[NFBOK-Talk] CALL TO ACTION! Push back against SB 733 must continue!

Jeanie Massay jeannie.massay at nfbok.org
Wed Apr 19 23:25:08 UTC 2017


 

Call to Action

Greetings Federation Family, 

 

Unfortunately, the members of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee
passed SB 733 on Monday. We must make every effort to let every member in
the House know that we do not want this legislation. In addition to all of
the other reasons previously discussed I have begun pointing out that the
legislation in it's current form is not a budget saving mechanism for the
State of Oklahoma. I wonder why they continue to waste time and resources on
pursuing this? Let them know that SB 733 is the same with the exception of
the change of language from "shall" to "may". Please point this out in your
correspondence

 

While our engagement on Facebook has been an important part in driving our
message we must continue to make phone calls, send e-mails and ask our
friends and family members to do the same. 

 

SB 733 is the sister legislation to HB 1861. We stopped it from going to the
floor, we can stop this too! Here is the letter that I recently sent to the
House Appropriations and Budget committee:

 

April 1, 2017 

 

Honorable Members of the House of Representatives Appropriations and Budget
Committee:

 

In my capacity as President of the National Federation of the Blind of
Oklahoma, our Board of Directors and our members across the state, I contact
you today regarding our staunch opposition to S 733. The National Federation
of the Blind of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Rehabilitation Association, and the
Oklahoma State Rehabilitation Council, among others, continue to be
disheartened by the engrossment of S 733, a bill establishing the
"Rehabilitation Services Disbursing Fund", as did HB 1861 which did not make
it to your floor this year.  In good faith and trust in the democratic
process many blind Oklahomans attended this committee meeting, on March 1st
of this year, regarding HB 1861. All of the blind persons, their friends and
family members in the room that day were there to demonstrate our opposition
to passing the bill through your committee. It is important that you hear
the voices of Oklahoma's blind citizens before making a final decision on S
733, since we will be directly affected by your vote. For many of the
reasons we opposed HB 1861, we likewise oppose S 733 and ask that you vote
against passing it through committee. 

 

This bill could potentially diminish services to older blind Oklahomans due
to geographic limitations for services, limit capacity, and expose the state
to undue financial risk. Additionally, the blind of Oklahoma were not and
have not been consulted regarding the legislation nor do we want this
legislation. 

 

Currently, the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services Division of
Visual Services assigns experts; many of them blind themselves, to work with
clients in their homes anywhere in the state. The current approach has many
advantages that may be compromised if the program is entirely implemented by
a private contractor. It will be a time consuming and costly process for
another entity to replicate the breadth and depth of services offered by
Visual Services. For example, Visual Services already has access technology,
Braille, orientation and mobility, and customized independent living
classes. These customized classes are based on years and years of experience
working with older blind Oklahomans, and indeed, the entire blind community.


 

S 733 proposes that funds for the older blind program "may" be entirely
granted to private entities certified by the National Accreditation Council
for Blind and Low Vision Services (NAC). While a network of regional service
providers is possible, this is an unproven service model and will certainly
result in diminished services during the transition period. Moving this work
to private entities with only regional services will result in diminished
services for clients outside their service area, especially in rural parts
of the state. 

 

Furthermore, the requirement of NAC accreditation is problematic for several
reasons. There is currently only one entity seeking NAC accreditation in the
state, which means that this legislation will have the unintended
consequence of eliminating competition for contracts to provide these
services. We can find no information about NAC, its accreditation criteria,
or who else it certifies via the internet, and we have concerns about
requiring contractors to be accredited by an entity whose commitment to
transparency is questionable at best. Although NAC makes little information
public, years of sad experience tell us that NAC accredited entities do not
meet the needs of blind people because NAC'S expectations and standards have
historically been very low.

