[Nfbk] Advocacy Action today

Tue Feb 28 14:25:59 UTC 2012

Thanks so much for joining with hundreds of us across the state to make your 
voice heard!!
Thank You

Pamela Roark-Glisson
Executive Director
Independence Place
1093 S. Broadway Suite 1218
Lexington, Kentucky 40504
Office (859) 266-2807
Toll Free (877) 266-2807
Fax (859) 335-0627
Cell (859) 948-3663

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sarachan74" <sarachan74 at yahoo.com>
To: "NFB of Kentucky Internet Mailing List" <nfbk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2012 7:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbk] Advocacy Action today

>I also made my calls today to advocate.  Thanks to Cathy for the numbers 
>and Melanie for the pushing.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Feb 27, 2012, at 4:46 PM, "John Glisson" <j.glisson at insightbb.com> 
> wrote:
>
>> Awesome, Melanie!!!  I am very pleased to find your excitement, 
>> enthusiasm
>> and most especially your follow-through on 'Advocacy Action' on behalf of
>> all the blind of Kentucky not to mention individuals with other types of
>> disabilities regarding our State SB 87 and National H.R. 3086!!!  I also
>> appreciate your 'Peer Pressure' here encouraging me to do the 'Right 
>> Thing'
>> and make my calls as well ... I almost worked through the day, one of 
>> those
>> days with Murphy's Law unleashed, and let the time get away from me 
>> before
>> advocating for anything!  Thank you and keep up the good work!  I made my
>> calls also and included the H.R. 7 Rest Amendment which will push our 
>> blind
>> vendors out of the Rest Areas along the Interstates if not stopped ... 
>> John
>> g.
>>
>> PS. FYI ... There is also a House Bill, HB 10, in KY that relates to tax
>> incentives to employers who employee Kentuckians with disabilities that 
>> we
>> should consider supporting, for OFB is tracking this Bill closely.  I 
>> will
>> need to look and discover Bill number(s) for actions being taken also in
>> legislation impacting education and blind or visually impaired youth, 
>> which
>> is also being tracked by OFB.  Then, as you've probably been hearing on 
>> the
>> news, the Legislature has reached the point of Budget matters.  The House
>> already has its version of the budget ready to pass along to the Senate. 
>> I
>> do not know exact details, yet I am assured that the Office for the Blind
>> will suffer budget slashes!  So, when communicating with our
>> representatives, we do need to remain mindful of these issues and offer
>> support on the positive side of the Office for the Blind.  jg
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
>> Of
>> Melanie Peskoe
>> Sent: Monday, February 27, 2012 10:54 AM
>> To: 'NFB of Kentucky Internet Mailing List'
>> Subject: [Nfbk] Advocacy Action today
>>
>> Hello fellow Federationists,
>> I just finished making my advocacy action calls to our state and national
>> representatives. First I called the Legislative message line and left a
>> message regarding SB87 for the Natural Resources and Energy Committee 
>> asking
>> them to please support the Accessible Electronic Information Act. Next I
>> called Congressman John Yarmouth's office and urged him to support HR 
>> 3086
>> which would eliminate sub minimum wages for the disabled. I called 
>> Senator
>> McConnell and asked for his support as well. I also called Senator Paul's
>> office and expressed that as he is on the Health Education Labor and 
>> Pension
>> Committee, his support of this bill is influential and greatly needed.
>>
>> Our own John Glisson informed me that tomorrow may well be the most
>> important day for SB 87 as it is the day that the agenda is made for the
>> Natural Resources and Energy Committee meeting on Wednesday. We need to 
>> call
>> and urge the chairman of the committee to place SB87 on the agenda for a
>> VOTE! We also still need to leave a message for the rest of the committee 
>> to
>> support it. We're almost there on this one! Let's see it through!
>>
>> I'd love to hear from others who are calling Frankfort and Washington 
>> also.
>> What are your thoughts and experiences?
