[Nfb-or] Fw: [nfb-talk] Legislative Agenda of Blind Americans:

[Jerry Hathaway]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kenneth Chrane" <kenneth.chrane at verizon.net>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2012 8:19 PM
Subject: [nfb-talk] Legislative Agenda of Blind Americans:


> National Federation of the Blind Logo
> Marc Maurer, President
> 200 East Wells Street
> at Jernigan Place
> Baltimore, MD 21230
> Phone 410 659 9314 Fax 410 685 5653
> www.nfb.org
> LEGISLATIVE AGENDA OF BLIND AMERICANS:
> PRIORITIES FOR THE 112TH CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
> The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the oldest and largest 
> nationwide organization of blind people in the United States. As the voice 
> of the nation's blind, we represent the collective views of blind people 
> throughout society. All of our leaders and the vast majority of our 
> members are blind, but anyone can participate in our movement. There are 
> an estimated 1.3 million blind people in the United States, and every year 
> approximately 75,000 Americans become blind.
> The NFB's three legislative initiatives for 2012 are:
> .
> The Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act of 2011 (H.R. 3086) H.R. 
> 3086 phases out Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which 
> allows employers to pay disabled workers subminimum wages. This bill will 
> end this exploitative practice, giving disabled Americans equal protection 
> under the law to earn at least the federal minimum wage.
> .
> The Home Appliance Accessibility Act (HAAA) Despite the existence of 
> nonvisual access technology, the overwhelming majority of home appliance 
> manufacturers are selling touch-screen, flat panel, and digital home 
> appliances that are completely inaccessible to the blind. HAAA calls for a 
> study and minimum nonvisual access standard for essential home appliances 
> to protect blind consumers from the growing digital divide that threatens 
> our independence.
> .
> The Americans with Disabilities Business Opportunity Act (ADBOA) Section 
> 8(a) of the Small Business Act allows businesses owned by socially 
> disadvantaged groups to obtain federal contracts. Although two-thirds of 
> Americans with disabilities are unemployed or underemployed, disabled 
> people are currently not presumed to be socially disadvantaged. ADBOA 
> amends Section 8(a) to add disabled Americans to the list of those who are 
> presumed to be socially disadvantaged.
> The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight; it is the 
> misunderstanding and lack of information that exist. Given the proper 
> training and opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a physical nuisance. 
> Blind Americans need your help to achieve these goals and reach economic 
> security and full integration into society. Supporting these measures will 
> benefit more than just the blind, as promoting our economic welfare 
> increases the tax base. We urge Congress to hear our demands for equality 
> and support these legislative initiatives.
> Voice of the Nation's Blind
>
> Voice of the Nation's Blind
> National Federation of the Blind Logo
> Marc Maurer, President
> 200 East Wells Street
> at Jernigan Place
> Baltimore, MD 21230
> Phone 410 659 9314 Fax 410 685 5653
> www.nfb.org
> The Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act of 2011
> H.R. 3086
> Disabled workers have been unfairly excluded from the federal minimum wage 
> for 74 years, and today over 300,000 disabled workers are working for 
> subminimum wages.
> Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) discriminates against 
> people with disabilities. This section allows the Secretary of Labor to 
> grant special wage certificates to employers, permitting them to pay their 
> workers with disabilities less than the minimum wage, often in sheltered 
> work environments. In some instances disabled workers are being paid 
> pennies per hour.
> This discrimination is rooted in low expectations based on misconceptions 
> about the capabilities of disabled people. The law falsely implies that 
> people with disabilities cannot be productive employees, and subminimum 
> wage employers prey on society's misconception that disabled people are 
> incapable of being competitively employed. In reality, when provided the 
> proper rehabilitation training and tools, workers with disabilities can be 
> productive and financially independent.
> Subminimum wage supports an outdated business model that fosters the 
> underemployment of workers with disabilities. Section 14(c) was only to be 
> used "to the extent necessary to prevent curtailment of opportunities" for 
> employment of people with disabilities. Instead, subminimum-wage sheltered 
> workshops have eroded into day custody centers, limiting opportunities for 
> workers with disabilities ever to transition into integrated, competitive 
> work. These institutions instill a philosophy of incapacity, which becomes 
> a self-fulfilling prophecy resulting in long-term underemployment.
> The sheltered work system is a cash cow for the subminimum wage employer. 