 

Rehabilitation services are overseen at the federal level by the
Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). The RSA is charged with
ensuring that state rehabilitation plans are submitted yearly, monitoring
their implementation, and disbursing federal funds to state rehabilitation
agencies to carry out these plans. If the RSA determines that a
rehabilitation plan has not been properly implemented, it can assess
substantial financial penalties against the state rehabilitation department
in order to recoup the federal funds received to implement the plan. It is
important to note that such assessments would be levied against the state of
Oklahoma, not against the private entities. In other words, if a private
entity fails to provide adequate services to older blind Oklahomans, tax
payers will be left on the hook.

 

In summary, this bill will have the unintended consequences of diminishing
services for older blind Oklahomans, limiting consumer choice, requiring
accreditation from a nontransparent accrediting body with a poor track
record, and exposing the state to uncertain financial penalties for services
not directly performed by the state. In good faith, we, the blind, have
communicated our thoughts based on experience and expertise to you and the
members of the House of Representatives and Senate regarding our opposition
to S 733. More than 40 blind persons, their friends and families attended
the House Appropriations and Budget Committee meeting regarding HB 1861 to
demonstrate our opposition. We have sent e-mails, made phone calls and have
posted on social media regarding our opposition. While we do not feel that
our voices have been heard, it is not too late to listen to us now. We
oppose this bill and urge you to vote against it.

 

We, the blind of Oklahoma, ask that you do not pass this legislation.  If
you are interested in protecting the rights of blind Oklahomans and in
helping to create opportunity resulting in better education and training for
the blind in Oklahoma, we have a wealth of experience, ideas and passion to
lead the way.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact
me. I look forward to working with you to develop policies that work for all
Oklahoma's citizens, including those of us who are blind. 

 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Jeannie Massay, President

National Federation of the Blind of Oklahoma

 

 

 

 

I am drafting a letter which will go to the entire House. That will go out
by tomorrow. You can  send a mass e-mail to the entire House by selecting
the block of e-mails below and pasting it into the BCC field. 

 

 

