[NFBMT] Draft Resolutions 2022

Wed Sep 21 20:31:20 UTC 2022

Below please find the draft resolutions to be put forward by the Resolutions
Committee for consideration to the NFB of Montana convention October 1, 2022.

Draft Resolution 2022-01: Regarding Continued funding for access to
NFB-NEWSLINER in the state of Montana

WHEREAS, one of the obstacles of blindness and low vision is the inability to
see small print and electronic text materials; and 

WHEREAS, blind and low vision citizens of the state of Montana need access to
the content from newspapers, magazines, online information sources, emergency
weather alerts, job listings and other content to be successful in school, to
find and retain meaningful employment, to raise and maintain a family, and to
contribute to society; and

WHEREAS, NFB-NEWSLINER, which has operated since 1995, currently makes over
500 newspapers, magazines, online materials, emergency weather alerts, job
listings, and information specific to the state of Montana accessible in
audio and Braille format to all blind, low vision, and print disabled people,
available at no fee to the individual, by leveraging a wide range of
commercially available and specialized technologies including a touch-tone
phone, iOS Mobile App, Amazon Skill, and a secure  accessible website; and  

WHEREAS, during the 2021-2023 biennium, the Montana State legislature
generously began funding access to NFB-NEWSLINE, which has benefited
qualified persons living in our great state, thus removing one of the biggest
obstacles to gathering current and pertinent information by people who are
blind, have low vision, or are otherwise print disabled: NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Montana in
convention assembled this first day of October, 2022, that

we commend the legislature of the state of Montana for funding NFB-NEWSLINE;
and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon the legislature of the state of
Montana to continue to fund NFB-NEWSLINE for the 2023-2025 biennium and into
the future, to continue to ensure that blind and low vision Montana residents
can remain equal and fully engaged members of our great state.

Draft Resolution 2022-02 Requesting a Substantial Increase in State funding
for the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals who Are Blind
Program in Montana

WHEREAS, the population of Montana is the sixth oldest in the country and the
oldest west of the Mississippi; and 

WHEREAS, an estimated 60,000 of Montana's approximately 300,000 citizens who
are 55 years of age and older will experience vision loss as a natural part
of the aging process; and 

WHEREAS, these older adults experiencing vision loss will need to learn and
use alternative nonvisual techniques and tools in order to continue to age in
place in their own homes and communities and to live the lives they want; and

WHEREAS, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as Amended contains the Independent
Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind program which, in a joint
federal and state partnership, provides access to and training in the use of
these alternative nonvisual techniques and tools to older blind Montanans
through the Blind and Low Vision Services Bureau of the Montana Department of
Public Health and Human Services; and  

WHEREAS, because of staff shortages, many older blind Montanans are presently
waiting six months or longer to receive services as fundamental and as
life-changing as a magnification system, which would restore their ability to
read newspapers, recipes, or package directions, read their own mail and
write their own checks, resume hobbies or crafts, or see pictures of family
and friends; and 

WHEREAS, the demand for such life-enhancing services for the older blind in
Montana far outpaces the supply of these services, leaving far too many older
blind Montanans unnecessarily isolated and without support systems,
especially in rural communities, which adversely affects their physical and
mental well-being, and leaves them at risk of being placed in expensive
nursing homes or other care facilities: NOW, THEREFORE,  

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Montana in
convention assembled this first day of October, 2022, in the state of
Montana, that this organization call upon the 2023 Montana legislature and
the Governor to substantially add more state dollars to the Independent
Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind program in Montana, in
order to fill vacancies with qualified staff, and to deliver services in a
timely manner to older blind Montanans.

Draft Resolution 2022-03 Regarding Accessible Voting in Primary Elections by
Voters with Disabilities in Montana 

WHEREAS, the Montana Secretary of State's office has partnered with all 56
counties in Montana to offer the ES&S ExpressVoteR ballot marking system
which provides options for all voters, including those with disabilities, to
mark and cast a ballot; and 

WHEREAS, the ExpressVoteR ballot marking system does not permit a voter who
cannot access the touch screen to vote without assistance from a poll worker,
such as when a voter must choose a political party in a closed primary
election before continuing to mark their ballot; and

WHEREAS, the choices on the touch screen are not tactile or audible for the
benefit of blind voters, and the voting process will not continue until the
choice of a political party is made: NOW, THEREFORE,    

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Montana in
convention assembled this first day of October, 2022, in the state of
Montana, that this organization call upon ES&S ExpressVoteR Elections and
Software to make the process of selecting a political party in a primary
election accessible to blind voters in Montana.

Joy Breslauer, Resolutions Committee chair 

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org <http://www.nfbofmt.org/> 

Live the life you want

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want. 