[NFBF-Miami-Dade] FW: [NFBF-Leaders] 2020 Resolutions | National Federation of the Blind

[Jorge Hernandez]

From: NFBF-Leaders [mailto:nfbf-leaders-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Denise Valkema via NFBF-Leaders
Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 11:06 PM
To: NFBF; NFBF
Cc: Denise Valkema
Subject: [NFBF-Leaders] 2020 Resolutions | National Federation of the Blind

 

Greetings Florida federationists,

We have resolutions on the agenda for the caucus this Friday at 11am. Please review the resolutions prior to our caucus. The resolutions are pasted below the link:
https://www.nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions/2020-resolutions







2020 Resolutions


The below resolutions are currently up for consideration at the  <https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention> 2020 National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind. The below resolutions do not yet represent policy of the Federation and should not be taken as policy until such time as they have been affirmatively adopted by the Convention. The below resolutions were recommended to the Convention by the resolutions committee on July 15, 2020. 

Review  <https://www.nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions> resolutions from previous years.


Resolution 2020-01: Regarding the Access Technology Affordability Act


WHEREAS, blind people use access technology tools such as screen readers, refreshable Braille displays, and embossers to participate in school, succeed in careers, and live independently; and

WHEREAS, public and private entities that are responsible for providing these tools struggle to meet the current demand of blind people, which results in prolonged delays in the delivery of necessary technology to the blind; and

WHEREAS, access technology is highly specialized technology designed and manufactured for a relatively small population, leading to the high cost of these tools; and

WHEREAS, according to the 2017 American Community Survey, 69.5 percent of Americans who report having a “visual disability” are unemployed or underemployed and do not have the financial resources needed to purchase these tools; and

WHEREAS, even more blind Americans have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, blind children and blind college students are learning online from home, and many states are enforcing stay-at-home orders; and

WHEREAS, access technology could help blind citizens look for new jobs, keep up with their coursework, or find out which local businesses are open and safe for them to visit; and

WHEREAS, on March 14, 2019, Senators Boozman and Cardin introduced S. 815, and on April 4, 2019, Representatives Thompson and Kelly introduced H.R. 2086, the Access Technology Affordability Act; and

WHEREAS, this legislation provides a solution that empowers blind people to procure these items for themselves by creating a refundable tax credit in the amount of $2,000 to be used over a three-year period: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization commend Senators Boozman and Cardin, and Representatives Thompson and Kelly for introducing the Access Technology Affordability Act; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization strongly urge the United States Congress to enact the Access Technology Affordability Act immediately.


Resolution 2020-02: Regarding the Accessibility of Apps used by Schools for Parent-School Communication


WHEREAS, children who have parents who are involved in their schools and communicate with their teachers regularly are more likely to succeed educationally; and

WHEREAS, blind parents need equal access to the various communications sent home from their children’s school in order to be as active in the education of their children as sighted parents; and

WHEREAS, schools are often turning to various apps, such as ParentSquare, to provide instant and simple communication between parents, teachers, and school administrators; and

WHEREAS, ParentSquare has proven to have a level of accessibility that allows blind parents to keep up with school-wide and classroom events, sign up for parent-teacher conferences, volunteer in the classroom or school, communicate with other parents, and privately message teachers or groups of teachers in order to share accomplishments or discuss concerns; and

WHEREAS, other apps have not proven to have this level of accessibility, thereby denying blind parents the right to easily obtain relevant information about classroom and school events and communicate with other parents and teachers in the same way as sighted parents: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization commend ParentSquare for their work to make their app accessible; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand all companies responsible for the development of parent-school communication apps ensure their products are accessible to blind parents, teachers, and school administrators.


Resolution 2020-03: Regarding the Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HIGH) Act


WHEREAS, technology has revolutionized access to information, course materials, interaction with administration, and other facets of student life in higher education; and

WHEREAS, Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibit colleges and universities from discriminating against persons with disabilities and mandate equal access to educational opportunities; and

WHEREAS, many postsecondary institutions are failing to comply with these mandates as they apply in the digital world, routinely developing, procuring, or deploying inaccessible technology, which results in unequal access to academic opportunities and denial of full and equal participation for blind students; and

WHEREAS, solutions exist to make technology accessible to blind students and faculty members, but such solutions must be prioritized in the higher education market and beyond; and

WHEREAS, on December 5, 2019, Congressman Roe of Tennessee and Congressman Courtney of Connecticut introduced H.R. 5312, the Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HIGH) Act; and

WHEREAS, on December 18, 2019, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, along with Senator Ernst of Iowa, Senator Bennet of Colorado, Senator Sullivan of Alaska, and Senator Tester of Montana introduced companion legislation, S. 3095; and     

WHEREAS, this legislation establishes a commission to evaluate existing accessibility standards and to develop guidelines that technology procurement officers and other postsecondary personnel can adopt in order to expand the circle of participation and include blind and print-disabled students in the 21st century interactive classroom: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that we demand colleges and universities make accessibility a top priority for their virtual and face-to-face campus communities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the Blind commend Congressmen Roe and Courtney, as well as Senators Warren, Bennet, Ernst, Sullivan, and Tester for their leadership on this crucial initiative in the 116th Congress; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization commend the American Council on Education, the Association of American Publishers, and the Software Information and Industry Association for working with the National Federation of the Blind and for supporting the swift passage of the AIM HIGH Act in the 116th Congress.


Resolution 2020-04: Regarding Repeal of Discriminatory Legislation Concerning Unemployment for Blind Workers


WHEREAS, blind people are and can be productive employees, with all of the talent and capacity possessed by other employees across the range of employment in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the amount of unemployment benefits, if any, that a person is entitled to if laid off depends on the applicant’s earnings in the months before being laid off (known as the “base period”); and

WHEREAS, Section 3309 of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, 26 U.S.C. § 3309(b)(4), declares that wages paid to blind employees in sheltered workshops may be excluded from benefits under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act; and

WHEREAS, this provision discriminates against blind employees on the basis of blindness; and

WHEREAS, blind people employed in workshops perform the same work as their sighted colleagues and rely on their earned income just as do their sighted colleagues; and

WHEREAS, blind employees at workshops are laid off during times of slack employment to the same degree as other employees and have the same need for unemployment compensation to pay for rent, food, utilities, and other obligations; and

WHEREAS, many states have adopted laws that exclude from unemployment calculation wages earned by blind individuals employed in workshops; and

WHEREAS, the effect of implementing these laws is to deny unemployment benefits to blind people working in sheltered workshops in states that implement these laws; and

WHEREAS, Louisiana Association for the Blind, Inc. has decided, in accordance with state and federal laws, that it will not include wages paid to blind employees in its calculation of unemployment benefits: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization condemn and deplore sheltered workshop employers, such as Louisiana Association for the Blind, Inc. and others, who refuse to provide unemployment benefits to blind employees solely on the basis of blindness and call upon these employers to cease and desist this discriminatory practice; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the United States Congress to repeal the discriminatory provision of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act that authorizes the exclusion of wages paid to blind employees from unemployment benefits; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the legislature of each state that has authorized exclusion of wages paid to blind employees from unemployment tax benefits to repeal this discriminatory provision.


