[nagdu] Resolution Concerning Service Animals

Wed Jun 30 12:22:00 UTC 2010

Wayne,
    This resolution has already been submitted to the Resolutions Committee 
and will be heard by them on Sunday. During the NAGDU business meeting, we 
will simply take a vote of endorsement by the membership.

Fraternally yours,
Marion


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Wayne Merritt" <wcmerritt at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 10:14 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Resolution Concerning Service Animals


>I don't know much about the regulations regarding resolutions, but I'm
> pretty sure that it will have to be presented to the Resolutions
> Committee and receive a majority vote there before it can be
> considered by the convention as a whole on Wednesday. I don't think
> that it can be presented if it skips the Resolutions Committee, there
> may be a way but there's where my knowledge of such things ends. In
> any case, I'm pretty sure that resolutions that skip the committee
> don't usually make it to the convention floor, but then again there
> have probably been situations where it has happened. If any of that
> makes sense, grin.
>
> Wayne
>
> On 6/29/10, Margo and Arrow <margo.downey at verizon.net> wrote:
>> Marion, I like the resolution and will vote for it.
>>
>> I have a procedural question, however. Does this resolution have to come
>> before the Resolutions committee on sunday?  I assume it does.  Should 
>> some
>> of us attend that meeting to speak to it?  also, how do we know when 
>> it'll
>> come before the general convention body?  I'm leaving a day early and 
>> hope
>> it gets presented before I have to leave.
>>
>> Margo and Arrow
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>
>> To: "NAGDU List" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>; "FLAGDU List" <FLAGDU at NFBNET.ORG>
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 8:49 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] Resolution Concerning Service Animals
>>
>>
>>> Dear All,
>>>    Pasted below and attached to this message is a resolution we will
>>> present at the 2010 annual meeting of the National Association of Guide
>>> Dog Users and to the general assembly. Please take the time to read this
>>> resolution and ask any questions you may have. The membership will be
>>> asked to vote on endorsing this resolution before it is presented to the
>>> entire convention.
>>>
>>> fraternally yours,
>>> Marion Gwizdala, President
>>> National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> National Federation of the Blind
>>> 813-626-2789
>>> Blind411 at Verizon.net
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> RESOLUTION 2010-XX
>>>
>>> Regarding Civil Rights Protection of Blind Persons
>>>
>>> and Their Service Animals in Public Accommodations
>>>
>>> Proponent: Marion Gwizdala
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> WHEREAS, the purpose of the National Federation of the Blind is "the
>>> removal of the legal, social, and economic barriers faced by the blind" 
>>> so
>>>
>>> that we will achieve "full integration into society on terms of 
>>> equality";
>>>
>>> and
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> WHEREAS, discrimination by places of public accommodation is one of the
>>> barriers faced by the blind, especially among those who choose to use a
>>> guide dog as their mobility tool; and
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> WHEREAS, state laws vary in the protection from discrimination that they
>>> offer to their blind citizens; and
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits
>>> discrimination on the basis of disability in public accommodations and
>>> offers greater protection against discrimination than many state laws; 
>>> and
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> WHEREAS, many states have laws that contain provisions that are
>>> incongruent with the ADA, such as requirements that service animals must
>>> wear specific gear, provisions for muzzling, requirements for
>>> documentation, language concerning certifications that do not exist, and
>>> prohibitions of service animals in zoos, all of which are considered
>>> discriminatory under the ADA; and
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> WHEREAS, although the ADA has been in existence for twenty years, many
>>> states have not bothered to change their laws to conform with the ADA; 
>>> and
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> WHEREAS, a large majority of states provide criminal penalties for
>>> discrimination on the basis of disability, allowing law enforcement to
>>> intervene, generally resulting in an immediate resolution of such access
>>> issues, while providing appropriate penalties for more serious
>>> infractions; and
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> WHEREAS, criminal penalties allow for a more expeditious resolution of
>>> such access issues (benefiting the disabled community, in general, and
>>> society as a whole) by addressing discrimination at the local level, 
>>> while
>>>
>>> relieving individuals from the burden of costly litigation and prolonged
>>> civil processes:  Now, therefore,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
>>> assembled this seventh day of July, 2010, in the city of Dallas, Texas,
>>> that this organization call upon state legislatures to examine their
>>> statutes for parity with the ADA, removing provisions that are not in
>>> conformity with this Federal law; and
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the remaining
>>> states that do not provide criminal penalties for discrimination against
>>> blind guide dog users to more effectively promote and protect the equal
>>> rights of their blind citizens by creating criminal penalties for acts 
>>> of
>>> discrimination; and
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge all states to protect
>>> the civil rights of the blind by vigorous enforcement of the law.
>>>
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
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>>
>>
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>
>
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