[MD-AtLarge] Second Annapolis Issue

[Sharon Maneki]

Hello All,

Below is the second issue for Annapolis. Please come to the meeting on
SUnday, January 16 at 7:30 pm to discuss these issues. We will meet on
Zoom. Read below.

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Meeting ID: 624 813 8327

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Subject:          Appropriation for the Center of Excellence in Nonvisual
Access (CENA)
                            to Education, Public Information, and Commerce

*To:                  Members of the Maryland General Assembly*

*From:              Members of the National Federation of the Blind of
Maryland*

*Contact:         Sharon Maneki, Director of Legislation and Advocacy*

*National Federation of the Blind of Maryland*

*9013 Nelson Way*

*Columbia, MD 21045*

*Phone: 410-715-9596*

*Email: *nfbmdsm at gmail.com



*Date:               January 2022*





Proposed Action: The Maryland General Assembly should keep the $250,000
appropriation in the Governor’s Budget for the CENA to Education, Public
Information, and Commerce.



Background: In 2014, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) founded the
NFB Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Access (CENA). The CENA is a center
of expertise, best practices, and resources that enables business,
government, and educational institutions to more effectively provide
accessible information and services to blind citizens. The State of
Maryland, through the Maryland Department of Disabilities (MDOD), partners
with the CENA to support a series of projects under the Nonvisual
Accessibility Initiative (NVAI) maintaining the State of Maryland as an
ongoing leader in nonvisual accessibility.



The public-private partnership between the NFB CENA and MDOD (CENA/MDOD)
has improved the standard of accessibility throughout the state, and
through the development and implementation of a variety of projects within
the following six focus areas, we will continue to build a more accessible
Maryland.



I.                    Enhancing Access to Education Technology and
Strategies

Inaccessible instructional materials prevent blind and low-vision students
from accessing the fundamental tools of education, leaving them woefully
unprepared for their futures. The problem with the lack of accessibility to
education technology has been exacerbated during the COVID crisis and
created significant problems in the provision of effective virtual
instruction to Maryland’s blind and low-vision students. Under the NVAI the
CENA/MDOD has worked diligently to identify accessible education
technology, while seeking to work with developers to make other education
technologies nonvisually accessible. In the coming year, through the NVAI,
the NFB will continue to address the lack of accessible education
technology, digital publications, and instructional materials by conducting
trainings on tools, strategies, and best practices in the creation and
dissemination of tools that are “born accessible.”



II.                   Enhance Access to Employment-Related Tools and
Services

The unemployment/underemployment rate for blind people in this country
continues to exceed 70 percent, and the need to utilize more online,
digital, and virtual means of providing employment services and supports
has created both problems and opportunities. Under the NVAI, the CENA/MDOD
will continue to work in coordination with the Maryland state Department of
Labor and Division of Rehabilitation Services to develop and implement the
training and tools that will enhance access to the network of employment
systems and services available through the American Job Centers. In
addition, the NFB will conduct outreach to employers in an effort to
provide them with the training and support required to eliminate the
employment barriers faced by blind and low-vision Maryland citizens.



III.                 Offering Accessibility Boutiques and Other Training
Seminars

Accessibility Boutiques are one- to two-hour basic overviews/trainings
designed to create public awareness about accessible software, products,
services, and strategies. Quarterly Trainings are half-day trainings that
offer a more substantive training experience to the participants and
address major issues related to nonvisual accessibility. The CENA/MDOD will
continue to offer Accessibility Boutiques and Quarterly Trainings, at no
cost to Maryland citizens, on topics that assist both laymen and
professionals to remain knowledgeable of the evolving tools, strategies,
and best practices to build a more accessible Maryland.



IV.                Maintaining the Accessibility Switchboard and Community
of Practice

The NFB will continue to develop and market the Accessibility Switchboard,
a dynamic online portal consisting of an accessibility information resource
for consumers and a compliance information portal for organizations. This
work will be informed by the Accessibility Community of Practice, a
volunteer group of accessibility experts from educational institutions,
corporations, and the public sector.



V.                  Assisting with the Integration of Smart Technologies
for Accessible Cities

The development and implementation of accessible, safe, affordable,
efficient transportation allows blind and low-vision Maryland citizens to
independently travel throughout their communities. In addition, emerging
nonvisual access navigation or wayfinding technologies facilitate
independent access to a variety of public and commercial venues, including
college campuses, public and commercial buildings, and other environments.
In order to promote the integration of innovative technologies and
strategies toward the creation of accessible cities, the CENA/MDOD will
continue to participate in meetings and establish partnerships with
technology developers and city planners in the evaluation and
implementation of various transportation and wayfinding strategies. Our
active involvement will assist in the integration of accessibility features
throughout public spaces that are seamless and esthetically pleasing.



VI.                Coordinating the Accessibility Inclusion Fellowship
Program

The “Final Report of the Study on Accessibility Concepts in Computer
Science, Information Systems and Information Technology Programs in Higher
Education” recommended that three annual fellowships be awarded to help
instructors begin to include accessibility concepts contained within the
minimum areas of instruction in at least one course offering in their
institution. The CENA/MDOD has offered these fellowships for three years,
and will continue to recruit and support an additional cohort in the coming
year.


Conclusion

Access to information remains one of the greatest barriers faced by blind
persons. The public-private partnership between the NFB CENA and MDOD
(CENA/MDOD) has proven to be an effective method of removing these barriers
by providing information about best practices and developing innovative
techniques for achieving nonvisual access. The Maryland General Assembly
should allow this state-of-the-art program to continue by approving the
$250,000 appropriation in the Governor’s Budget under the Maryland
Department of Disabilities.


*Sharon Maneki, Director of Legislation and Advocacy*
National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
410-715-9596

The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland knows that blindness is
not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Everyday 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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