> Many employers insist that paying the minimum wage to disabled employees 
> would result in lack of profitability and a reduction in their workforce, 
> but most benefit from philanthropic donations, preferred status when 
> bidding on federal contracts, and federal funding. Moreover, while their 
> disabled workers receive subminimum wages that are subsidized by Social 
> Security and public assistance, some workshop executives are earning 
> salaries far above industry norms. The economics overwhelmingly favor 
> subminimum wage employers, encouraging the perpetuation of subminimum wage 
> employment and leaving workers with disabilities little to no choice for 
> real employment.
> The Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act of 2011:
> Discontinues the practice of issuing special wage certificates. The 
> secretary of labor will no longer issue special wage certificates to new 
> applicants.
> Phases out all remaining special wage certificates over a 3-year period. 
> Entities currently holding special wage certificates will begin 
> compensating their workers with disabilities at no less than the federal 
> minimum wage, using the following schedule:
> .
> private for-profit entities' certificates will be revoked after 1 year;
> .
> public or governmental entities' certificates will be revoked after 2 
> years; and
> .
> non-profit entities' certificates will be revoked after 3 years.
> Repeals Section14(c) of the FLSA. Three years after the law is enacted, 
> the practice of paying disabled workers subminimum wage will be officially 
> abolished, and workers with disabilities will no longer be excluded from 
> the workforce protection of a federal minimum wage.
> STOP THE DISCRIMINATION
> PROMOTE EQUAL WORK FOR EQUAL PAY
> Cosponsor the Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act
> H.R. 3086
> For more information contact:
> Anil Lewis, Director of Strategic Communications
> National Federation of the Blind
> Phone: (410) 659-9314, Extension 2374 E-mail: alewis at nfb.org
> To cosponsor the bill, contact:
> James Thomas in Congressman Cliff Stearns's office
> Phone: (202) 225-5744 E-mail: james.thomas at mail.house.gov
> -OR-
> Tim Powers in Congressman Tim Bishop's office
> Phone: (202) 225-3826 E-mail: tim.powers at mail.house.gov
> Voice of the Nation's Blind
>
> Voice of the Nation's Blind
> National Federation of the Blind Logo
> Marc Maurer, President
> 200 East Wells Street
> at Jernigan Place
> Baltimore, MD 21230
> Phone 410 659 9314 Fax 410 685 5653
> www.nfb.org
> The Home Appliance Accessibility Act
> Digital technology has improved the ease and efficiency of the way we live 
> our lives- but now blind people can no longer operate most fundamental 
> home appliances.
> Home appliance manufacturers are constantly incorporating advanced 
> technology into their products. Most new stoves, dishwashers, washing 
> machines, and other home appliances require interaction with digital 
> displays, flat panels, touch screens, and other user interfaces that are 
> inaccessible to people who are blind or have low vision. Knobs, buttons, 
> and other tactile methods of use are disappearing.
> Technology exists to make home appliances accessible to blind people. 
> Manufacturers often claim nonvisual access cannot be achieved, but 
> text-to-speech technology is inexpensive and more prevalent than it has 
> ever been-Apple has incorporated VoiceOver (a text-to-speech function) 
> into its touch-screen products, making the iPhone, iPod, and iPad fully 
> accessible to blind people right out of the box. All ATMs manufactured in 
> the United States are accessible, and every polling place provides a 
> nonvisually accessible voting machine. Frequently, a simple audio output 
> or vibrotactile feature can make a product fully accessible at minimal 
> cost, as well as more dynamic and appealing for all users.
> Unfortunately most manufacturers refuse to incorporate nonvisual access 
> technology in their products. Companies claim that adding accessibility 
> features is too expensive, but no public data demonstrate that claim. 
> Furthermore, it is proven to be more cost effective to include 
> accessibility features during the design phase rather than after, but 
> manufacturers generally do not invest in this approach. Simply put, if 
> companies include access technology in the design of home appliances, they 
> will sell more products.
> No laws exist to require companies to make home appliances accessible. 
> Although the Americans with Disabilities Act and many other laws mandate 
> physical accessibility for people with disabilities (e.g., wheelchair 
> ramps, Braille in public buildings), no laws protect blind consumers' 
> right to access to fundamental home appliances. This trend of 
> inaccessibility will continue to grow as technology becomes more advanced 
> and accessibility solutions are ignored.
> The Home Appliance Accessibility Act:
> Calls on the Access Board to conduct a study. The Access Board (a small 
> government agency fully equipped with the resources to review the current 
> marketplace, consult with stakeholders, and commission research on issues 
> of access) will issue a report with findings and recommendations for a 
> minimum nonvisual access standard for home appliances and at-home medical 
> equipment.