Resolution 2020-05: Regarding Agencies for the Blind


WHEREAS, agencies for the blind are established to serve blind people; and

WHEREAS, an essential part of the governing structure of an agency for the blind is to include the processes, policies, and procedures that will ensure that the agency for the blind administration comprehends the interests, needs, and aspirations of its constituency; and

WHEREAS, the most logical representatives of the constituency of agencies that serve the blind are blind people who have shown the interest and the commitment to engage in self-organization and who are willing to be partners of agencies for the blind and advisors to them: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization call upon agencies for the blind to adopt a governing structure that will assure partnership with the organized blind of the United States by adopting a best-practices governance pledge as follows:

Our agency, the XX, was created and exists to help blind people. We believe that those we serve should have a significant say in the help we give, in supervising how we give it, and in seeing that we are most effectively using our resources to benefit them. We, therefore, pledge ourselves to the values and commitments that follow:

We are managed by executives who are compensated for their work, and they are, in turn, managed by a board of directors. We believe that blind people must be a part of our management team at both of these levels. While their numbers may appear to be arbitrary, we know that, without them, it is impossible to measure whether we are meeting our goal of significant involvement. We therefore pledge that this agency will have at least half of the management team be people who are blind and make the same commitment for the board of directors. So that this is more than an aspirational goal, we pledge to meet these numbers within five years and to maintain or better them going forward.

We believe there is no better way to demonstrate our commitment to the constituency we serve than to have blind people as a part of our managing structure. The agency's current operation and its goals for the future must involve those we serve, and we must, in appearance, and in fact, be run and guided by blind people.

Our commitment to those we serve and those who work for us is that every document we create will be accessible. We will strive to see that our presence on the World Wide Web is exemplary and that it serves to demonstrate that websites can be both visually attractive and completely usable with screen reading technology. Our commitment to accessibility will extend far beyond the written word. When we produce charts, graphs, and documents with pictures, we will use state-of-the-art technology to make these accessible for the blind. We further commit ourselves to working collaboratively on solutions that extend the power of this technology and to work collaboratively to develop new paradigms that will help blind people in going beyond the written word for meaningful communication.

We value the feedback and active participation of our consumers in the development and implementation of the services we provide. We pledge to establish a committee consisting of the consumers we serve. The members of the committee and the chairperson of the committee will be chosen by the consumers themselves, and the committee will meet monthly with agency executives.


Resolution 2020-06: Regarding Access to Virtual Conferencing Solutions


WHEREAS, companies are increasingly hosting meetings and events online and schools are conducting more classes virtually; and

WHEREAS, COVID-19 has dramatically increased the use of virtual events by all organizations; and

WHEREAS, virtual conferencing software provides features including audio and video sharing, sharing of a user’s screen, text chat, and more; and

WHEREAS, virtual conferencing software is commonly used to conduct many internal and external activities for organizations including team meetings, company presentations, webinars, product demonstrations, trainings, and classes; and

WHEREAS, the nonvisual accessibility of virtual-conferencing solutions varies widely, with some programs not announcing chat and screen share activity and others having problems with user interfaces; and

WHEREAS, even the most accessible solutions have not found ways to make features such as screen—and document—sharing and interactive features, such as remote control and whiteboards, fully accessible; and

WHEREAS, Zoom conferencing is one of the most nonvisually accessible solutions available, with its variety of keyboard shortcuts, straightforward and accessible interface, and variety of announcements for screen reader users; and

WHEREAS, Zoom has been responsive to the needs of blind and low-vision users and continues to work to improve the nonvisual accessibility of its product: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization commend Zoom Video Conferencing for its leading work on nonvisual access to conferencing solutions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge all conferencing vendors to continue to improve nonvisual access to their platforms and to collaborate with the National Federation of the Blind to find new and innovative solutions to barriers that exist now or may arise in the future.


Resolution 2020-07: Regarding Equal Access to Digital Fitness Programming and Supplementary Material


WHEREAS, regular physical activity, healthy eating, and quality sleep are key factors in maintaining good health and reducing the risk of obesity; and

WHEREAS, blind people are twice as likely as our sighted peers to experience obesity and significantly more likely to lead a sedentary lifestyle, leading to increased risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, depression, and certain site-specific cancers; and

WHEREAS, many of these risk factors—including obesity, heart disease, and type II diabetes—are likely to increase the severity of COVID-19, potentially resulting in hospitalization or even death; and

WHEREAS, most people have the option of using quality fitness applications and websites to access exercise programs and diet plans, as well as to track various health and wellness information in order to achieve and maintain good health; and

WHEREAS, Gallup’s 2019 Health and Healthcare survey reports that more than 1/3 of Americans currently use a fitness application or wearable fitness technology to track their fitness, food intake, sleep, steps, stress, or other health-related factors; and

WHEREAS, the temporary, and in some cases permanent, closure of fitness facilities across the United States due to COVID-19 has accelerated the demand for and growth of the digital fitness industry; and

WHEREAS, many fitness applications, websites, videos, tutorials, pictorial representations, recipes, brochures, and other materials are inaccessible to blind people, making it increasingly difficult for blind people to manage our health effectively; and

WHEREAS, customer support is inconsistent at best and rarely offers alternatives that allow blind people equal access to fitness tracking, programming, and supplementary items; and

WHEREAS, digital accessibility guidelines and best practices in video description and web and application accessibility exist to enable these companies to make their digital content and supplementary items accessible without causing an undue financial burden; and

WHEREAS, in light of the risks associated with neglecting to manage our health, the inability to fully access features of major fitness companies including Weight Watchers, BeachBody, Aaptiv, FitBit, and many others, constitutes a public health emergency and an inequity that is not addressed by the medical community: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization urge wellness and fitness industry leaders including Weight Watchers, BeachBody, Aaptiv, FitBit, and others to collaborate with the National Federation of the Blind to make their programs, services, websites, and apps nonvisually accessible, and to work with the National Federation of the Blind regarding customer service training; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we strongly urge the United States Office of Personnel Management, Medicare, other health insurance companies, Vocational Rehabilitation, and others who contract with third-party providers of health and wellness content to stop procuring health and wellness products and services that are inaccessible to blind people; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon national health care organizations and advocates, such as the American Medical Association, to join their voices with ours to raise awareness about this unjust health care inequity.


