabilities that
>> are hired to work for the Federal government; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the Office of Personnel Management promulgated the
>> implementing regulation for the Schedule A Hiring Authority for
>> Individuals with Disabilities at 5 C.F.R. 213.3102(u) and is
>> responsible for oversight and implementation of this authority; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, this authority is applicable to both veterans and
>> non-veterans with disabilities; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, though this regulation has been updated and modernized on
>> multiple occasions in its forty-four year history, most recently in
>> 2013, the Federal government has still struggled to hire and retain
>> employees with disabilities and routinely fails to meet its own
>> targets; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals with
>> Disabilities requires a two-year trial period for newly hired
>> employees, which is equivalent to a probationary employment period,
>> while other new employees are only required to serve one year of
>> probationary employment; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, though existing employees with disabilities may use the
>> Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals with Disabilities to
>> non-competitively be promoted or transferred within the Federal
>> government, they must serve a new two-year trial period every time
>> the Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals with Disabilities is
>> used, effectively disincentivizing the process contrary to its
>> intent; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the two-year trial period was, in 1979, intended to protect
>> employees with disabilities because it took significant time to
>> procure and implement reasonable accommodations; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, technological advancement, commercial availability, and
>> equity principles have significantly reduced the amount of time to
>> procure and implement reasonable accommodations, rendering the
>> prolonged trial period unnecessary and potentially punitive; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, on November 6, 2020, the Office of Personnel Management
>> (OPM) revised 5 C.F.R. 302, which governs the general Schedule A
>> Hiring Authority, to require the use of veterans preference and other
>> significant restrictions for excepted service positions; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, this change has created tremendous confusion among Federal
>> agencies about how to implement the Schedule A Hiring Authority for
>> Individuals with Disabilities, resulting in multiple Federal agencies
>> severely curtailing their use of this authority; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, some Federal agencies have reacted to this amended
>> regulation by outright prohibiting non-competitive hiring using the
>> Schedule A Authority for Individuals with Disabilities;
>> decommissioning non-competitive résumé databases containing
>> applications and résumés for Schedule A applicants with disabilities;
>> ranking and rating applicants who seek to use the Schedule A Hiring
>> Authority for Individuals with Disabilities behind all other
>> applicant categories, even competitive applicants; and other
>> consequences that effectively render the Schedule A Hiring Authority
>> for Individuals with Disabilities meaningless; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, OPM has indicated that the revised regulation does not apply
>> to the Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals with Disabilities,
>> but this guidance is not easily available, prominently published, or
>> enforced; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, on June 25, 2021, President Joe Biden issued Executive Order
>> 14035, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal
>> Workforce, which directs the Federal government to, “assess current
>> practices in using Schedule A hiring authority to employ people with
>> disabilities in the Federal Government, and evaluate opportunities to
>> enhance equity in employment opportunities and financial security for
>> employees with disabilities through different practices or guidance
>> on the use of Schedule A Hiring Authority”: Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization emphatically urge the Office of
>> Personnel Management to provide Federal agencies with clear
>> instructions concerning the non-applicability of 5 C.F.R. 302 to the
>> Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals with Disabilities and
>> direct agencies to reinstate non-competitive hiring procedures for
>> applicants with disabilities; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge OPM to update the
>> Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals with Disabilities
>> regulations to reduce the trial period to one year for new hires and
>> eliminate it entirely for promotions and transfers consistent with
>> competitive hiring principles; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization commend the Biden
>> Administration for elevating accessibility including the Schedule A
>> Hiring Authority for Individuals with Disabilities; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge OPM to promulgate
>> updated regulations to implement the Schedule A Hiring Authority for
>> Individuals with Disabilities that update and modernize the authority
>> consistent with the Federal government’s goal of being the model
>> employer of individuals with disabilities and include stakeholders
>> with disabilities, including the National Federation of the Blind, in
>> that effort.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-15: Regarding the Inaccessibility of C-SPAN's