>> Best regards,
>> Melanie
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
>> Of
>> Cathy
>> Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2012 10:57 AM
>> To: NFB of Kentucky Internet Mailing List
>> Subject: [Nfbk] FW: [NFBAffiliatePresidents] Fwd: Letter from Dr. Maurer 
>> to
>> the House of Representatives re: H.R. 3086
>>
>> Good Morning Everyone,
>>
>> We had a great turnout at the NFBGL Chili Supper and Auction yesterday. 
>> The
>> NFBGL board worked hard to make it a big success. This is just one more
>> example of how the NFB can combine work and play to raise funds and build
>> the organization. Now for work of a different sort. We have been making
>> ourselves known in Frankfort by continuing to call in support of SB 87, 
>> The
>> Access Technology Bill. Tomorrow is Monday, so keep the calls going. We 
>> are
>> also in need of your help on the national level as well. As most of you 
>> know
>> we are trying to gain support for HR 3086 which will eliminate section 
>> 14(c)
>> in the Fair Labor Standards Act which gives employers the legal right to 
>> pay
>> blind and other disabled people sub minimal wages. We have 44 members 
>> signed
>> on to help us eradicate 14(c). We also have the support of about 40 other
>> groups who represent other disabilities behind our efforts. But, the
>> opposition has launched the counterattack. Those representing the 
>> sheltered
>> shops have hired big-time lobbyists to speak for those they are trying to
>> exploit. They are circulating a pamphlet titled "Where Will Sammy Go?" We 
>> on
>> the other hand have circulated a letter to all members of both the House 
>> and
>> Senate. The letter is from Dr. Maurer and is attached below. We are 
>> asking
>> you to begin calling Congress to offer support for HR 3086. We need to 
>> hit
>> Sen Rand Paul's off especially hard because he serves on the Health
>> Education Labor and Pension committee that deals with this issue. I am 
>> going
>> to give you the phone numbers of all of the Kentucky reps. Keep them on 
>> hand
>> because there is another issue that is getting ugly. This is the 
>> LaTourette
>> Amendment which will commercialize the highway rest areas. The Randolph
>> Sheppard Act has given blind vendors a priority in these locations and 
>> this
>> amendment threatens this priority. It will allow McDonalds, Burger King 
>> and
>> other like establishments to invade these rest areas. We need your calls 
>> to
>> appose the LaTourette amendment. When calling your Congressman ask for 
>> the
>> person in that office in charge of Transportation and state your 
>> opposition.
>> Thanks for all you do.
>>
>> Cathy
>>
>> Rep Ed Whitfield, (202) 225-3115
>> John Yarmuth, (202) 225-5401
>> Rep Ben Chandler, (202) 225-4706
>> Rep Geoff Davis, (202) 225-3465
>> Rep Bret Guthrie, (202) 225-3501
>> Rep Hal Rogers, (202) 225-4601
>> Sen Mitch McConnell, (202) 224-2541
>> Sen Rand Paul, (202) 224-4343
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbaffiliatepresidents-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:nfbaffiliatepresidents-bounces at nfbnet.org]On Behalf Of Lewis, 
>> Anil
>> Sent: Friday, February 24, 2012 11:14 AM
>> To: Affiliate Presidents
>> Subject: [NFBAffiliatePresidents] Fwd: Letter from Dr. Maurer to the 
>> House
>> of Representatives re: H.R. 3086
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Anil
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>> From: "Freeh, Jessica" <JFreeh at nfb.org<mailto:JFreeh at nfb.org>>
>> To: "NCB Staff" <NCBStaff at nfb.org<mailto:NCBStaff at nfb.org>>
>> Subject: Letter from Dr. Maurer to the House of Representatives re: H.R.