Resolution 2020-08: Regarding Equal Access to News And Information


WHEREAS, equal access to current news and information is critically important for everyone in the twenty-first century, and this is no less true for the blind; and

WHEREAS, the current COVID-19 pandemic has only increased and accentuated the urgent need for equal access to timely and accessible information; and

WHEREAS, the pandemic has also acutely demonstrated the need for accessible infographics, tables, charts, and other image-based or graphical formats in the presentation of news and information; and

WHEREAS, inaccessibility is a problem across news and media platforms: for example, many news websites and apps contain significant accessibility barriers; streaming services have widely varying degrees of accessibility; and television newscasts do not include any audio description, not even to identify speakers and interviewees, which could easily be accomplished using available text-to-speech technology; and

WHEREAS, while federal regulations have done much good by establishing a system for the uniform provision of emergency weather information to the blind over broadcast television channels, consideration of further measures to increase the accessibility of news and current information is warranted, including to expand access for deafblind consumers; and

WHEREAS, the vast majority of news and other mass media in the United States is produced, controlled, and/or distributed by a relatively small number of large media conglomerates owning multiple media outlets (e.g., National Amusements, Disney, News Corp., Time Warner, Comcast, Bloomberg, Fox, Sony, Hearst, Scripps, Sinclair), each of which owns properties across multiple platforms and each of which has the resources to develop and implement a comprehensive accessibility policy across their outlets; and

WHEREAS, leaders in the news and mass media industries, by implementing well-thought-out accessibility policies and practices, would set an example for the many independent and startup mass media companies now proliferating: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization call upon all major media companies in the United States to develop and implement cross-platform accessibility strategies including web and mobile app accessibility, audio description, and other components designed to make news and information fully and equally accessible to blind and deafblind consumers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon the Federal Communications Commission to consider expanding requirements for media access, particularly in the area of broadcast and cable television, with the goal of making news and information more accessible to the blind and deafblind communities.


Resolution 2020-09: Regarding the Temporary Elimination of Waiting Periods for Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits and Medicare Insurance


WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many Americans to lose their jobs, including blind people; and

WHEREAS, blind Americans who have lost their jobs can be expected to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Medicare benefits; and

WHEREAS, once a claimant has been determined eligible, a waiting period of five months must be observed prior to receiving SSDI payments, and a waiting period of twenty-four months must be observed before a claimant can receive Medicare insurance; and

WHEREAS, Congress, in legislation intended to ease the financial burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on all Americans, neglected to address these overly burdensome waiting periods: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization urge Congress to temporarily waive these waiting periods during this pandemic so that blind Americans can receive SSDI and Medicare benefits immediately after they are deemed eligible.


Resolution 2020-10: Regarding the Accessibility of LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robots and LEGO MINDSTORMS Challenges


WHEREAS, FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international youth organization that operates the FIRST Robotics Competition and other FIRST LEGO League Challenges; and

WHEREAS, in 1998 the founder of FIRST and the owner of the LEGO Group joined forces to create FIRST LEGO League (FLL), which challenges kids to think like scientists and engineers to solve real-world problems while learning how to build and program autonomous robots; and

WHEREAS, one of the core principles espoused by FLL for its competitions is that of inclusion: “we respect each other and embrace our differences”; and

WHEREAS, a desire to explore the subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is not limited to sighted students; and

WHEREAS, presently, neither the software provided by FLL for programming nor the interface to the MINDSTORMS robot controller include any accessibility features or support for third-party screen-reader access technologies; and

WHEREAS, a team working with Dr. Andreas Stefik from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has developed an alternative firmware which enables the Quorum programming language to run on the LEGO EV3 intelligent brick (the brain of the robot), providing an accessible path for blind students to participate in FLL challenges; and

WHEREAS, this firmware requires approximately fifteen seconds to load before the MINDSTORMS robot can begin executing instructions, and the native LEGO MINDSTORMS firmware requires no appreciable boot time; and

WHEREAS, without allowances for the extra boot time that the alternative firmware requires, teams of blind students who must use screen readers are unfairly penalized for using a tool necessary for them to program their robot; and

WHEREAS, blind students are further penalized because they are required to execute their missions on a mat that has no tactile cues; and

WHEREAS, for many years, FLL executives have been informed of these problems by accessibility experts and leaders and coaches from teams of blind students, but have failed to eliminate the barriers faced by blind participants; and

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest consumer organization of blind people in the nation, which, for eighty years, has worked to increase educational opportunities and access to STEM subjects and careers: Now, Therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization strongly urge the FIRST LEGO League to engage with the National Federation of the Blind, LEGO MINDSTORMS competition teams having blind persons as members, and others interested in providing an accessible LEGO MINDSTORMS experience to develop and implement full nonvisual accessibility for the LEGO MINDSTORMS programming software, LEGO EV3 intelligent brick and all future control brick user interfaces, and any related software or hardware necessary to program and operate LEGO MINDSTORMS robots; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization strongly encourage FLL, until such time that the LEGO MINDSTORMS software and control hardware is fully accessible to all, to allow any team that so chooses the opportunity to use the Quorum programming language and alternative firmware so as not to create a segregated environment for teams where blind students participate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand that FLL restructure its rules to eliminate time penalties, to ensure that all documentation is provided in formats that are accessible to blind participants and coaches, and to develop tactile representations of the mats used for executing robotic challenges during competitions.


