[NFBMT] Draft Resolutions 2022

[d m gina]

Sounds good to me,
will we have to do this one every year?
Dar
Original message:
> 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.



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