[Mn-at-large] Fact Sheet for Day At The Capitol March 16!

Tue Mar 15 01:37:59 UTC 2016

Dear Minnesota Federationists,

Below is the text of the fact sheet we will be using for our Day at the
Capitol on March 16. I look forward to discussing the issues and working
with everyone who can be there on Wednesday to help with educating our
legislators and getting these things done!

In a separate email I will forward some directions for those using the light
rail to get to the capitol.

TO:  Members of the 2016 Minnesota Legislature
FROM:  The National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota (NFBM)
RE:  Legislative Agenda for the 2016 Session
DATE:  March 16, 2016

Legislative Priorities for the 2016 session:

1. Ensure that the growing number of Minnesota seniors losing their vision
can live independent lives in their homes and communities by increasing
resources for services to blind seniors through Minnesota State Services for
the Blind

2. Amend Minnesota statutes to preserve private and independent voting by
blind Minnesotans and others

3. Improve opportunities for blind Minnesotans and others by increasing
investment in public transportation

About The NFB of Minnesota

This information is provided by the members of the National Federation of
the Blind of Minnesota (NFBM), the state's oldest, largest, and most active
membership organization of blind and interested sighted people, who have
worked together since 1920 to formulate much-needed social change.  With
chapters throughout the state, we deliver a message of hope and
encouragement that blindness need not hold us back.  We promote policies
that will bring blind people of all ages into full participation in our
communities.

Over the years, we have worked successfully with the Legislature to enact
laws that improve opportunities for blind Minnesotans, and you can help us
again this year.  We want to share with you a positive approach to the
legislative needs of blind individuals.  We ask that you consider the
following information about our current efforts and lend your support.

Increase Resources for Senior Services

With The Right Training, Blind Seniors can Live Independently. Loss of
vision can be a terrifying prospect, but experience has long shown that
senior citizens who are becoming blind can maintain independence and quality
of life if they receive specialized adjustment to blindness training, which
can be provided on an individual basis or through group classes.  The
training pertains to Learning new skills for independence, building
self-confidence, and developing positive attitudes about blindness.

The National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota receives many telephone
calls from individuals looking for help and referrals; most of the calls are
from senior citizens, some who are considering moving into assisted living
situations because they are losing sight and do not know what else to do.
Early intervention is needed to prevent decisions from being made based on
fear of blindness and lack of knowledge about what is possible.

The Senior Services Unit of Minnesota State Services for the Blind (SSB), a
division of the Department of Employment and Economic Development, is the
primary, and in many cases, the only source of public funding for training
and support services to blind seniors in the state of Minnesota.  SSB is in
the best position to provide these services because of its specific
knowledge base on blindness and its relationships with Minnesota's
established network of service providers capable of providing group and
individual adjustment-to-blindness training.

Existing funding for services to seniors is minimal. Currently, particularly
in rural Minnesota, wait times for services are very long, and some areas in
the northwest part of the state have no service coverage at all. Due to
recent staff retirements and a hiring freeze brought on by the financial
constraints, the staff serving seniors will be decreased by two this year
while all signs point to further increases in the number of individuals
needing the services. There has been no appropriation increase to SSB,
beyond intermittent cost of living increases, for almost 17 years. In
general, the 2.1 million dollar budget provides insufficient funding to make
adjustment-to-blindness training available to those who need it.

Service needs will soon drastically exceed capacity in all areas. Within
five years, 1,047,049 Minnesotans will be over 74 years of age, and 50,000
will experience loss of vision. In FY2015, SSB served 4,036 seniors--an
increase of 25% over the number served in FY2014.

SSB's current efforts to manage increasing operating expenses include
diverting one-time program funds to cover operating costs; placing caps on
certain types of training and services; and eliminating services to people
in nursing homes. Additionally, in recognition of the coming service crisis,
SSB has worked to re-design its services to seniors. Without new funding,
however, a new service model cannot address the real needs or realize cost
savings to the state. It will rely heavily on third-party service providers
that do not have background in blindness, will primarily offer temporary
measures such as magnifying devices instead of the training that is the real
solution, and will reach only a fraction of the people who need the help.