Resolution 2020-11: Regarding Amazon Employment Practices


WHEREAS, Amazon promotes itself as building an inclusive culture for employees with disabilities, in part, through the establishment of its Global Accessibility Awareness Month and Amazon People with Disabilities affinity group; and

WHEREAS, employment with Amazon is highly desirable in that Amazon offers industry-leading benefits, including comprehensive healthcare, retirement savings plans, tuition reimbursement, and more; and

WHEREAS, Amazon maintains a practice of refusing to accommodate blind employees in entry level positions by prohibiting the use of screen access software in workstations, refusing to modify job assignments, and failing to install tactile safety features in warehouse settings; and

WHEREAS, Amazon has established a pattern of shifting these blind employees to leave-without-pay status or terminating them, rather than providing necessary accommodations; and

WHEREAS, Amazon could provide these accommodations, modifications, and safety features without significant difficulty or expense given Amazon’s financial and technological resources; and

WHEREAS, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits employers from denying employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities when that denial is based on the need to provide reasonable accommodations; and

WHEREAS, Title I of the ADA obligates employers to engage in an interactive process when reviewing accommodation requests; and

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind has advocated strongly on behalf of blind employees by filing suit and supporting administrative complaints against Amazon for its disparate treatment of blind workers and job applicants: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization hereby condemn and deplore Amazon’s pattern of discrimination against blind employees and job seekers in violation of federal and state law; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand Amazon promptly implement processes for reviewing and approving reasonable accommodations and modifications for blind employees, including the use of third-party screen access software at workstations, approval of reasonable assignment modifications, and implementation of nonvisual safety precautions in warehouse settings; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand Amazon immediately cease placing blind employees on leave without pay while Amazon engages in a reasonable accommodation review process.


Resolution 2020-12: Regarding Urging All Agencies Serving the Blind to Implement Diversity and Inclusion Principles


WHEREAS, employers that incorporate diversity and inclusion principles and policies implement positive initiatives, policies, and practices to eliminate the disadvantages some people experience due to systemic discrimination which influences recruitment, hiring, retention, and advancement in the workplace; and

WHEREAS, agencies that incorporate diversity and inclusion principles and whose leadership and staff come from demographic backgrounds representative of the people they serve are more effective in relating to their clientele and operating in non-discriminatory ways than agencies that have not adopted diversity and inclusion policies; and

WHEREAS, the United States has a long history of discrimination based on demographic factors such as race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, and other factors, which can affect the provision of blindness-related services, such as vocational rehabilitation; and

WHEREAS, blind people can be restricted from reaching their full potential when they experience discrimination in their quest for the blindness-related services that are designed to elevate them above low expectations and societal attitudes; and

WHEREAS, some agencies serving the blind do not currently incorporate diversity and inclusion principles and policies into their recruitment, hiring, retention, and advancement approaches; and

WHEREAS, agencies that do not implement diversity and inclusion principles and policies often do not have a workforce and management team that is diverse, inclusive, or demographically similar to the clientele served by these agencies; and

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind works actively to promote diversity and inclusion while raising the expectations of blind people: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization urge all providers of services for the blind to incorporate diversity and inclusion principles and policies in their employment practices and service delivery; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization commend all providers of services for the blind that have already embraced diversity and inclusion principles and policies in employment practices and service delivery.


Resolution 2020-13: Regarding Limitations on Allegations of Overpayment by the Social Security Administration


WHEREAS, blind Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients are often notified of alleged overpayments made to them by the Social Security Administration; and

WHEREAS, the law allows the Social Security Administration to seek recovery of alleged overpayments without regard to whether an individual is or is not currently receiving benefits and without regard to when in the past the alleged overpayment supposedly occurred, leading to overpayment allegations that are more than twenty or thirty years in the past; and

WHEREAS, this situation leaves both current and former Social Security and SSI recipients at permanent risk of having to defend themselves against attempted recovery of alleged overpayments, which often amount to tens of thousands of dollars; and

WHEREAS, it is unconscionable that the Social Security Administration is allowed to pursue overpayment allegations against recipients at any time, past or present, while at the same time holding recipients to timely filing of reports to document earnings and continued entitlement to benefits; and

WHEREAS, requiring alleged overpayments to be returned years after the proceeds have typically been spent on day-to-day living expenses such as food, clothing, and shelter is unjust and can result in extreme financial hardship: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization urge the United States Congress to amend the Social Security Act to specify that recovery of an overpayment for any month that is more than twelve months in the past is against equity and good conscience and must be waived unless the recipient is at fault in causing the overpayment.


Resolution 2020-14: Regarding Audio Description on YouTube


WHEREAS, YouTube, a product of Google, is the most popular platform for the hosting of internet videos created by members of the public; and

WHEREAS, YouTube hosts millions of videos from all over the world, and more are uploaded every day; and

WHEREAS, YouTube collaborated with the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute to create YouDescribe, a separate website and app that allows volunteers to produce audio description (AD) for YouTube videos and hosts the described versions of the videos; and

WHEREAS, other than the YouDescribe project, YouTube has made no real effort to incorporate AD into its own platform or to acquire or license AD for the programs hosted on its premium YouTube TV service; and

WHEREAS, specifically, even if a video producer chooses to include AD for their video, the AD track cannot be incorporated into the uploaded video for optional access by users through a toggle button, as can closed captions, and instead the producer must upload an entirely separate version of the video that includes the audio description; and

WHEREAS, Vimeo and other popular video-upload services also do not have an option for producers to include integrated AD with their content: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization demand YouTube develop the capability for producers to upload videos with incorporated AD tracks that can be independently activated by the user if desired, eliminating the need for producers who wish to include AD for blind viewers to upload two separate versions of their content; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand YouTube TV incorporate AD into its offerings to the maximum extent feasible; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon Vimeo and other video hosting services to incorporate the ability to accept AD into their services as well.


Resolution 2020-15: Regarding Braille Access to Educational Apps Which Promote Reading for Blind Students, Parents, and Teachers


WHEREAS, literacy is a crucial skill for all in order to fully succeed in education and adult life; and

WHEREAS, for blind children, true literacy means becoming proficient in reading and writing the Braille code; and

WHEREAS, blind children are at an automatic disadvantage when compared to their sighted peers, as print for sighted children is pervasive in the environment, and Braille is not; and

WHEREAS, children master reading best when they practice early and often, and they will be much more likely and willing to practice if they have a variety of books at, or just above, their current reading level to choose from; and

WHEREAS, more and more apps such as Epic! and Raz-Kids are being developed to provide thousands of books electronically, particularly for children pre-K through second grade, so they can practice reading, and so teachers and parents can track their reading progress; and

WHEREAS, these apps are being used in millions of classrooms and homes across the country; and

WHEREAS, most do not offer the ability for a blind student to read any of their titles using a Braille display, and although some offer an audio option, listening to a book without the ability to follow along in Braille the way their sighted peers can in print is not a true literacy experience for a child who is blind; and

WHEREAS, parents and teachers who are blind would also benefit in countless ways if they had the ability to interact with these apps using a Braille display: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that we demand the creators of educational apps make them fully accessible to ensure all blind students, parents, and teachers can have the ability to read any book available using a Braille display; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge these developers to call upon the expertise of blind students, parents, and teachers in the National Federation of the Blind while making these changes in order to create apps which will truly reflect the needs and authentic experiences of blind people.


