<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><br><br><div id="AppleMailSignature">Marsha drenth <div>email: <a href="mailto:marsha.drenth@gmail.com">marsha.drenth@gmail.com</a> <div>Sent with my IPhone </div><div><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Please note that this email communication has been sent using my iPhone. As such, I may have used dictation and had made attempts to mitigate errors. Please do not be hesitant to ask for clarification as necessary.</span> </div></div></div><div><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> Marion Gwizdala via NAGDU <<a href="mailto:nagdu@nfbnet.org">nagdu@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Date:</b> September 26, 2018 at 9:30:51 AM EDT<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:nagdu@nfbnet.org">nagdu@nfbnet.org</a>, <a href="mailto:flagdu@nfbnet.org">flagdu@nfbnet.org</a>, <a href="mailto:coagdu@nfbnet.org">coagdu@nfbnet.org</a>, <a href="mailto:mjagdu@nfbnet.org">mjagdu@nfbnet.org</a>, <a href="mailto:nyagdu@nfbnet.org">nyagdu@nfbnet.org</a>, <a href="mailto:vaagdu@nfbnet.org">vaagdu@nfbnet.org</a><br><b>Cc:</b> Marion Gwizdala <<a href="mailto:president@nagdu.org">president@nagdu.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[NAGDU] Urgent: FAA Reauthorization</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <<a href="mailto:nagdu@nfbnet.org">nagdu@nfbnet.org</a>><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>Dear Fellow Federationists,</span><br><span></span><br><span>Please see the letter below from President Riccobono to members of</span><br><span>Congress regarding the FAA Reauthorization and feel free to disseminate</span><br><span>this as widely as appropriate.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Please call your representative in the House and urge them to either</span><br><span>remove Section 437 from H.R. 302 in its entirety, or align the language</span><br><span>with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. You can contact your</span><br><span>member of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard and asking for the</span><br><span>office in question. The number is 202-224-3121.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Fraternally Yours,</span><br><span>Marion Gwizdala</span><br><span>NAGDU President</span><br><span></span><br><span>September 25, 2018</span><br><span></span><br><span>Re: Section 437 of FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018</span><br><span></span><br><span>Dear Chairman Thune, Ranking Member Nelson, Chairman Shuster, and Ranking</span><br><span>Member DeFazio:</span><br><span></span><br><span>The National Federation of the Blind and its special interest division,</span><br><span>the National Association of Guide Dog Users, strongly oppose Section 437</span><br><span>of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 302). The proposed measures</span><br><span>detailed in this section infringe upon the civil rights of the blind by</span><br><span>imposing unnecessary and burdensome restrictions upon those of us who use</span><br><span>trained guide dogs, including people who train their own guide dogs. The</span><br><span>purpose of this letter is to address some of our main concerns with the</span><br><span>proposed language. We would welcome the opportunity to work with Congress</span><br><span>to seek a solution that is satisfactory to all stakeholders.</span><br><span></span><br><span>One concern we have with the bill is requiring guide dog users to produce</span><br><span>photographic identification of our guide dogs. This would only serve to</span><br><span>enhance the sham cottage industry of fraudulent service animal</span><br><span>certifications. Such restrictions would do nothing to curb those</span><br><span>counterfeiters who attempt to take advantage of our civil rights in order</span><br><span>to avoid legitimate fees charged by air carriers for the carriage of pets.</span><br><span></span><br><span>In addition, requiring guide dog users to obtain immunization records</span><br><span>prior to traveling on an aircraft restricts the freedom of movement for</span><br><span>the blind to travel for emergencies or simply take a spontaneous trip.</span><br><span>This requirement is therefore discriminatory by creating a separate and</span><br><span>unequal encumbrance on the blind not imposed upon our sighted peers.</span><br><span></span><br><span>We urge that Section 437 is either eliminated in its entirety or amended</span><br><span>to align with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which provides</span><br><span>sufficient protections for entities by allowing for the exclusion of any</span><br><span>animal exhibiting disruptive behavior. We further urge the implementation</span><br><span>of legal sanctions for the fraudulent misrepresentation of an animal as a</span><br><span>service animal rather than imposing undue burdens on those of us who use</span><br><span>legitimate specifically trained service animals.</span><br><span></span><br><span>We appreciate your immediate attention to this matter and we are available</span><br><span>to meet to discuss this further. I can be reached by phone at</span><br><span>410-659-9314, or by email at <a href="mailto:officeofthepresident@nfb.org">officeofthepresident@nfb.org</a>.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Sincerely,</span><br><span>Mark A. Riccobono, President</span><br><span>National Federation of the Blind</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>NAGDU mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:NAGDU@nfbnet.org">NAGDU@nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU:</span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/marsha.drenth%40gmail.com">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/marsha.drenth%40gmail.com</a></span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>