[MD-AtLarge] Washington Issues and an available magnifier

[nfbmd]

Hello All,
 
I am pleased to tell you that Senator Cardin is the lead co-sponsor on the
The Access Technology Affordability Act of 2017.  Please read Parnell's
message below and take action on all three bills.  Let's get as many
Maryland co-sponsors by the end Of April so act quickly.  Also,  please read
the message below from Jen White if you can benefit from this magnifier,
please get in touch with her.  First come, first serve.
 
Thank You!
Sharon
 
 
The Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act, also known
as "AIM HIGH", H.R. 1772
 
Congressman Phil Roe (R-TN) and Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) introduced
this legislation in the House of Representatives earlier today. H.R. 1772
will promote instructional technology and content that are accessible to the
blind and other students with print disabilities.
 
The Access Technology Affordability Act of 2017 (ATAA) H.R. 1734 and S. 732
 
These companion bills were 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 on March 28, 2017. Please
remind your Senators and Representative that this 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. 
 
The Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment (TIME) Act of 2017
(H.R. 1377)
 
As President Riccobono indicated, the TIME Act is still a priority of the
National Federation of the Blind. It just wasn't front and center at the
2017 Washington Seminar. The bill was introduced by Representative Gregg
Harper (R-MS) on March 8, 2017, to remove barriers to employment
opportunities for people with disabilities by phasing out Section 14(c) of
the Fair Labor Standards Act and facilitating the transitioning of people
with disabilities now working in segregated employment settings into
competitive employment opportunities in their communities. There is low
hanging fruit we can secure from cosponsors of previous iterations of the
TIME Act. Please see if your Senators and Representative will cosponsor this
bill in the 115th Congress, especially members of the House of
Representatives who have done so before.
 
Call to Action
 
Please call both of your Senators and ask them to cosponsor S. 732, the
Access Technology Affordability Act.  Also, Please call your Congressman or
Congresswoman and ask him or her to cosponsor the AIM HIGH Act (H.R. 1772),
the Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 1734), and the TIME Act (H.R.
1377).
 
This is an excellent opportunity to circle back with your Senators and
Representative to provide them with updates on legislation, which will help
blind Americans live the lives we want.  The number to the Capitol
Switchboard is 202-224-3121. From there, the operator can transfer you to
your desired contact.  Let me thank you for the groundwork you laid at the
Washington Seminar, which has led to the introduction of this legislation.
Let's build on that momentum, as we turn our focus toward Orlando.


 
The national office has a free MagniSight Explorer magnifier to give away to
anyone who  might need it. It was donated to them and we would like to find
a home for it. 
 
It has no screen, it needs to be hooked up to a monitor.  If interested call
Jen White, 410-659-9314 extension 2236.  Or email her at jwhite at nfb.org
<mailto:jwhite at nfb.org> .  
 
 
 
Sharon Maneki, President
National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
410-715-9596
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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