Resolution 2020-16: Regarding an Increase in Funding for the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind Program Through the Rehabilitation Services Administration


WHEREAS, Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind (OIB) is a program funded through the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) that provides training and accessible technology for individuals fifty-five years or older who are blind, to increase their ability to live independently and care for their individual needs; and

WHEREAS, for the past three fiscal years the OIB program has been awarded $33,317,000 each year; and

WHEREAS, the American Community Survey estimated that in 2018 there were 4,584,000 blind people who were fifty-five or older and, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), this number should increase rapidly due to diabetes and other chronic diseases that cause blindness; and

WHEREAS, with $33,317,000 awarded to the OIB program each of the past three years to serve an eligible population of approximately 4,584,000 individuals (approximately $7.27 per eligible individual), this funding is woefully inadequate; and

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines one's abilities, and, given the proper technology and training, blind people can live the lives they want; and

WHEREAS, in order for blind people to fully participate in their communities, they must have access to technology such as screen readers, smart phones, and Braille notetakers and training to use them, as well as training in orientation and mobility and independent living skills; and

WHEREAS, the limited funding for the OIB program is far from adequate to cover the cost of such access technology, which often ranges from $1,000 to $6,000, as well as quality training to meet the needs of the individual: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization urge Congress to substantially increase funding for the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind program, so that older individuals who are blind can get the training and technology needed to live with complete independence, social integration, individual productivity, and personal dignity.


Resolution 2020-17: Regarding College Board Advanced Placement Exams


WHEREAS, College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) exams are high-stakes tests through which students can demonstrate subject mastery and use their test scores to fulfill college credits; and

WHEREAS, College Board’s AP exams are historically administered within high schools; and

WHEREAS, due to COVID-19-related school building closures, College Board shifted its AP test administration to a virtual format; and

WHEREAS, blind students who had previously been approved by College Board to receive hard-copy Braille and tactile graphics as test accommodations were told that these accommodations would no longer be available for the Spring 2020 AP administration; and

WHEREAS, Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits testing entities from discriminating against individuals with disabilities and stipulates that tests must be delivered in a manner that measures an individual’s mastery of the subject matter, as opposed to reflecting his or her disability; and

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind and five high school students filed complaints with the United States Departments of Education and Justice regarding College Board’s refusal to provide hard-copy Braille and tactile graphics; and

WHEREAS, College Board subsequently agreed to make hard-copy Braille and tactile graphics available for blind students who had previously been approved for these accommodations for AP tests, should the students request them again; and

WHEREAS, College Board announced its intention by letter to the National Federation of the Blind to consult with the Federation on ways to make a digital SAT accessible to blind students should the test be administered digitally in Fall 2020: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization hereby commend the College Board for revising its interim COVID-19 AP testing procedures to reincorporate delivery of hard-copy Braille and tactile graphics and for committing to consult with the National Federation of the Blind on delivery of such accommodations for a possible 2020 digital SAT administration; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand that all high-stakes testing entities, including College Board, implement plans for the provision of hard-copy Braille and tactile graphics for any test administration, in conformance with Title III of the ADA, regardless of whether testing occurs in person or virtually.


Resolution 2020-18: Regarding Accessibility of Mutual Fund, Brokerage, and Rating Services Websites and Apps


WHEREAS, most investment platforms for mutual fund and brokerage services do not offer blind investors all of the information contained in infographics, charts, or graphs in accessible formats; and

WHEREAS, popular investment rating websites and apps that are used to make critical investment decisions frequently contain inaccessible infographics, charts, and graphs; and

WHEREAS, monthly, quarterly, or annual financial statements may be provided on these websites and apps as inaccessible PDFs or other electronic formats; and

WHEREAS, blind investors should be able to make well informed investment decisions and updates to their accounts in a timely manner without the loss of privacy resulting from assistance needed to work around inaccessible content; and

WHEREAS, blind investors should have all the benefits of data available to other investors on platforms or on investing websites to manage their wealth: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization demand mutual fund, brokerage, and rating services build their online and mobile applications in a manner that allows blind users to access the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services offered to other users with the same privacy, independence, and substantially equivalent ease of use.


Resolution 2020-19: Regarding the Media’s Biased Coverage of Electronic Ballot Delivery


WHEREAS, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that voters with disabilities be afforded an opportunity to exercise the right to vote that is equivalent to the opportunity afforded to voters without disabilities; and

WHEREAS, the use of vote-by-mail to conduct local, state, and federal elections by mailing an inaccessible paper ballot to every voter has increased substantially due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, accessible electronic ballot delivery systems enable blind, low-vision, and other print-disabled voters to use a computer and access technology to mark their mail or absentee ballot either online or as an email attachment that is downloaded; and

WHEREAS, the vast majority of jurisdictions that provide electronic ballot delivery require the voter to either print out the ballot and mail it in or to return it as an email attachment with only King County in Washington, Utah County in Utah, and West Virginia permitting electronic return of the ballot on a pilot basis; and

WHEREAS, in states that do not currently provide an accessible electronic ballot delivery system to voters with print disabilities, these voters are being forced to choose between giving up their right to a secret ballot by having a sighted person mark their ballot and trusting them to mark it as instructed or to risk exposure to COVID-19 by voting in-person at a polling place; and

WHEREAS, electronic ballot delivery systems have been in use since 2008 with no documented case of a system being hacked in an election setting; and

WHEREAS, the majority of media coverage of the increased use of electronic ballot delivery systems as a result of elections being changed from predominantly in-person to predominantly vote-by-mail as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has misinformed the public by referring to it as online voting, by focusing almost solely on the unsubstantiated claims of so-called security experts, by failing to include the perspective of the disability community, and by failing to state that an accessible way to vote-by-mail is required by federal law; and

WHEREAS, the media does not hesitate to question the motives and credibility of the National Federation of the Blind or other disability advocates but assumes that the so-called security experts have no biases or advocacy goals of their own: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization condemn the media for its biased coverage that misinforms the general public about electronic ballot delivery systems and ignores the right of voters with print disabilities to a secret ballot; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand media outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, National Public Radio, Politico, and the Wall Street Journal provide more balanced coverage of electronic ballot delivery systems that includes the perspective of voters with disabilities and explains how these systems enable blind voters to mark their ballots privately and independently without having to risk exposure to COVID-19 at the polling place.


