<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><br><br>Audrey T. Farnum<div>Sent from my iPhone</div></div><div><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> "Kuhnke, Kristian via Nfbnet-members-list" <<a href="mailto:nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org">nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Date:</b> August 6, 2015 at 3:16:53 PM CDT<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org">nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org</a><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[Nfbnet-members-list] FW: National Federation of the Blind Applauds Introduction of Legislation to Integrate Workers with Disabilities</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> "Kuhnke, Kristian" <<a href="mailto:KKuhnke@nfb.org">KKuhnke@nfb.org</a>><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div>
<br>
<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>
</b> <br>
<b>CONTACT:<br>
</b>Chris Danielsen<br>
Director of Public Relations<br>
National Federation of the Blind <br>
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<br>
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<br>
<a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br>
<br>
<div align="center"><b>National Federation of the Blind Applauds
Introduction of Legislation to Integrate Workers with Disabilities<br>
</b></div>
<br>
<div align="center"><b><i>Urges Passage of Transitioning to Integrated
and Meaningful Employment Act<br>
</i></b></div>
<br>
<b>Baltimore, Maryland (August 6, 2015):</b>
<a href="https://nfb.org">The National Federation of the Blind</a>, the
oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans, applauds
the introduction of the Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful
Employment (TIME) Act (S. 2001) by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH). Senator
Ayotte introduced this legislation to repeal Section 14(c) of the Fair
Labor Standards Act, in order to incentivize the transitioning of workers
with disabilities into integrated, meaningful employment, and to phase
out the discriminatory practice of paying workers with disabilities
pennies per hour. Companion legislation has already been introduced in
the House of Representatives by Representative Gregg Harper (R-MS) as
H.R. 188 and has forty-one cosponsors.<br>
<br>
“My home state of New Hampshire has been a leader in supporting and
empowering workers with disabilities, and recently became the first state
in the country to ban discriminatory wage practices that put workers with
disabilities at a disadvantage,” Senator Ayotte said. “This legislation
will project New Hampshire’s leadership on the issue throughout the
country, ensuring that workers with disabilities are treated equally and
do not have to work in an environment where their wages and expectations
are lower than those of workers without disabilities. Twenty-five years
after enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with
disabilities are now able to live quality lives and achieve their full
potential. Women and men with disabilities also deserve the
opportunity to participate in the workforce and seek competitive,
integrated, and meaningful employment on a level equal to their peers who
do not have a disability. I’m grateful to the National Federation
of the Blind for their advocacy on this important issue and their support
of my legislation.”<br>
<br>
Mark A. Riccobono,
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/NationalFederationoftheBlind">President
of the National Federation of the Blind</a>, said: “The National
Federation of the Blind and our partners representing the fifty-five
million Americans with disabilities know that low expectations, not
disability, are the true barriers that prevent people with disabilities
from living the lives we want. We applaud Senator Ayotte for recognizing
that current segregated employment practices are based on over seventy
years of entrenched but false thinking about the capacity of people with
disabilities. We strongly urge her colleagues in both houses of the
United States Congress to support this legislation and embrace a future
in which the next generation of workers with disabilities, including my
two young daughters, enter the workforce without the discriminatory
presumptions that exist today and where these workers are able to achieve
their full potential in the workplace and beyond.”<br>
<br>
<br>
<div align="center"><b>###<br>
</b></div><b>
<br>
</b> <br>
<b>About the National Federation of the Blind<br>
</b> <br>
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.<br>
<br>
<br>
</div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>Nfbnet-members-list mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:Nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org">Nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span>List archives: <<a href="http://www.nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbnet-members-list_nfbnet.org">http://www.nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbnet-members-list_nfbnet.org</a>></span><br><span>To unsubscribe from Nfbnet-members-list:</span><br><span>goto <a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbnet-members-list_nfbnet.org/atfarnum%40icloud.com">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbnet-members-list_nfbnet.org/atfarnum%40icloud.com</a></span></div></blockquote></body></html>