[NFBMT] Draft Resolutions 2022

Thu Sep 22 12:36:38 UTC 2022

Which one, Newsline?  I hope not, but perhaps, unless they figure out a way
to fund it more long-term.  They, meaning the legislature.  Joy

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBMT <nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of d m gina via NFBMT
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2022 9:01 PM
To: nfbmt at nfbnet.org
Cc: d m gina <dmgina at mysero.net>
Subject: Re: [NFBMT] Draft Resolutions 2022

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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