Resolution 2020-20: Regarding the Discriminatory Testing Practices and Policies of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals


WHEREAS, the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) is a not-for-profit membership organization based in Atlanta, Georgia; and

WHEREAS, the members of the IAAP are individuals and organizations that are focused on accessibility or are in the process of building their accessibility skills and strategies; and

WHEREAS, the IAAP’s “Vision of Universal Design” states that “implementing Universal Design principles takes everybody into account and leads to fully inclusive and sustainable digital and built environments"; and

WHEREAS, the IAAP claims to be a space where "accessibility professionals from around the world come together to define, promote and improve the accessibility profession through networking, education and certification"; and

WHEREAS, the IAAP offers the Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), the Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS), and other professional certification exams to facilitate credentialing in the accessibility industry; and

WHEREAS, the IAAP offers the most widely recognized and accepted credentialing exams in the industry; and

WHEREAS, the IAAP offers its tests at specialized testing centers, as well as at professional conferences such as CSUN, and most recently online at home because of COVID-19; and

WHEREAS, the IAAP discriminates against blind test-takers because it does not offer blind test-takers the same access to these multiple testing options as it does to sighted test-takers; and

WHEREAS, the IAAP contracts with Kryterion Global Testing Solutions (KGTS) to provide the testing centers, and these testing centers refuse to make reasonable modifications to allow their services to be accessible to blind test-takers; and

WHEREAS, for instance, KGTS uses biometric eye scanners for identification as a requirement to access online testing, a function which most blind people cannot perform; and

WHEREAS, KGTS frequently refuses to work with blind test-takers and simply refers the individual to the IAAP; and               

WHEREAS, instead of forcing KGTS to accommodate blind test-takers, the IAAP requires the blind test-takers to sit for a privately proctored exam and to employ their own proctors, at their own expense; and

WHEREAS, to no avail, blind test-takers have challenged the IAAP’s discriminatory testing policies by filing complaints explaining these issues: Now, therefore  

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization demand the IAAP develop robust accessibility policies and procedures that will eliminate the barriers faced by blind people to truly meet its stated goal of full inclusion; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization insist that the IAAP promptly end its relationship with Kryterion Global Testing Solutions unless KGTS adopts and publicly posts a robust accessibility policy, including use of accessible testing centers and accessible testing practices.


Resolution 2020-21: Regarding the Relocation of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled


WHEREAS, since 1931, the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), a program of the Library of Congress, has provided quality reading materials to the blind, thereby increasing knowledge, opportunity, and the ability to live the lives we want; and

WHEREAS, because of the responsiveness to feedback from blind patrons, the quality of service provided by the NLS has made it widely recognized as the most successful library program for the blind in the world; and

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind has a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the NLS that has resulted in the expansion of the library’s programs to include children, the inclusion of music materials, the transition to digital technology, and advocating for the distribution of refreshable Braille displays; and

WHEREAS, the operations of this national treasure of equality and accessible information have been relegated to a rented building miles away from the center of our nation’s capital where all of our most important federal buildings are located and far from the Library of Congress, which manages the program; and

WHEREAS, a new location at 501 First Street SE, Washington, DC, has been identified for relocating the NLS to property already owned by the federal government and within a few city blocks of the main Library of Congress building; and

WHEREAS, placing NLS on this property would highlight the nation’s commitment to equal access for all citizens, create greater awareness resulting from greater public exposure, be more easily accessed using public transportation, improve the storage and security of library holdings, increase the ability for elected officials to benefit from the expertise of the NLS to  better communicate with constituents, and more effectively utilize the specialized knowledge base of the staff at the National Library Service: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization urge the United States Congress to appropriate the necessary funds to move the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled to the property at 501 First Street SE, Washington, DC, and that the design and execution of this construction project begin as soon as possible.


Resolution 2020-22: Regarding Netflix


WHEREAS, Netflix is a subscription streaming service that hosts movies, television programs, and other video content; and

WHEREAS, content available on Netflix includes an ever-increasing number of popular and/or critically acclaimed films and programs specifically created for the service, such as the TV shows Stranger Things, Orange Is the New Black, and the Oscar-winning film The Irishman; and

WHEREAS, since 2016 Netflix has incorporated audio description (AD) into all of its original programming, and the vast majority of new programming released by Netflix since that time has included AD at the time of its release to the general public; and

WHEREAS, while the incorporation of AD was spurred by a settlement agreement, there can be no question that Netflix has gone above and beyond that agreement in making accessible content available; and

WHEREAS, for example, Netflix not only includes AD for its original programming, but has taken care to acquire or license AD for programs that it gets from other producers and providers, including acquiring AD produced for foreign markets when necessary, and in some cases has commissioned AD for popular programs not produced by Netflix, such as Mad Men and Breaking Bad, when AD was otherwise unavailable; and

WHEREAS, Netflix has continuously engaged with the National Federation of the Blind to seek feedback on the quality and availability of AD on the platform, as well as the accessibility of its website and apps and possible other improvements to the service that may increase its usefulness to blind customers: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization strongly commend Netflix for its extraordinary commitment to full and equal access to its programming and services for its blind customers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge Netflix to continue to work with the National Federation of the Blind to improve the overall value and quality of its service to blind consumers.