>> Coverage of Congressional Votes
>>
>> WHEREAS, C-SPAN provides complete coverage of the United States
>> Senate and the House of Representatives; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, typically only C-SPAN equipment is permitted to cover
>> Congressional proceedings, including coverage of floor votes in both
>> chambers; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, as votes are taken on bills, nominations, motions and more,
>> a tally is displayed on the screen listing the current vote; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, members of the Senate cast their votes orally, however
>> members of the House record their votes by electronic device; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, despite the Senate using voice votes, at no point is the
>> changing vote tally read out loud for either chamber for those who
>> cannot see the current vote margin on the screen; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, there are numerous pieces of legislation that are debated
>> and voted upon that would considerably impact the lives of the
>> nation's blind; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, C-SPAN sometimes interrupts coverage for a moment to speak
>> important details, such as what is about to be considered, but never
>> to say the current vote totals; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, C-SPAN has been contacted about adding a feature to make
>> these votes accessible and has not returned correspondence: Now,
>> therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that we urge C-SPAN to audibly update viewers as votes
>> progress every few minutes; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge other services
>> that offer coverage of state and federal legislatures and government
>> proceedings to add an accessible mechanism for following vote tallies
>> and other pertinent information that is readily displayed on the
>> screen for viewers at home.
>>
>>
>> Resolution 2023-16: Regarding Urging the National Council of
>> State Agencies for the Blind and Council of State Administrators
>> of Vocational Rehabilitation to Promote Certifications Issued by
>> the National Blindness Professional Certification Board
>>
>> WHEREAS, all blind Americans deserve high-quality vocational
>> rehabilitation (VR) services that empower and inspire them to live
>> the lives they want; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, there continues to be a shortage of instructors to fill
>> vacancies in positions providing adjustment-to-blindness training to
>> blind consumers of VR services; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB)
>> is composed of specialized state agencies providing VR services to
>> the blind; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the Council of State Administrators of Vocational
>> Rehabilitation (CSAVR) is composed of the chief administrators of
>> state agencies providing VR services; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the National Blindness Professional Certification Board
>> (NBPCB) was created in 2001 and now offers certifications in access
>> technology, orientation and mobility, rehabilitation teaching, and
>> Unified English Braille and emphasizes a positive philosophy of
>> blindness and the importance of blind role models; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, some state VR agencies and contractors with state VR
>> agencies do not accept certifications issued by the NBPCB, but
>> recognize certifications by the Academy for Certification of Vision
>> Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) when hiring
>> instructional rehabilitation personnel; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the pathway to obtaining certifications issued by ACVREP
>> continues to be problematic for blind applicants, thus marginalizing
>> blind people within the professional community affiliated with
>> ACVREP; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, the NBPCB was established to administer certifications for
>> blindness rehabilitation professionals in a way that does not
>> discriminate against blind instructors and thus treats blind and
>> sighted instructors equally; and
>>
>> WHEREAS, blind people holding certifications from the NBPCB have been
>> successfully providing VR services to blind adults through VR
>> programs funded by the United States Department of Education since
>> 2001, demonstrating their capabilities for the last twenty-two years:
>> Now, therefore,
>>
>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>> assembled this fifth day of July, 2023, in the City of Houston,
>> Texas, that this organization urge the National Council of State
>> Agencies for the Blind and Council of State Administrators of
>> Vocational Rehabilitation to urge their member agencies and
>> administrators to accept certifications issued by the National
>> Blindness Professional Certification Board; and
>>
>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand that
>> certifications issued by the National Blindness Professional
>> Certification Board be treated equally to their counterpart
>> certifications issued by the Academy for Certification of Vision
>> Rehabilitation and Education Professionals.
>>
>
>
> Cullen Gallagher
> Affiliate Secretary and Cambridge Chapter Secretary: National
> Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts
>
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not
> the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
> the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create
> obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life
> you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
>
>
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