Investment in services to seniors losing vision will result in significant
savings to the state.  Helping seniors to remain in their own homes saves
money. According to Genworth (an insurance industry research group), the
median annual rate for assisted living per individual in Minnesota is
$40,830, while nursing home care is more than double, at $83,264.
Minnesotans who do not have long-term care insurance use their own income
and assets to pay for their care. Once personal funds run out, the state
pays for their long-term care through the Medical Assistance program. For
fiscal year 2012-2013, Medical Assistance covered $1.6 billion in nursing
home care for Minnesotans. In contrast, adjustment-to-blindness training,
which enables blind seniors to live independently in their own homes, can
generally be provided at a one-time cost of $2,000 or less - 20% to 50% of a
single month of assisted living or nursing home care.  To state it quite
simply, we can either pay a small amount right now, or we will pay a huge
amount later on. Which is the better investment?

Appropriation Increase Needed: Current funding levels for service delivery
to seniors losing vision is not sustainable, and the state must plan ahead
or see a drastic increase in the cost of care for seniors.  A major
appropriation increase to Minnesota State Services for the Blind, at least
doubling the current amount, is critical for providing training and other
needed services to the rapidly growing number of blind seniors.  The
increase would reduce reliance on one-time program funding, increase
capacity to meet the growing need for services in all parts of the state,
and leverage community partnerships to ensure earlier intervention,
coordination, and high-quality services, plus save the state a great deal of
money in the future.

Preserve Accessibility and Privacy for Blind Voters

As a result of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and related state
legislation, blind Minnesotans have for the past ten years been able to vote
privately and independently in elections by the use of technology that
displays and speaks the ballot information and enables the voter to mark the
paper ballot. This technology has also opened the possibility of independent
voting by people with reading difficulties or other disabilities that impede
access to the print ballot.  The AutoMark, which is the machine currently
used in Minnesota for this purpose, complies completely with Minnesota's
requirement that a paper ballot be used.  However, in light of the fact that
the AutoMark machines are aging, are difficult to maintain, and are no
longer manufactured, a new solution is needed to ensure that individuals who
are blind or have other disabilities can continue to vote privately and
independently.

The Minnesota Secretary of State has investigated the matter and found there
to be one accessible voting machine that meets Minnesota's requirement for
the use of a paper ballot and is compatible with the existing optical scan
tabulation technology. Like the AutoMark, this machine is not only for use
by blind and disabled voters but can be effectively used by anyone. However,
the machine uses a different ballot style, which does not meet current
legislative requirements and raises concerns regarding maintaining voter
privacy.

Proposed legislation (SF 2725 and HF 3080) would amend Minnesota statutes to
allow for continued access to independent and private voting by broadening
certification criteria, so that the newer machine, as well as other voting
technology yet to be developed, can be eligible for certification in the
state of Minnesota. The National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota urges
your support for this legislation, based on its inclusion of provisions
that:

.	assure that voters who use the accessible technology have access to
all of the same information that is available to voters who do not use the
technology to read and mark their ballots;
.	assure that voters using the technology can vote for all offices and
questions, perform write-ins if desired, verify and correct votes before
casting the ballot, and access all other voting options available to voters
not using the technology;
.	assure that ballots of voters using the technology are not
segregated from ballots of voters who do not use it;
.	take proactive measures to ensure preservation of the anonymity of
the paper ballots in the event of a re-count or post-election review.

Legislation Needed: Please support SF 2725 and HF 3080 so that blind voters
and others with disabilities can continue to vote privately and
independently in Minnesota.

Increase Investment in Public Transportation

Funding for transportation has been recognized by legislative leaders as a
top priority this year.  In the push for funds to improve roads and bridges,
any solution must also include dedicated, statewide funding to maintain and
expand Minnesota's public transit system. Public transportation provides the
underpinning necessary for blind Minnesotans and others who cannot drive
cars to get and maintain jobs. It also provides crucial mobility in the
community for the growing population of senior citizens, who live in Greater
Minnesota as well as in the metro area, and will help keep them out of the
assisted living and nursing home care noted above.  Some counties in Greater
Minnesota still have no transit service at all.  Funding of public transit
throughout the state must be increased.

LEGISLATION NEEDED: Please support greater investment to maintain and
improve public transportation throughout Minnesota, expanding access and
opportunity for all.

For further information on these legislative priorities, or should questions
arise on any matters affecting blind people anywhere in Minnesota, contact
Jennifer Dunnam, President, National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota,
by phone at (612) 203-2738 or email
jennifer.dunnam1829 at gmail.com

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