greg.babinec at okhouse.gov <mailto:greg.babinec at okhouse.gov> ;
rhonda.baker at okhouse.gov <mailto:rhonda.baker at okhouse.gov> ;
forrest.bennett at okhouse.gov <mailto:forrest.bennett at okhouse.gov> ;
john.bennett at okhouse.gov <mailto:john.bennett at okhouse.gov> ;
scott.biggs at okhouse.gov <mailto:scott.biggs at okhouse.gov> ;
meloyde.blancett at okhouse.gov <mailto:meloyde.blancett at okhouse.gov> ;
david.brumbaugh at okhouse.gov <mailto:david.brumbaugh at okhouse.gov> ;
carol.bush at okhouse.gov <mailto:carol.bush at okhouse.gov> ;
chad.caldwell at okhouse.gov <mailto:chad.caldwell at okhouse.gov> ;
kevin.calvey at okhouse.gov <mailto:kevin.calvey at okhouse.gov>
;ed.cannaday at okhouse.gov <mailto:ed.cannaday at okhouse.gov> ;
dennis.casey at okhouse.gov <mailto:dennis.casey at okhouse.gov> ;
bob.cleveland at okhouse.gov <mailto:bob.cleveland at okhouse.gov> ;
josh.cockroft at okhouse.gov <mailto:josh.cockroft at okhouse.gov> ;
donnie.condit at okhouse.gov <mailto:donnie.condit at okhouse.gov> ;
jeff.coody at okhouse.gov <mailto:jeff.coody at okhouse.gov> ;
dale.derby at okhouse.gov <mailto:dale.derby at okhouse.gov> ;
mickey.dollens at okhouse.gov <mailto:mickey.dollens at okhouse.gov> ;
tim.downing at okhouse.gov <mailto:tim.downing at okhouse.gov> ;
travis.dunlap at okhouse.gov <mailto:travis.dunlap at okhouse.gov> ;
jason.dunnington at okhouse.gov <mailto:jason.dunnington at okhouse.gov> ;
jon.echols at okhouse.gov <mailto:jon.echols at okhouse.gov> ;
john.enns at okhouse.gov <mailto:john.enns at okhouse.gov> ;
george.faught at okhouse.gov <mailto:george.faught at okhouse.gov> ;
scott.fetgatter at okhouse.gov <mailto:scott.fetgatter at okhouse.gov> ;
roger.ford at okhouse.gov <mailto:roger.ford at okhouse.gov> ;
will.fourkiller at okhouse.gov <mailto:will.fourkiller at okhouse.gov> ;
avery.frix at okhouse.gov <mailto:avery.frix at okhouse.gov> ;
tom.gann at okhouse.gov <mailto:tom.gann at okhouse.gov> ;
regina.goodwin at okhouse.gov <mailto:regina.goodwin at okhouse.gov> ;
claudia.griffith at okhouse.gov <mailto:claudia.griffith at okhouse.gov> ;
elise.hall at okhouse.gov <mailto:elise.hall at okhouse.gov> ;
tommy.hardin at okhouse.gov <mailto:tommy.hardin at okhouse.gov> ;
katie.henke at okhouse.gov <mailto:katie.henke at okhouse.gov> ;
kyle.hilbert at okhouse.gov <mailto:kyle.hilbert at okhouse.gov> ;
chuck.hoskin at okhouse.gov <mailto:chuck.hoskin at okhouse.gov> ;
justin.humphrey at okhouse.gov <mailto:justin.humphrey at okhouse.gov> ;
scott.inman at okhouse.gov <mailto:scott.inman at okhouse.gov> ;
jp.jordan at okhouse.gov <mailto:jp.jordan at okhouse.gov> ;
chris.kannady at okhouse.gov <mailto:chris.kannady at okhouse.gov> ;
dell.kerbs at okhouse.gov <mailto:dell.kerbs at okhouse.gov> ;
dan.kirby at okhouse.gov <mailto:dan.kirby at okhouse.gov> ;
steve.kouplen at okhouse.gov <mailto:steve.kouplen at okhouse.gov> ;
mark.lawson at okhouse.gov <mailto:mark.lawson at okhouse.gov> ;
mark.lepak at okhouse.gov <mailto:mark.lepak at okhouse.gov> ;
ben.loring at okhouse.gov <mailto:ben.loring at okhouse.gov> ;
jason.lowe at okhouse.gov <mailto:jason.lowe at okhouse.gov> ;
scott.martin at okhouse.gov <mailto:scott.martin at okhouse.gov> ;
ryan.martinez at okhouse.gov <mailto:ryan.martinez at okhouse.gov> ;
mark.mcbride at okhouse.gov <mailto:mark.mcbride at okhouse.gov> ;
charles.mccall at okhouse.gov <mailto:charles.mccall at okhouse.gov> ;
randy.mcdaniel at okhouse.gov <mailto:randy.mcdaniel at okhouse.gov> ;
kevin.mcdugle at okhouse.gov <mailto:kevin.mcdugle at okhouse.gov> ;
scott.mceachin at okhouse.gov <mailto:scott.mceachin at okhouse.gov> ;
marcus.mcentire at okhouse.gov <mailto:marcus.mcentire at okhouse.gov> ;
matt.meredith at okhouse.gov <mailto:matt.meredith at okhouse.gov> ;
kohn.montgomery at okhouse.gov <mailto:kohn.montgomery at okhouse.gov> ;
lewis.moore at okhouse.gov <mailto:lewis.moore at okhouse.gov> ;
glen.mulready at okhouse.gov <mailto:glen.mulready at okhouse.gov> ;
cyndi.munson at okhouse.gov <mailto:cyndi.munson at okhouse.gov> ;
