[NFBOH-Cleveland] May Cleveland Updates!

Mon May 13 18:23:57 UTC 2024

Good Afternoon Cleveland Members and Friends,

I hope you are well!

It is a beautiful day.

Go CAVS!

Please continue to keep our members who are healing or in nursing facilities
in your thoughts and prayers.

Congratulations to Renee who was featured on channel 5 promoting the Vision
Walk.

We will hold our May Cleveland Chapter meeting this Saturday, May 18th at
2:30 PM until 4:30 PM. The location is

1900 Fulton Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44113

Thank you to members who went on the bus trip last week. The good news is
the bus traveled and we returned safely. The sad news is that only 19
participants were in attendance. The Chapter lost $160. So, this was a
failed fundraiser. Nevertheless, we must place our attention toward the next
two endeavors.

Great news, Cleveland has gathered 500 pairs of shoes that are in our
storage. We have a few members and friends that we still have to collect
from. I am estimating that we will have 750 pairs. So, congratulations on
this fundraiser. 

Note: We will no longer collect shoes after our Cleveland Chapter meeting on
this Saturday, May 18, 2024. So, if you have shoes, bring them. 

We have not seen a number of you at the meetings. We need you to continue to
be a vital part of what Cleveland does with in and outside of this
organization. Please come out to the meeting on Saturday.

The Ohio Affiliate has an opportunity to submit testimonies on the
Elimination of Subminimum Wages for persons with disabilities in Ohio. I
sent out this info. Please email me your support on this important
legislation. I have insert it below. If you need assistance in drafting your
letter, please reach out to me.

For members who are attending the National Convention, May 31st is the last
date to pre-register. If you have not done so, please do so.

You can also register for the National Convention Virtual Experience. Go to,
NFB.ORG/Convention

Read below!

Have a great rest of your day.

members and friends,

The work of the Federation is ongoing at the state and federal level.
Therefore, we need everyone to take an active role in contacting Ohio State
Representatives and Congress on several legislative initiatives. As you can
see by Barbara Pierce email today, having digital displays to access
channels on a hospital TV has become just one of the newest barriers on the
blind. I employ you to reach out to each member in your Chapter, Divisions,
and the Affiliate as a whole to get them to act. We need you to send emails
to Ohio Representatives and Congress as soon as possible. If you need
assistance, please reach out to one of the Ohio Legislative Committee
Members, Suzanne Turner, Chair, William Turner, Andra Stover, LuAnn Bowers,
Jaclyn Schiemann, Wilbert Turner, Kinshuk Tella, or Shawn Martin; and we
will be glad to assist you. 

Everyone can play a role. If you cannot articulate with the pen, call and
use the bill number to pledge your support. There are two initiatives, State
and Federal;  with attachments for you to follow. 

Read the information below and take action immediately!

Suzanne Turner, legislative coordinator,

National Federation Of The Blind Of Ohio. 

///

Federal Bill:

From: Justin T. Young,

Government Affairs Specialist, National Federation of the Blind

Dear Federation Family,

Thank you to all who made calls and sent emails to your United States
Senators this week. Because of our efforts, H.R. 3935 passed the Senate on
May 9, 2024, with all of the accessibility provisions intact, by an
overwhelming majority. This is great news, but the job is not done yet. The
bill now heads to the House of Representatives for final consideration.

We need your help by contacting your members in the House of Representatives
urging them to vote in favor of H.R. 3935, keeping in these important
accessibility provisions for blind and disabled air travelers.

These provisions include training requirements for assisting passengers with
disabilities, better access standards for the accessibility of in-flight
entertainment, and improved access to airline websites. Additionally, the
bill initiates a pilot program for air passengers to register their service
animal, eliminating the need to complete the service animal forms for each
flight. Therefore, we are asking you to contact your Representative in the
House, either by phone or by email, to urge them to maintain the disability
related portions of the bill while being considered by the House of
Representatives. Given that the House is likely to vote on this by the end
of next week, it would be most beneficial to contact your Representative's
office before Friday, May 17. 