> Establishes a minimum nonvisual access standard for home appliances. Six 
> months after the Access Board publishes the above-mentioned report, the 
> Board will begin a rulemaking period, not to exceed 36 months, to 
> establish a minimum nonvisual access standard for home appliances. The 
> final standard will go into effect three years after the rule is 
> finalized.
> Gives the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) authority to enforce the 
> standard. Having already been given consumer protection enforcement powers 
> by Congress, the FTC will handle violations, conduct investigations, and 
> levy civil penalties against manufacturers who fail to comply with the 
> standard.
> Provides flexibility to manufacturers. The legislation does not mandate a 
> single, one-size-fits-all solution for all products. Additionally, 
> manufacturers who can demonstrate that meeting a minimum nonvisual access 
> standard creates an undue burden and companies with gross annual sales 
> less than $250,000 are exempt from the law.
> END THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
> Sponsor the Home Appliance Accessibility Act
> For more information contact:
> Lauren McLarney, Government Programs Specialist
> National Federation of the Blind
> Phone: (410) 659-9314, Extension 2207 E-mail: lmclarney at nfb.org
> Voice of the Nation's Blind
>
> Voice of the Nation's Blind
> National Federation of the Blind Logo
> Marc Maurer, President
> 200 East Wells Street
> at Jernigan Place
> Baltimore, MD 21230
> Phone 410 659 9314 Fax 410 685 5653
> www.nfb.org
> The Americans with Disabilities Business Opportunity Act
> According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than two-thirds of
> Americans with disabilities are unemployed or vastly underemployed.
> The Small Business Act (SBA) is meant to promote an entrepreneurial 
> spirit. To a substantial degree America's economic success is tied to the 
> freedom to engage in entrepreneurial activity and create one's own wealth. 
> It has long been the policy of the United States to promote the economic 
> well-being of traditionally disadvantaged groups by creating a variety of 
> business incentive programs that allow these groups to participate in the 
> mainstream of the nation's economy.
> Section 8(a) of the SBA is a powerful program allowing businesses owned by 
> racial, cultural, and ethnic minorities or women to secure federal 
> contracts. However, this program is not extended to Americans with 
> disabilities. Individuals with disabilities seeking 8(a) certification 
> must take on the onerous task of proving that they are socially and 
> economically disadvantaged, while individuals who are from a racial, 
> cultural, or ethnic minority or women are presumed to be socially 
> disadvantaged.
> Census Bureau statistics indicate that people with disabilities occupy an 
> inferior status in our society and are severely disadvantaged socially, 
> vocationally, economically, and educationally. Yet physical or mental 
> disabilities in no way diminish a person's right to participate fully in 
> all aspects of society. Many people with disabilities have been precluded 
> from doing so because of commonly held misconceptions about their 
> abilities. The continued exclusion from these programs denies people with 
> disabilities the opportunity to compete on an equal basis and to pursue 
> those opportunities for which our free society is justifiably famous.
> Disabled people are also excluded from federal procurement practices. 
> Under current law businesses attempting to secure large federal contracts 
> must guarantee that they will subcontract a portion of the work to small 
> businesses that are owned by traditionally disadvantaged populations. 
> Again individuals with disabilities are not considered a traditionally 
> disadvantaged population; thus businesses owned by individuals with 
> disabilities cannot benefit from these entrepreneurial opportunities.
> The Americans with Disabilities Business Opportunity Act:
> Amends Section 8(a). People with disabilities will be added to the list of 
> those who are presumed to be socially disadvantaged. Doing this will 
> extend the opportunity to secure federal contracts to disabled people.
> Changes federal procurement practices. For-profit businesses attempting to 
> secure large federal contracts can satisfy procurement requirements by 
> subcontracting with businesses owned by individuals with disabilities.
> HELP UNLEASH THE ENTREPRENEURIAL CAPABILITIES
> OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
> Sponsor the Americans with Disabilities Business Opportunity Act
> For more information contact:
> Jesse Hartle, Government Programs Specialist
> National Federation of the Blind
> Phone: (410) 659-9314, Extension 2233 E-mail: jhartle at nfb.org
> Voice of the Nation's Blind
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Kenneth Chrane
>
> Telephone:
>
> (410) 486-1569
>
> Cell:
>
> (410) 800-8252
>
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