[Nfbc-info] NFBC-Info Digest, Vol 146, Issue 16

Mon Jul 31 02:58:49 UTC 2017

Is there a reason why the address URL says 2016stateconventionpreregistrationform, and not 2017stateconventionpreregistrationform? 

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> Today's Topics:
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>   1. Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] The Hill: Passing the ADA
>      Education and Reform Act would be a step backwards for equality
>      and justice, by Mark Riccobono (Shannon Dillon)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2017 09:54:36 -0700
> From: Shannon Dillon <shannonldillon at gmail.com>
> To: nfbc-info at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Nfbc-info] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] The Hill: Passing the
>    ADA Education and Reform Act would be a step backwards for equality
>    and justice, by Mark Riccobono
> Message-ID:
>    <CA+JLRL9fy7qpg=Zb+3sh7TkdW7pY6vQf6o1sjPW+M70bLs1H1w at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> 
> Good morning,
> Please see the email below containing a letter written by President
> Mark Riccobono.  It explains why we oppose H.R. 620.  Please let your
> Congressional representative know we oppose H.R. 620.  Email and call
> your representative.  You can share President Riccobono's letter with
> your representative.
> Thanks.
> Shannon L. Dillon
> 
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "Danielsen, Chris via NFBNet-Members-List"
> <nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2017 16:36:07 -0500
> Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] The Hill: Passing the ADA Education and
> Reform Act would be a step backwards for equality and justice, by Mark
> Riccobono
> To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
> 
> Source: The Hill
> Date: July 26, 2017
> Author: Mark Riccobono
> Passing the ADA Education and Reform Act would be a step backwards
> for equality and justice
> Exactly twenty-seven years ago, the United States took another in a
> long series of steps toward actualizing our founding principles of
> equality and justice for all. On July 26, 1990, the Americans with
> Disabilities Act (ADA) became the law of the land. With its signing
> by President George H.W. Bush came true progress in the fight for
> equality and opportunity for the nation's blind.
> The National Federation of the Blind, the country's oldest and
> largest nationwide organization of blind people, has always been
> determined in our efforts to break down barriers that hinder us from
> transforming our dreams into reality and living the lives we want.
> The ADA, while not the only means through which we achieve these
> goals, has been and continues to be indispensable. Specifically,
> Title III of the ADA provides legal remedies for the blind when we
> encounter accessibility barriers as we work, study, shop, travel, and
> generally avail ourselves of the things that society has to offer.
> Such barriers are daily occurrences in our lives, and, in the worst
> cases, threaten our employment, education, and ability to function in
> our communities.
> It is therefore incumbent upon us to defend against the many assaults
> upon the ADA. Using a tactic deployed by critics of the Civil Rights
> Act and the Voting Rights Act, opponents of the ADA falsely accuse us
> of wanting special privileges or treatment. But we demand only equal
> treatment and opportunity; no more, no less.
> The latest misguided attempt to undermine civil rights and equality
> for the blind and other Americans with disabilities is the ADA
> Education and Reform Act, a House bill that would purportedly
> mitigate the scourge of "frivolous" lawsuits brought by shady lawyers
> and "serial plaintiffs."
> The crux of the argument in favor of this bill is that people with
> disabilities, such as the fifty thousand members of the National
> Federation of the Blind, are abusing the ADA in order to make a quick
> buck by unfairly targeting small businesses. There are several things
> wrong with this thesis. First, there is no systematic evidence that
> large numbers of illegitimate complaints are being filed. Proponents
> of this legislation, which would insert 180 days of unnecessary lag
> time between when a violation is encountered and when redress can be
> expected, can only point to anecdotal and extreme cases. For example,
> a report that analyzed all Title III lawsuits filed in 2016 found
> just twelve "serial plaintiffs." Given that 6,600 suits were filed in
> total, claims of abuse are exaggerated.
> Second, this bill cannot and does not make any distinction between
> meritorious and frivolous complaints. Therefore, legitimate
> complaints would be discouraged because of a tiny number of bad
> actors. The blind are disgusted by any abuse of the ADA for personal
> enrichment, but we do not believe that the problem is pervasive
> enough to weaken the most critical tool that we have to protect our rights.
> Third, the number of violations that we encounter daily dwarfs the
> number of lawsuits. Lawsuits are expensive and time consuming, and we
> do not pursue them lightly. In most cases, we find acceptable
> work-arounds and move on.
> In short, this bill is a solution in search of a problem. While it is
> true that Title III complaints have risen substantially in recent
> years, it is also true that awareness of our rights as blind people
> and the mechanisms of redress available to us have risen in equal
> measure. It is also true that new opportunities driven by technology
> bring with them new accessibility challenges. Whether we are
> attempting to engage in ecommerce, book travel plans using digital
> platforms, or conduct banking activities using mobile applications,
> we are consistently met with roadblocks that clearly violate the ADA.
> The National Federation of the Blind strongly opposes this bill. On
> this day we commemorate a milestone in our nation's history. We
> acknowledge that passage of the ADA was another move toward a more
> perfect union. To support a bill that would undermine the ability of
> the blind and others with disabilities to ensure equal access and
> opportunity would be to repudiate that project and dishonor our
> shared legacy. As we use this anniversary to reflect on what the ADA
> means, we will also take concerted action to buttress it against
> those forces that would undermine it. The National Federation of the
> Blind calls on those who have already signed on as co-sponsors of
> this bill to withdraw their support and for those who may be asked to
> support it in the future to refuse. To do otherwise is to scale back
> hard-won gains and hinder our progress toward true equality.
> Mark A. Riccobono is president of the National Federation of the Blind.
> <http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/343880-passing-the-ada-education-and-reform-act-would-be-a-step>http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/343880-passing-the-ada-education-and-reform-act-would-be-a-step
> 
> 
> 
> Christopher S. Danielsen, J.D.
> Director of Public Relations
> 200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
> (410) 659-9314, Ext. 2330 | cdanielsen at nfb.org
> Twitter: @rlawyer
> 
> <https://nfb.org/>
> National Federation of the Blind
> 
> 
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> 
> The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and
> friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind.
> Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> SHANNON L. DILLON
> 
> 
> 
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> End of NFBC-Info Digest, Vol 146, Issue 16
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