>> 3086
>>
>> February 23, 2012
>>
>> Dear United States Representative:
>>
>> I am writing to you in support of H.R. 3086, the Fair Wages for Workers 
>> with
>> Disabilities Act of 2011.  If you are already one of the cosponsors of 
>> this
>> bill, I thank you.  If you have not signed on as a cosponsor, I urge you 
>> to
>> do so as quickly as you can.  I am also writing to you representing 
>> disabled
>> Americans who are affected by subminimum wage payments who want this bill 
>> to
>> pass.  Furthermore, I am writing to you to sound the alarm against those 
>> who
>> say that they know better what to do for the disabled than disabled
>> Americans themselves.  They will tell you that disabled Americans cannot
>> speak for themselves and that they have taken on this burden.  They are
>> trying to deny us our own voice in Congress and we ask you to listen to 
>> the
>> people, not to the self-appointed so-called spokesmen of the people.
>>
>> The National Federation of the Blind and the growing list of over forty
>> other organizations of disabled Americans that support this legislation 
>> are
>> well aware that those of you who are cosponsoring this legislation or
>> considering doing so are receiving considerable pressure from
>> representatives of sheltered workshops and others holding special wage
>> certificates that allow them to pay less than the federal minimum wage. 
>> You
>> are being told that the workers who receive subminimum wages in the
>> sheltered workshop system have nowhere else to go, and that their lives
>> would be destroyed by H.R. 3086.  Those of you from Missouri, in fact, 
>> may
>> have received a piece of correspondence that asks, Where will Sammy, 
>> Patti,
>> and Becky go when you eliminate their jobs?  This flyer also contains 
>> quotes
>> from parents, siblings, and caregivers of sheltered workshop employees,
>> wondering what H.R. 3086 will mean for their loved ones.
>>
>> Whatever the motives of the people behind it, the correspondence is based 
>> on
>> outdated ideas about the capacity of workers with disabilities and a
>> misguided commitment to an antiquated model of service to such workers.
>> Rather than participating in a constructive dialogue about what life will 
>> be
>> like for workers with disabilities, once the subminimum wage exemption is
>> phased out in three years as required by H.R. 3086, the workshops choose 
>> to
>> circulate correspondence meant to pull on your heartstrings, to evoke 
>> your
>> pity, and to promote low expectations.
>>
>> The argument of the sheltered workshops is that some people, particularly
>> those with severe developmental disabilities, are simply unfit for
>> competitive employment.  This is simply wrong.  To continue this practice
>> when proven employment strategies exist is inexcusable.
>>
>> We are also told that these individuals must be given a choice.  We are 
>> all
>> for freedom of choice, but true freedom of choice can only come with
>> unbiased and accurate information.  Do Sammy, Patti, and Becky know that
>> people like them are in fact working in competitive jobs?  Do they know 
>> that
>> services like supported employment are already available to help them
>> acquire and keep such jobs?  Do their parents, guardians, and loved ones
>> know this?  My experience tells me that they do not. Rather, they have 
>> far
>> more likely been told by sheltered workshop staffwho all too often share
>> societys low expectations for disabled people and have an obvious 
>> conflict
>> of interestthat Sammy, Patti, and Becky will never achieve competitive
>> employment and that the sheltered workshop is the best they can hope for.
>> In short, what they have been told is neither accurate nor unbiased.
>>
>> Despite the manipulative tone of the correspondence, however, it is fair
>> enough to ask what will happen to Sammy, Patti, and Becky and others like
>> them if this bill passes.  I believe that the answer to this question is
>> limited only by the spirit, ambition, and imagination of disabled workers
>> themselves, and by our willingness as a society to work hard to help them
>> succeed in their goals.  I believe that disabled workers can do far 
>> better
>> than receiving pennies per hour.  Under this bill, they will either earn
>> real wages in the workshops that currently employ them, or they will 
>> receive
>> the training and support that they need to obtain competitive employment
>> somewhere else.  Imagine for a moment that all of the government and
>> philanthropic resources that are currently supporting the sheltered 
>> workshop
>> system were redirected to finding real employment opportunities for 
>> people
>> with disabilities.  If they were, I suspect that solutions as yet 
>> undreamt
>> of would emerge to help such individuals succeed in competitive 
>> employment
>> situations.