When you call or email, you might say the following:

"Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I am a constituent of [REPRESENTATIVE
NAME]. I live in [CITY, STATE]. I would like to urge [REPRESENTATIVE NAME]
to maintain the accessibility-related provisions of H.R 3935 as it moves
through the House of Representatives. These provisions in the legislation
will help increase the accessibility of air travel for blind and disabled
passengers.

Thanks."

If applicable, feel free to personalize your message with a recent
disability barrier you experienced while traveling. 

You can contact your Representative by calling the Capitol Switchboard and
asking for the office in question. The number is 202-224-3121. The contact
information for all House of Representatives offices is also in the attached
spreadsheet. The members on the spreadsheet are organized in alphabetical
order by last name. If you send an email to your Representative's office,
please copy me at jyoung at nfb.org <mailto:jyoung at nfb.org>  on the email. 

//

Ohio State Bill:

Legislation for Ohio Bill: HB 427 

prohibit employers from paying people with disabilities subminimum wage.

Subminimum wage was a practice created in 1938 under section 14c of the Fair
Labor Standards Act. The goal was to provide supportive services for people
with disabilities while also receiving a wage. Although the original aim of
the legislation was admirable, the use of 14c certificates and the paying of
subminimum wage has been used to exploit workers with disabilities and
subject them to a lifetime of underpaid labor often in segregated settings.
As few as only 5% of workers actual transition into competitive integrated
employment.

Your personal story is needed of why you support the Ohio bill, and if you
were subjected to this unfair treatment, you can be heard.

Again, if anyone needs assistance, please reach out. You can send your
testimony to the Ohio Rep. or I can compile them and send it over to the
advocacy leader.

Here is an example of what you can write.

[NAME]

Proponent Testimony on House Bill 427

Ohio House Government Oversight

[DATE]

Chair Peterson, Ranking Member Humphrey, and members of the House Government
Oversight Committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on
House Bill 427 (HB 427) the Ohio Employment First and Greater Opportunities
for Persons with Disabilities Act. [PROVIDE NAME AND WHERE YOU ARE FROM]

I applaud the sponsors, Representative Jarrells and Representative Lipps, of
this necessary and important piece of legislation. HB 427 would, after a
five (5) year implementation period, prohibit employers from paying people
with disabilities subminimum wage. A practice that violates an individual's
civil rights, conflicts with self-determination, and does not prepare people
with disabilities to gain competitive integrated employment in their
communities.

Subminimum wage was a practice created in 1938 under section 14c of the Fair
Labor Standards Act. The goal was to provide supportive services for people
with disabilities while also receiving a wage. Although the original aim of
the legislation was admirable, the use of 14c certificates and the paying of
subminimum wage has been used to exploit workers with disabilities and
subject them to a lifetime of underpaid labor often in segregated settings.
As few as only 5% of workers actual transition into competitive integrated
employment.

[PERSONAL STORY ON WHY YOU SUPPORT THIS BILL, HOW SUBMINIMUM WAGE HAS
IMPACTED YOUR LIFE, AND/OR WHY MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT IN THE COMMUNITY IS
IMPORTANT]

Paying subminimum wage assumes people are incapable of being fully
integrated into the general workforce, a notion that is at odds with the
disability policy that has emerged over the past forty (40) years. Since the
inception of subminimum wage, amendments to Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act, the Developmental Bill of Rights and Assistance Act, and
the Americans with Disabilities Act (to name a few) have passed expanding
rights for people with disabilities. It is time Ohio act and eliminate this
antiquated policy.

[PROVIDE ADDITIONAL VIEW ON WHY YOU THINK SUBMINIMUM WAGE NEEDS TO BE
ELIMINATED]

Review the attachments.

Suzanne M. Hartfield Turner

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

Executive Board of Director

Ohio Legislative Director

Cleveland Chapter, President

(216P: ) 990-6199

W: NFBOhio.ORG

Facebook:  <https://www.facebook.com/ohiosblind/photos/>
https://www.facebook.com/ohiosblind/photos/

Together, with love, hope, and determination, the members of the National
Federation of the Blind transform dreams into reality. You can live the life
you want, blindness does not hold you back

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