Resolution 2020-23: Regarding Strengthening the Help America Vote Act of 2002


WHEREAS, the ability to cast a secret ballot independently is a cornerstone of our democracy that enables citizens to vote their conscience without fear; and

WHEREAS, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that voters with disabilities be afforded an opportunity to exercise the right to vote that is equivalent to the opportunity afforded to voters without disabilities; and

WHEREAS, the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) currently only applies to federal elections and to voting systems found in the polling place; and

WHEREAS, the use of vote-by-mail and absentee voting to conduct local, state, and federal elections has increased substantially due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, data collected by the United States Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) show that the percentage of ballots cast by mail and absentee voting has steadily increased nationwide from twelve percent in 2004 to twenty-four percent in 2016; and

WHEREAS, while the accessible electronic ballot delivery systems currently available enable blind, low-vision, and deafblind voters to mark their ballot privately and independently using a computer and access technology, the printed paper ballot that most jurisdictions require the voter to mail in requires the voter to have access to a printer and frequently cannot be verified by the blind voter because optical character recognition (OCR) does not recognize a filled-in bubble; and

WHEREAS, the ballots marked using an electronic ballot delivery system and printed on a home or office printer cannot be inserted into currently available tabulators to be counted, and the votes contained on these ballots must be manually transferred to ballot-stock ballots and then visually inspected for accuracy; and

WHEREAS, because of security concerns, most jurisdictions do not permit the acceptance of ballots that are delivered electronically to be returned electronically or via email; and

WHEREAS, there currently is no federal certification process or federal guidelines to guarantee the accessibility, usability, and security of electronic ballot delivery systems as currently exists for in-person voting systems under HAVA; Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization demand Congress amend HAVA to require that there be at least one accessible ballot marking system in each polling place for all local and state elections in addition to all federal elections; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand Congress amend HAVA to include vote-by-mail and absentee voting and to require that an accessible electronic ballot delivery system be available to voters with disabilities for all local, state, and federal elections; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand Congress amend HAVA to provide the authority and funding to the EAC necessary to develop and implement federal guidelines to ensure the accessibility, usability, and security of electronic ballot delivery systems, and to develop a certification program to certify systems that meet these guidelines; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand Congress provide funding to the EAC for grants to develop technology that will enable electronically delivered ballots to be returned electronically in a secure manner, that will enable blind voters to independently verify their printed ballot, and to develop technology that will tabulate ballots printed from home or office printers in a manner that preserves the secrecy of the ballot. 


Resolution 2020-24: Regarding the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Accessible Books Consortium


WHEREAS, the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) adopted the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled (Marrakesh Treaty) in June 2013 to create exceptions and limitations to copyright law permitting the copying of published works into accessible formats and to allow the sharing of accessible copies across international borders; and

WHEREAS, there are currently 67 parties to the Treaty covering 94 countries including the United States; and

WHEREAS, WIPO created the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) in June 2014 to help implement the Marrakesh Treaty through establishing the accessible Global Book Service, building capacity to produce accessible books in developing and least developed countries, and to promote inclusive publishing throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, the Global Book Service now has 71 participating libraries for the blind and print disabled, with 634,000 accessible titles available through the Service; and

WHEREAS, WIPO is dramatically expanding the capacity of the Global Book Service by migrating its collection to the Cloud and developing an application to allow consumers of ABC’s partner libraries to search for and download books; and

WHEREAS, ABC is also leading the effort to establish a global, federated, online search, whereby the blind and print disabled will be able to search for accessible works from the widest number of sources, leading to the ability of eligible blind and print- disabled persons to find accessible books immediately; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Francis Gurry has served as Director General of WIPO since 2008; and

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind awarded Dr. Gurry its Global Literacy Award in 2018 in recognition of his outstanding leadership, which played a key role adopting the Marrakesh Treaty and establishing ABC, and for his commitment to recognizing and securing the right of the blind to access information; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Gurry’s term as Director General comes to a close on September 30, 2020: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth Day of July, 2020, that we applaud WIPO for its commitment to implementing the Marrakesh Treaty worldwide; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge WIPO to continue rapidly expanding its Global Book Service and establishing a federated search site so that blind persons here and throughout the world can quickly and efficiently search for accessible titles and download them directly and immediately; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we commend Dr. Francis Gurry for his committed leadership in putting accessible books into the hands of the blind, congratulate him on completing his term as Director General of WIPO, and wish him well for the future.


Resolution 2020-25: Regarding HBO, HBO Max, and Audio Description


WHEREAS, HBO, operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a subsidiary of AT&T’s Warner Media, is a package of premium cable channels that air commercial-free, uncensored content including movies, comedy specials, concerts, documentaries, sporting events, and original scripted television series; and

WHEREAS, HBO has now launched HBO Max, a stand-alone streaming service, which according to its website includes “all of HBO together with even more of your favorite series and blockbuster movies, plus new and exclusive Max originals for everyone in your family”; and

WHEREAS, over the past two decades the original programming produced by and for HBO has been among the most critically acclaimed, culturally significant, and popular television programming available, including shows such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, True Detective, Veep, and Westworld; and

WHEREAS, neither HBO nor HBO Max offers audio description (AD) for any of their programming, even though AD has often been produced for said programming for airing in foreign markets like the United Kingdom; and

WHEREAS, HBO Max includes many movies (e.g., Wonder Woman and other DC Universe franchise films) and television shows (e.g. Friends, The Big Bang Theory) for which AD has been produced, either domestically or for foreign markets, but the service does not include the existing AD for these movies or programs either; and

WHEREAS, the service also includes content from TNT and TBS, cable networks that regularly air audio-described programming, but the AD for their programs is not included as part of the service; and

WHEREAS, last year the national convention of this organization unanimously passed Resolution 2019-21 demanding that HBO add AD for existing programming and produce AD for new original programming, and subsequently President Riccobono wrote a letter to HBO expressing this demand and including the resolution, but no response has been received from any representative of HBO or its parent companies; and

WHEREAS, HBO has provided no indication to the National Federation of the Blind that any plans are in the works for any of HBO’s services to include AD; and

WHEREAS, in failing to provide AD on any of its platforms, HBO has not only failed to respond to the needs of blind Americans but, with respect to HBO Max, has also failed to follow the lead of other streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Hulu, CBS All Access, Watch ABC, and more; and

WHEREAS, the lack of audio description on both HBO and HBO Max continues to mean that blind subscribers, while paying the same subscription fees for access to HBO and/or HBO Max as subscribers without disabilities, do not have equal access to its programming; and

WHEREAS, to add insult to injury, the HBO Max app for iOS devices is completely inaccessible: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization condemn and deplore the failure of HBO, Warner Media, and AT&T to provide audio description for programming on the HBO channels and/or HBO Max or to engage with us on this topic; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand HBO begin serious discussions with the National Federation of the Blind with the goal of producing a plan to include AD on HBO and HBO Max to the maximum extent feasible, including, but not limited to, acquiring and/or applying existing AD tracks available for the TV programs and movies that these services carry and for which AD has already been produced, as well as contracting for AD to be produced for all new programming currently being planned or in production; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon all other major streaming services that currently do not carry audio description to make plans to include it in their offerings.


