[NAGDU] NAGDU 2019 Annual Meeting Minutes

[Sherrill O'Brien]

Hello to all,

 

I have pasted the 2019 annual meeting minutes below. 

The policy of the Board for several years has been to email the minutes in
advance of the meeting in the interest of time. So please read them, and
tomorrow we will simply need to vote to approve them.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to do this.

 

I'll be listening for you at tomorrow's NAGDU meeting!

 

Sherrill

 

                National Association of Guide Dog Users

National Federation of the Blind

Annual Meeting Minutes

July 9, 2019

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino

Las Vegas, Nevada

 

The meting was called to order by President Marion Gwizdala at 7:05PMPDT.

He announced that this meeting was being recorded and would be available for
later listening.

Door prizes were drawn throughout the evening.

 

A motion was made by Mike Hingson, seconded by Aleeha Dudley, to approve the
2018 NAGDU meeting minutes as emailed. The motion passed.

Treasurer Jessica Snyder gave the treasurer's report. A motion was made by
Kevin Worley, seconded by Kathy Tuton, to approve the treasurer's report as
read. The motion passed.

 

Elections

  Vice President Michael Hingson and Treasurer Linda o'Connell  chose not to
run for another term. Marion thanked them for their service to NAGDU. 

The following officers and Board members were elected:

Raul Gallegos, Vice President

Jessica Snyder, Treasurer

Paul Sandoval, Board Member

Heather Byrd, one year Board member, finishing out the term of Jessica
Snyder

 

President Gwizdala introduced Ray Price, Director of Customer Advocacy for
Alaska Airlines. Ray spoke about his airline's commitment to training their
employees to assist those passengers with service animals.  He said one of
their biggest challenges is dealing with the unpredictable behavior of
nonservice animals. He said the Air Carrier Access Act should be aligned as
closely as possible with the implementing regulations of the ADA. He hopes
Alaska Airlines can continue being a leader in supporting those who fly with
service animals.

He then took questions from the audience.

Continuing this subject, President Gwizdala spoke about the fact that the
Department of Transportation has not yet come out with their NPRM following
the period in which comments from the public were requested. He said that in
NAGDU's NpRm comments, we strongly urged the DOT  to adopt the implementing
regulations of the ADA when revising the ACAA.

 

Uber and Lyft Service Animal Update

Tim Elder, attorney with TRE Legal Services, and Valerie Yingling, NFB's
Legal Program Coordinator,   gave an update on NFB's testing program with
Uber. Valerie said our role as testers is critical in the success of the
settlement. She encouraged everyone to fill out NFB's ride share survey when
we experience ride denial with our dogs. She said discrimination continues,
and it's vital that Uber receives accurate and ongoing documentation. Tim
Elder said a way of getting a more objective picture  is the rate of
cancellations for those with service dogs versus those without dogs. He said
this data would be more accurate since many people experiencing ride denials
do not fill out the survey or file a complaint.

Tim said the problem is compounded by the high turnover rate of drivers.

President Gwizdala then spoke about the importance of filing criminal
complaints when denials occur. He said 37 states now have criminal remedies
for discrimination. He encouraged the use of cell phones to document  ride
denials.

 

Puppy Raising as a blind person   

Merry Schoch, President of NAGDU's Florida division, spoke of her
experiences raising a puppy for Freedom Guide Dogs, and said other blind
persons have also volunteered to do this rewarding work.

 

President Gwizdala announced that next year's NAGDU seminar and business
meeting will be held in Houston, Texas, home of our newly elected vice
president Raul Gallegos.

 

The 150 dollar gift certificate, donated by Julie Johnson's company On the
Go, was won by Tina Thomas.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:25PMPDT.

 

Respectfully submitted

Sherrill O'Brien, Secretary

National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc. (NAGDU)

National Federation of the Blind 

Phone 813-935-0474, cell 813-767-1890

Email Secretary at NAGDU.ORG

 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
expectations because low expectations create barriers between blind people
and our dreams. You can live the life you want! Blindness is not what holds
you back