casey.murdock at okhouse.gov <mailto:casey.murdock at okhouse.gov> ;
jason.murphey at okhouse.gov <mailto:jason.murphey at okhouse.gov> ;
carl.newton at okhouse.gov <mailto:carl.newton at okhouse.gov> ;
monroe.nichols at okhouse.gov <mailto:monroe.nichols at okhouse.gov> ;
jadine.nollan at okhouse.gov <mailto:jadine.nollan at okhouse.gov> ;
terry.odonnell at okhouse.gov <mailto:terry.odonnell at okhouse.gov> ;
charles.ortega at okhouse.gov <mailto:charles.ortega at okhouse.gov> ;
mike.osburn at okhouse.gov <mailto:mike.osburn at okhouse.gov> ;
pat.ownbey at okhouse.gov <mailto:pat.ownbey at okhouse.gov> ;
scooter.park at okhouse.gov <mailto:scooter.park at okhouse.gov> ;
david.perryman at okhouse.gov <mailto:david.perryman at okhouse.gov> ;
john.pfeiffer at okhouse.gov <mailto:john.pfeiffer at okhouse.gov> ;
eric.proctor at okhouse.gov <mailto:eric.proctor at okhouse.gov> ;
brian.renegar at okhouse.gov <mailto:brian.renegar at okhouse.gov> ;
mike.ritze at okhouse.gov <mailto:mike.ritze at okhouse.gov> ;
dustin.roberts at okhouse.gov <mailto:dustin.roberts at okhouse.gov> ;
michael.rogers at okhouse.gov <mailto:michael.rogers at okhouse.gov> ;
todd.russ at okhouse.gov <mailto:todd.russ at okhouse.gov> ;
mike.sanders at okhouse.gov <mailto:mike.sanders at okhouse.gov> ;
earl.sears at okhouse.gov <mailto:earl.sears at okhouse.gov> ;
shane.stone at okhouse.gov <mailto:shane.stone at okhouse.gov> ;
chuck.strohm at okhouse.gov <mailto:chuck.strohm at okhouse.gov> ;
johnny.tadlock at okhouse.gov <mailto:johnny.tadlock at okhouse.gov> ;
tess.teague at okhouse.gov <mailto:tess.teague at okhouse.gov> ;
todd.thomsen at okhouse.gov <mailto:todd.thomsen at okhouse.gov> ;
steve.vaughan at okhouse.gov <mailto:steve.vaughan at okhouse.gov> ;
emily.virgin at okhouse.gov <mailto:emily.virgin at okhouse.gov> ;
collin.walke at okhouse.gov <mailto:collin.walke at okhouse.gov> ;
kevin.wallace at okhouse.gov <mailto:kevin.wallace at okhouse.gov> ;
weldon.watson at okhouse.gov <mailto:weldon.watson at okhouse.gov> ;
josh.west at okhouse.gov <mailto:josh.west at okhouse.gov> ;
kevin.west at okhouse.gov <mailto:kevin.west at okhouse.gov> ;
rick.west at okhouse.gov <mailto:rick.west at okhouse.gov> ;
tammy.west at okhouse.gov <mailto:tammy.west at okhouse.gov> ;
cory.williams at okhouse.gov <mailto:cory.williams at okhouse.gov> ;
rande.worthen at okhouse.gov <mailto:rande.worthen at okhouse.gov> ;
harold.wright at okhouse.gov <mailto:harold.wright at okhouse.gov> ;
george.young at okhouse.gov <mailto:george.young at okhouse.gov> ; 

Thanks to those of you who have been a part of #BlindPushBack. United we
stand, divided we fall. Let's stop this and tell NewView that we don't want
them dictating our lives and pushing the medical model on unsuspecting blind
seniors and others who, clearly, do not know any difference. 

 

Warm regards, 

 

Jeannie 

 

Jeannie M. Massay, President

National Federation of theBlind 

Of Oklahoma

505 Baker Street

Norman, OK 73072

Phone: 405-600-0695

Jeannie.massay at nfbok.org <mailto:Jeannie.massay at nfbok.org>  

 

Live the life you want!

 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day, we raise
expectations of the blind because low expectations create obstacles between
blind people and our dreams. Blindness is not what holds you back. You can
live the life you want.!. 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbok-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20170419/380d498f/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.emz
Type: application/octet-stream
Size: 769 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbok-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20170419/380d498f/attachment.obj>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.png
Type: image/png
Size: 202 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbok-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20170419/380d498f/attachment.png>


More information about the NFBOK-Talk mailing list