[Ncabs] NFB Applauds Introduction of AIMHEA Act

[Bobbi Pompey]

Hello Federation Family! 

Good news on the legislative front yet again! The Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education act, or aimHEA, has been introduced! This would increase the accessibility of materials for blind students  in colleges and universities. 

Please reach out to your local representative(s) and senators to urge them to support this legislation. When you contact them, you can also mention the Transition Into Meaningful Employment (TIME) Act, and the Access Technology Affordability Act. 


Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have about contacting your members of Congress. 

Let's go build the federation! 
Bobbi A. L. Pompey
Legislative Director- NFB of NC 
(336) 988-6375
bobbipompey at gmail.com

"Not everything faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced" James Baldwin 


Bobbi A. L. Pompey
(336) 988-6375
bobbipompey at gmail.com

"Not everything faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced" James Baldwin 
Begin forwarded message:

> From: Bobbi Pompey <bobbipompey at gmail.com>
> Date: March 29, 2017 at 4:04:19 PM EDT
> To: Bobbi Pompey <bobbipompey at gmail.com>
> Subject: AIMHEA
> 
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> Release Date:
> Wednesday, March 29, 2017
> Category:
> National
> Chris Danielsen
> Director of Public Relations
> National Federation of the Blind
> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
> cdanielsen at nfb.org
> The National Federation of the Blind Applauds Introduction of AIM HIGH Act
> Law Will Promote Equal Access to Higher Education for People with Disabilities
> Baltimore, Maryland (March 29, 2017): Today, the National Federation
> of the Blind commends Congressman Phil Roe (R-TN) and Congressman Joe
> Courtney (D-CT) for introducing the Accessible Instructional Materials
> in Higher Education Act of 2017, also known as the AIM HIGH Act (H.R.
> 1772). This act will promote instructional technology and content that
> are accessible to the blind and other students with print
> disabilities.
> Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
> said: "The National Federation of the Blind has worked for years
> toward the introduction of this much-needed legislation, which will
> give postsecondary institutions guidance to help them meet their legal
> obligations to students with disabilities, and also bring more
> accessible instructional materials to the higher education market.
> Blind students are adversely impacted daily by educational
> technologies that artificially limit students because they were
> designed without accessibility in mind. As a past member of the
> Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials, whose work
> identified this crucial need, and a father of three, including two
> daughters who are blind, I am pleased to see this goal come to
> fruition. We applaud Congressman Roe and Congressman Courtney for
> their introduction of this legislation and urge their colleagues to
> join them in supporting its swift passage."
> Congressman Roe said: “No student pursuing their education should be
> put at a disadvantage because they have a disability, and this bill
> simply encourages higher education institutions to provide equal
> access to all instructional materials. With more students’ coursework
> requiring digital resources, it makes sense to encourage colleges and
> universities to make accessible material available to support all
> their students, including those who have a disability. I thank Rep.
> Courtney for partnering with me on this important issue and I look
> forward to moving this bill through the legislative process. I also
> thank all the stakeholders who have worked so hard to develop a
> commonsense solution that can be supported on a bipartisan basis.”
> “The goal of our bill is to ensure that no student is put at a
> disadvantage while pursuing a higher education degree because they
> have a disability,” said Congressman Courtney. “With colleges and
> universities across the country converting to digital resources, we
> need to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to
> the tools and resources at the disposal of other students. I want to
> thank Rep. Roe for once again leading this bipartisan effort with me,
> and I look forward to working with him to get this measure passed this
> Congress.”
> The AIM High Act will authorize a purpose-based commission comprised
> of persons with disabilities, developers, and manufacturers, as well
> as representatives from institutions of higher education. This
> commission will develop voluntary accessibility guidelines for
> instructional materials used in postsecondary educational programs.
> Additionally, the commission will be tasked with developing an
> annotated list of existing national and international information
> technology standards as an additional resource for institutions of
> higher education and companies that service the higher education
> market.
> Institutions of higher education that only use technology that
> conforms with the guidelines will be deemed in compliance with the
> provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Titles II and
> III of the Americans with Disabilities Act that pertain to the use of
> electronic instructional materials, giving them a safe harbor
> protection from litigation. Colleges and universities will be
> permitted to use material that does not conform with the guidelines as
> long as equal access laws are still honored. Conformity with the AIM
> High guidelines is only one path to compliance; schools can pursue a
> different path, but will forfeit the safe harbor legal protection.
> The AIM High Act is a collaborative legislative initiative of the
> National Federation of the Blind, the American Council on Education,
> the Association of American Publishers, Educause®, and the Software
> and Information Industry Association.
> ###
> About the National Federation of the Blind
> 
> 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.