<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoPlainText, li.MsoPlainText, div.MsoPlainText
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.PlainTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Plain Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text";
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Please do not respond in this string!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>//<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:15.0pt;text-align:center'><i><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:white;background:#032645'>We, the National Federation of the Blind believe in the full capacity of blind people and condemn the violation of the civil rights of workers with disabilities set forth under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act.</span></i><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Read Executive Director, Anil Lewis’s testimony to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>civil-rights-commission-testimony<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>U.S. Civil Rights Commission<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>A briefing on the civil rights implications of the Fair Labor Standards Act Section 14(c)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Subminimum Wage Certificate Program on people with disabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>November 15, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Testimony of Anil Lewis, Executive Director of Blindness Initiatives for the National Federation of the <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Blind <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>To the honorable members of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and distinguished panelists, I continue to grow ever hopeful that we will be able to eliminate<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>the historic violation of the fundamental civil rights of workers with disabilities that have been subjected to the legalized discriminatory practice set<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>forth in Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>I appreciate the questions presented by the Commission in preparation for this briefing. The talent possessed by members of the various panels will undoubtedly<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>offer compelling data, demonstrate effective strategies, and offer a number of success stories that address the questions. I agree that answering the questions<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>should move us closer to a commitment to striving for competitive integrated employment opportunities for all people with disabilities. However, this will<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>only be the case if we start with the belief in the capacity of all people with disabilities to be competitively employed in integrated work environments.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Otherwise, regardless of the data provided, the effective strategies demonstrated, or the number of the success stories told, there will always be the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>underlying fallacy that Section 14(c) is necessary in order to help those that are unable to obtain competitive integrated employment. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>With respect to the ills of Section 14(c), I have the lived experience to be able to speak from the perspective of a family member, consumer of services,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>service provider, and advocate.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Click below to read more of Anil’s powerful testimony.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/sites/www.nfb.org/files/files-pdf/civil-rights-commission-testimony-proofed-mct.pdf">https://www.nfb.org/sites/www.nfb.org/files/files-pdf/civil-rights-commission-testimony-proofed-mct.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Suzanne Hartfield-Turner, President<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>NFBOH-Cleveland Chapter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>C: (216) 990-6199<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>P: (641) 715-3900<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Ex: 582705<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A: PO Box 141077<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Cleveland, Ohio 44114<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>E: <a href="mailto:President.NFB.ClevelandOhio@Gmail.com">President.NFB.ClevelandOhio@Gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please visit and take a moment to like our Facebook Page!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://m.facebook.com/NationalFederationOfTheBlindOfOhioClevelandChapter/">https://m.facebook.com/NationalFederationOfTheBlindOfOhioClevelandChapter/</a> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>