Resolution 2020-26: Regarding Smart City Technology


WHEREAS, a smart city is an urban area that uses information and communication technologies (ICT) to collect data from citizens, devices, buildings, and assets to improve city services and the lives of the citizens and businesses that inhabit the city; and

WHEREAS, the key technology behind a smart city is an intelligent network of connected devices and machines known as the Internet of Things (IoT), which enables these “things” to connect and exchange data using wireless technology and the cloud; and

WHEREAS, this sharing of information helps citizens, municipalities, and enterprises improve the quality of a city’s infrastructure and services and enhances citizen decision-making and welfare by, among other things, monitoring and managing traffic and transportation systems, power plants, utilities, water supply networks, waste management, crime detection information systems, schools, libraries, hospitals, and other community services; and

WHEREAS, the top ten United States cities already engaged in the exploration and integration of Smart City technology are New York, New York; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Columbus, Ohio; LaGrange, Georgia; Fresno, California; San Francisco, California; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Louisville, Kentucky; Austin, Texas; and Boulder, Colorado; and

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind is committed to ensuring the rights of blind people to live, work, and play in our local communities; and

WHEREAS, the integration of innovative accessible technologies within emerging Smart Cities offers an opportunity for blind people to have equal access to essential information and resources; and 

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind effectively partners with many ICT developers, including developers of innovative wayfinding technology, to create a variety of tools, technologies, and strategies that allow blind people to access information to, among other things, facilitate safe and independent travel; and

WHEREAS, many city planners and developers without knowledge of these innovative tools and technologies often introduce features deemed to offer greater accessibility that instead create segregated experiences for blind people and people with other disabilities, such as restrictive truncated dome pathways or ramps located in the rear of buildings; and

WHEREAS, the same technologies being used by the sighted can be developed to be used nonvisually by the blind with little or no additional cost when accessibility is taken into consideration during the design phase, and the resulting technology often enhances the ability for the sighted to obtain access to valuable information; and

WHEREAS, the integration of accessibility features into wayfinding technology can be accomplished in a manner that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional through approaches such as the use of different textures for walking surfaces and the use of green space and ornamentation offering tactile and audio cues for blind people to travel safely and independently without creating a separate environment or requiring separate maintenance: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization call on developers of the technology being replaced in our cities and/or being used in the new development of infrastructure and community services to consult with the National Federation of the Blind to ensure the accessibility, appropriate implementation, and proper installation of such Smart City technology into public spaces; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the Blind urge city planners and city developers to consult with members of the National Federation of the Blind during the process of developing and planning implementation of new Smart City technologies concerning the accessibility, appropriateness, and utility of the proposed technologies, including wayfinding technologies.


Resolution 2020-27: Regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act at Thirty


WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is the result of years of advocacy by individuals and organizations, including the National Federation of the Blind, which make up the United States disability rights movement; and

WHEREAS, the ADA is a comprehensive civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability in all areas of public life and guarantees people with disabilities equal access to employment, state and local governments, and places of public accommodation; and

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind has helped to create high-impact change and build legal precedence under the ADA that further advance the rights of all individuals with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, there are employers, state and local governments, and places of public accommodation that have yet to comply with the ADA to the detriment of the blind and other people with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, a small group of plaintiffs and attorneys have exploited the ADA’s private right of action by filing rapid-succession lawsuits and entering into confidential settlement agreements that limit systemic change prompting some elected officials to propose, and in some cases enact, harmful limitations to the ADA’s scope; and

WHEREAS, critical guidance regarding web accessibility for public entities and places of public accommodation remains notably absent from the ADA’s regulations: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization, in acknowledgement and honor of the thirtieth anniversary of the ADA, call upon Congress and the United States Department of Justice to maintain the integrity and intent of the ADA and to update regulations on a timely basis so that they reflect the manner in which members of the general public live their lives, including in the areas of web accessibility; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we demand employers, state and local governments, and places of public accommodation that do not yet comply with the ADA take immediate action to implement policies and procedures that align with the ADA’s requirements, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge all disability rights lawyers, plaintiffs, and advocates to use the ADA, not for short-term personal and financial gain, but rather to pursue systemic change that further expands the rights of people with disabilities and their integration into all aspects of daily life.


Resolution 2020-28: Regarding the Accessibility of American Radio Relay League’s Digital Content 


WHEREAS, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the preeminent organization of amateur radio operators in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the ARRL has avoided making its principal magazine, QST, available to its blind members because the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), a program of the Library of Congress, has published this magazine in an accessible format; and

WHEREAS, this practice continued even though the ARRL has been publishing QST on the web for several years; and

WHEREAS, the NLS version of QST is not as timely as the ARRL’s web version and does not contain all of the information that the web version contains, which places blind ham radio operators at a disadvantage; and

WHEREAS, since nonvisually accessible publishing software exists, the National Federation of the Blind’s Amateur Radio Division has approached several of the ARRL’s directors and vice directors requesting that the web edition of QST be published with nonvisually accessible software, but thus far has been met with avoidance, stalling tactics, and referrals to staff, and therefore no action has been taken to date; and
WHEREAS, this year the ARRL published three more of its magazines on the web, still in an inaccessible format, released nonvisually accessible apps, while proclaiming that all its members can read and use all four of its magazines on the web or on the app: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization condemn and deplore the discriminatory behavior of ARRL toward its blind members by refusing to provide accessible digital content; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand that ARRL immediately adopt policies and procedures to ensure that all present and future digital content be published in an accessible format on all of its platforms.


Resolution 2020-29: Regarding Emergency COVID-19 Relief Funding for Blind Randolph-Sheppard Entrepreneurs


WHEREAS, the Randolph-Sheppard Act affords over 1,800 blind entrepreneurs the opportunity to manage and operate vending facilities in government buildings; and,

WHEREAS, the vast majority of these businesses were shut down or had sales drastically reduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and,

WHEREAS, the United States House of Representatives included $20,000,000 in the Fiscal Year 2021 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Funding Bill to provide relief to the Randolph-Sheppard entrepreneurs negatively affected by the pandemic; and,

WHEREAS, the United States Senate has not yet included this one-time appropriation in its version of the bill: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of July, 2020, that this organization thank and commend Representative Nita Lowey, Chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, and Representative Rosa DeLauro, Chair of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, for including this funding for Randolph-Sheppard entrepreneurs; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the Blind urge the United States Senate to include this same funding in its Fiscal Year 2021 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Funding Bill

 

Together, 

Denise Valkema, President

National Federation of the Blind of Florida

President at nfbflorida.org

(305)972-8529

WWW.NFBFLORIDA.ORG

Follow us @nfbflorida

Live the life you want.

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