>>
>> The sheltered workshop industry has existed for over seventy years.  Many
>> argue that it is an acceptable status quo, which must not be changed.  We
>> reject this formulation.  Even if you believe that those of us advocating
>> against subminimum wages do not have all the answers, this is no excuse 
>> for
>> allowing the system to continue.  The current practice of paying 
>> subminimum
>> wages is unfair, discriminatory, and immoral, and no amount of 
>> hand-wringing
>> about what may follow it can change that.  Please do not simply let 
>> inertia
>> direct our course.  We are urging you and other willing partners, 
>> including
>> any from the sheltered workshop industry, to work with us to find real
>> solutions for people like Sammy, Patti, and Becky, rather than shrugging
>> your shoulders and saying that the exploitation must continue because we 
>> as
>> a society will not expend the effort to come up with anything better.
>>
>> There was a time in our nations history when African-Americans were 
>> believed
>> to have limited capacity and were fit only for slave labor on 
>> plantations.
>> There was a time when women were thought capable only of maintaining the
>> family home, and thus were not even permitted to vote.  Fortunately we
>> realized as a nation that it was bigotry and low expectations that were
>> defining the roles of African-Americans and women rather than their true
>> capabilities.  We realized, albeit belatedly, that America would be a 
>> better
>> nation if the true capacities of these citizens were unleashed. 
>> Americans
>> with disabilities are now calling upon our fellow citizens to realize 
>> that
>> the soft bigotry of low expectations is condemning workers with 
>> disabilities
>> to near-slave labor, and that the system that arises from these low
>> expectations must be abolished.
>>
>> H.R. 3086 allows for a grace period of three years before sheltered
>> workshops and other nonprofit employers currently holding special wage
>> certificates must begin to pay their workers at least the federal minimum
>> wage.  This is plenty of time for sheltered workshops to study the 
>> business
>> models of similar entities that are already paying their employees
>> competitive wages and make adjustments to their own policies and 
>> practices.
>> Meanwhile, policy makers can redirect resources to enhance programs like
>> supported employment, and create new solutions, to help workers with
>> disabilities transition to real work for real wages.
>>
>> As for freedom of choice: I am a person with a disability.  I have been
>> blind all of my life.  I know the pain and despair that comes with low
>> expectations and prejudice.  Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to
>> make real choices about my life and career, and to experience the joy of 
>> the
>> accomplishments that can only come through full and equal participation 
>> in
>> society.  I want Sammy, Patti, and Becky to have the choices that I had. 
>> If
>> workers with disabilities truly want to stay in the sheltered workshop 
>> that
>> currently employs them, or a facility like it, then no one will prohibit
>> them from doing so.  However, if H.R. 3086 is enacted, wherever they 
>> choose
>> to work, they will receive real wages that allow them to live fuller 
>> lives.
>> They will know the satisfaction of receiving the equal pay for equal work
>> that they deserve, in addition to any satisfaction that they may receive
>> from getting out of the house and being among their friends.  They will 
>> no
>> longer be dependent upon the resources of their loved ones or on public
>> assistance in order to buy the things they need.  They will have 
>> disposable
>> income to spend in the community, thereby contributing to our society and
>> its economy.  They will go from a subsistent existence to one in which 
>> they
>> can enjoy taking in a movie with their friends, an occasional restaurant
>> meal, and all of the other small pleasures of life that other American
>> workers take for granted.  They will become free people with real 
>> choices,
>> not virtual slaves with false ones.
>>
>> On behalf of the National Federation of the Blind, the over forty other
>> organizations that support this bill, and the millions of disabled people 
>> we
>> represent, we urge you to join us in our effort to change the paradigm of
>> low expectations and kindly meant but devastating exploitation that has 
>> too
>> long dominated the lives of over three hundred thousand Americans with
>> disabilities.  We ask you to express the courage to support H.R. 3086 and
>> the creativity to seek solutions that allow Americans with disabilities 
>> to
>> become productive citizens.  I thank you for your attention to this 
>> urgent
>> matter.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>>     [cid:074105315 at 24022012-09F2]
>>
>> Marc Maurer, President
>> NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
>>
>>
>>
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