[NFBP-Talk] News From Our National Headquarters

Wed Apr 16 20:29:26 UTC 2025

News:

Letter to the Social Security Administration:

On March 26 we sent a
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements/letter-social-
security-administration-regarding-recent> letter to the Acting Commissioner
of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Leland Dudek, in response to
several proposed policy changes that had recently been announced by the SSA.
Most notably, this letter was in response to announced planned reductions in
the number of employees who work for SSA, and the closing of dozens of
Social Security field offices across the country. This letter can be read in
full on the  <https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements>
Policy Statements page of our website. After we sent our letter, there were
further developments to this situation. See the next item for details. 

Legal News: Disability Advocates Sue to Stop Unlawful Cuts to Social
Security Services:

We filed a federal lawsuit on April 2, 2025, with several disability
advocacy organizations and individual plaintiffs. As shared in the press
release, "Many blind Americans rely on Social Security benefits for their
survival and for the support of their families...In the most severe cases,
these cuts could endanger people's very lives. The National Federation of
the Blind supports greater government efficiency and recognizes that much
can be done to improve the SSA, but careful planning and collaboration with
blind Americans and other disability advocates are the right ways to handle
reform."
<https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/disability-advocates-sue-social-securit
y-administration-and-doge-stop-unlawful?fbclid=IwY2xjawJqpNdleHRuA2FlbQIxMAA
BHosh9nhSbHJoKZv9v45x_e8tapICdaQ5cZy3IWHIN1ALUFxQGrLF0guWKQF1_aem_VaqOVDHjJN
8BrkC0nndy2Q> Read and share the full press release. 

Federal Workers Impacted by Recent Layoffs:

We know that federal employees with disabilities have been disproportionally
affected by recent reductions in the federal employment workforce, and we
are doing all we can to help our blind colleagues. If you are a federal
worker impacted by the government layoffs and are interested in information
on career opportunities through the National Federation of the Blind
Employment Initiatives, please submit the
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/employment/general-interest-form>
Employment Interest Form to receive announcements about career opportunities
and to receive notices about potential financial support to attend the NFB
National Convention to explore additional employment opportunities. 

Chapter Presidents Listserv Clean Up:

Affiliate presidents have recently been asked to confirm/update chapter
presidents and their email addresses so we can clean up the chapter
president listserv distribution. Current chapter presidents who are not yet
subscribed will be added in the near future, and those who are not chapter
presidents any longer will be removed. If you have not yet sent your
affiliate's list of current chapter presidents and their email addresses,
the deadline is April 18. Going forward, when a new chapter president is
elected (or otherwise put into that position), please send an email to
<mailto:bbraun at nfb.org> Beth Braun so that modifications can be made to the
listserv, the database, and access to the NFB Portal and the Membership
Management module.

Jesse Shirek Testimony to the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee
on the Legislative Branch:

On April 9, Jesse Shirek, one of our government affairs specialists,
testified in front of the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch regarding
the importance of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print
Disabled (NLS). Jesse emphasized how critical it was that the subcommittee
maintain at least the current level of funding for the NLS. The testimony
can be found in full, beginning at 14:10, on the
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxf9vGtDAOU> House Appropriations Committee
YouTube channel. You can also
<https://appropriations.house.gov/schedule/hearings/legislative-branch-publi
c-witness-day?fbclid=IwY2xjawJqpgdleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHh8n73G_ZktPBfzHdkkcx94R6
LDzkeZWdJAqDHD8BJlmVCLshrgOw9pjN5Yp_aem_-j4eXu3V6b0EZtwRSqXbMA> read and
share the full written and verbal testimony from the hearing.

Letter to the Secretary of Education Regarding the Executive Order to Close
the Department of Education:

On March 20, 2025, the White House issued an executive order to close the
United States Department of Education. Just a few days later, on March 25,
we sent a
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements/letter-secreta
ry-education-regarding-executive-order> letter to the Secretary of
Education, Linda McMahon, reminding her of the importance of many programs
for blind and disabled Americans that are currently administered by the
Department of Education, and urging her to maintain those programs. Our
letter can be read in full on the
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements> Policy
Statements page of our website. On April 11, we received a response from
Diana Diaz, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, which states in part, "No employees in the Office
of Special Education Programs or the Rehabilitation Services Administration
were part of the reduction in force. The Department is committed to ensuring
uninterrupted services to meet the needs and develop the potential of
children and youth with disabilities, while also supporting states and other
agencies in providing vocational rehabilitation and other services."

Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 1529):

Last week, the United States House of Representatives passed the FY25
Concurrent Budget Resolution. Now that both chambers of Congress have passed
this resolution, the work begins on the comprehensive tax bill, part of the
reconciliation process that is frequently mentioned in the news. This is the
ideal opportunity that members of the National Federation of the Blind have
been waiting for to get the Access Technology Affordability Act included as
part of the larger tax legislation. A legislative alert was sent out by
Jesse Shirekon Monday, April 14, on this very topic, so please check your
inboxes and review it carefully to understand the next steps that we need to
take in order to get the Access Technology Affordability Act passed into
law!

New State Legislation Harmful to Blind Merchants:

The respective state legislatures in North Dakota and Tennessee are
considering statutory changes that would dramatically restrict or eliminate
opportunities for blind merchants to continue to operate vending facilities
in these states. We are coordinating with affiliates and the National
Association of Blind Merchants to defeat this harmful legislation. If you
learn of similar legislation in your state, please reach out immediately to
Jesse Shirek, government affairs specialist, by emailing
<mailto:jshirek at nfb.org> jshirek at nfb.org or calling 410-659-9314, extension
2348.

A Breakfast Response to Low Expectations:

Every day, the National Federation of the Blind raises the expectations of
blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people
and our dreams. An example of low expectations was displayed in a segment of
The Breakfast Club radio show regarding a news story of a blind man named
Terry Sutherland, from Indiana, who acquired a gun license but felt that he
shouldn't have been because he is blind. The Breakfast Club agreed with him
and began to perpetuate misconceptions about blind people. We address those
misconceptions in a video featuring national board members, Jim Marks and
Shawn Callaway, and Federationists, Danielle McCann and Anil Lewis.
<https://youtu.be/V8HwahweBJI?si=FFWzzB_oBtomMNqZ> Watch and share the
video, "Serving Up the Truth: A Breakfast Response on What It Really Means
to Be Blind."

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbp-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20250416/ed736739/attachment.htm>