[nfb-db] Deaf-blind resolutions

[Scott Davert]

Hi all.
I hope no one takes my posting this the wrong way, as it's not
intended to step on any toes, but I have here the full text of all the
resolutions that passed from the 2013 convention. I have pasted the db
 related one below for your reference.

Best,
Scott
Resolution 2013-13
Regarding Support Service Provider Programs for Deaf-Blind People

WHEREAS, deaf-blind people rely on Support Service Providers (SSP’s)
to reduce reliance on family members and friends by facilitating
communications and by providing environmental and situational
information so that they can participate in all aspects of community
life; and

WHEREAS, the SSP’s are not responsible for providing personal care or
serving as the interpreters required by law at legal and medical
appointments, i.e., must serve only as facilitators, not decision
makers; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that there are 45,000 to 70,000 deaf-blind
people in the U.S., a statistic that will rise because people are
living longer and will experience sensory losses as part of the aging
process, necessitating the need for more SSP’s; and

WHEREAS, according to a 2012 survey by the Helen Keller National
Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults, only ten states have
state-wide programs to provide SSP’s, and only fourteen states and the
District of Columbia have smaller, regional SSP programs, and the
remaining states have no SSP programs at all; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the lack of availability of SSP’s in many
states, the level of service in states with some programs fluctuates
because the state or region determines who are eligible for the
service and how many hours they receive; and

WHEREAS, since some SSP programs such as those in Louisiana,
Connecticut, and Washington State, are under the jurisdiction of an
office or department for the deaf, these programs frequently
discriminate against deaf-blind people by requiring them to
communicate by using American Sign Language, which is more visual,
rather than the communication method of their choice such as oral
English, English Sign Language, or tactile sign language; and

WHEREAS, since SSP’s are vital to the independence of all deaf-blind
Americans, the federal government should implement a national program
that will eliminate discriminatory practices and provide a higher
level and greater uniformity of service: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
on this fifth day of July, 2013, in the city of Orlando, Florida, that
this organization strongly urge the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services and the U.S. Congress to immediately take all necessary
steps to establish a national SSP program so that deaf-blind
individuals can maintain independence and become productive citizens.


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