[nfbmi-talk] braille

Wed Nov 20 12:14:35 UTC 2013

The historical exceptions as you aptly point out Christine are moot in these 
regards. They became moot when indeed the Capitol put visual signage on 
rooms. Once that is done its all over for that argument.

Now, under the ADA there is no requirement to have rooms numbered or labeled 
at all, but simply once they are equivalent raised character and Braille 
signage is required.

The "historical exception" here is quite limited and it is a bogus argument 
in these instances.

By the way they argue this stuff illegally here in Michigan too.

I'll note that when these Capitol's were bfirst built there was no indoor 
plumbing or electricity. But, both are in there now.

And our state Capitol here just went through several hundred thousands of 
renovations which is another ADA trigger.

All of this said I am not panning Justin's fine idea. Just saying the civil 
rights law (the ADA) should already be followed especially in the "People's 
House". By that I mean these public buildings belong to all of the people. 
They are where the people's business is to be conducted. And blind people 
are citizens too.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christine Boone" <christineboone2 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 10:31 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] braille

Hi Justin,

First let me say that I believe you have hit upon a fantastic initiative 
here.   I surely do not know of any other bills that have been written along 
these lines, and I like your idea very much.
It seems to me that it would be quite reasonable for you to ask your own 
local representative to draft some language and to introduce a bill if he or 
she is willing.  This would also give your representative some real 
investment in the idea, which could add to the passion he or she might bring 
to the effort.  This is always a good thing.

.  I would like to offer some thoughts on the nature of an historic building 
as it relates to Braille signage:
As you probably already know, historic buildings are generally exempted from 
the ADA because the requirements for physical accessibility can have a 
significant impact on the fasade, appearance, character and even the 
structure of a building.  In many cases the grand entrance will need to be 
altered in order to allow access to persons using wheelchairs at the same 
point of entry as non-disabled persons.  ADA required restroom modifications 
can also require significant structural modification to increase the 
physical size of these facilities; which in turn impacts other public areas 
throughout the building.  There are other examples, but you see where I am 
going with this I am sure.

On the contrary, Braille signage does not require any significant physical 
modification to the building.  The ADA does mandate the precise placement of 
Braille signage, but I think it would not be unreasonable for the proposed 
legislation to suggest that signs will be located in accordance with ADA 
specifications where possible, and that placement may be slightly modified 
in order to preserve the integrity of historic features within the Capitol 
building.

As an ADA consultant I would be pleased to provide additional assistance if 
this would be helpful.

What a great project this is Justin!  I wish you and the Wisconsin affiliate 
the best of luck !  While I do not know of other states having done this, I 
am certain that in both Pennsylvania and Michigan our Federation affiliates 
have spent considerable time contemplating how we might get our capitol 
buildings outfitted with appropriate Braille and raised character signage, 
and we will be following your efforts with great interest and encouragement.

Warmest Regards,
Christine

Christine L. Boone, esq.
christineboone2 at gmail.com
269-329-8500

On Nov 19, 2013, at 7:48 PM, Larry Posont <president.nfb.mi at gmail.com> 
wrote:

> National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
> 20812 Ann Arbor Trail
> Dearborn Heights, MI 48127
>
> November 19, 2013
>
> Dear Michigan Federationists:
>
>     Here is an accessibility issue in Wisconsin concerning Braille.
>
> Sincerely,
> Larry Posont
> President
> National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
> (313) 271-3058
> Email: president.nfb.mi at gmail.com
> Web page: www.nfbmi.org
>
> Vehicle Donations Take the Blind Further Donate your car to the
> National Federation of the Blind today!
> For more information, please visit:
> www.carshelpingtheblind.org
> or call 1-855-659-9314
>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> The Wisconsin affiliate is undertaking an initiative to get Braille
> signage in the state capitol building.  I am writing to ask for
> help.
>
> I’m told that the Wisconsin state capitol building is exempt from the
> ADA because it is a historical building.  Previous attempts to
> get Braille signage have stood upon ADA requirements and died because
> of this exemption.
>
> I have an idea for a different approach, and I’ve sold the idea to
> affiliate members.  I think the best approach is to try to push a
> bill through the state legislature to add Braille signage to the
> building.  The ADA wasn’t passed because some other piece of law
> required it; the ADA was passed because lawmakers believed it was the
> right thing to do.  Putting Braille in the state capitol is
> the right thing to do.
>
> Have any other states drafted any bills like this?  Should I be asking
> for language within the Federation, or should I be asking my
> local legislator to write the bill?
>
> Any advice on the language would be very helpful.
>
> Yours,
>
> Justin Salisbury
>
>
>
> Justin M. Salisbury
> B.A. in Mathematics
> Class of 2012
> East Carolina University
> president at alumni.ecu.edu
>
> “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
> change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever
> .”    —MARGARET MEAD
>
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