[Nfbv-announce] 2015 Fact Sheet for Richmond Seminar

Sun Jan 18 02:03:14 UTC 2015

Please find below and attached the fact sheet for our Virginia General
Assembly visits.

Michael Kasey, President
1305 Prince Edward Street Fredericksburg, VA 22401
(540) 760 - 3885
michaelgkasey at verizon.net

2015 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FROM THE BLIND OF VIRGINIA

Priority #1: Virginia's Blind Students Deserve Literacy Equal to their
Sighted Peers

Action:  Co-patron HB 1325 (Patron Delegate Cole) which requires a research
based assessment of the literacy needs of Virginia's blind and low vision
students as a component of a student's Individual Education Plan (IEP) 

Issue: Visually impaired students in Virginia are not obtaining the literacy
skills to achieve future employment. Since most visually impaired students
have some residual vision, students are taught to read using large print
even when Braille or a combination of large print and Braille would best
meet the students' current and future needs. While Braille is the presumed
reading media, Virginia schools are teaching Braille to only 100 of
Virginia's 1,200 blind and low vision students. Thus, Virginia's blind and
low vision students are falling behind their sighted peers because they are
not provided the literacy skills to keep pace. While 70% of blind Americans
are unemployed, 90% of those employed know Braille. The future success and
employment of Virginia's blind and low vision students depends on literacy.
Virginia has no specific requirements for the reading media assessment. As a
result, bias, cost and familiarity often drive the use of large print when
Braille or both Large Print and Braille would best meet the students'
current and future needs.

Solution: HB1325 requires use of a research based, data driven and valid
literacy assessment tool. The literacy assessment must provide the IEP team
of parents, teachers, administrators and the teacher for the visually
impaired an objective recommendation for meeting the student's current and
future needs as compared with sighted peers. Existing literacy assessment
tools which meet this standard include a free tool developed by Louisiana
Tech University, the National Reading Media Assessment (NRMA). Since the
entire assessment can be completed in just over an hour, the NRMA could be
easily performed annually. A one-time fiscal impact is required to prepare
web based teacher training on these assessment tools. In 2014, the identical
bill SB 291 (Patron Senator Carrico) / HB 228 (Patron Delegate Cole) passed
the full Senate and the House Education Committee. The National Federation
of the Blind of Virginia urges your support of HB 1325   (Patron Delegate
Cole).

Priority #2. Ensure Transportation Network Companies are Accessible to the
Blind

Action:  Support the provisions in HB 1662 (Patron Delegate Rust) which
prohibit discrimination against guide dog users and add a requirement that
the technology be accessible to the blind.

Problem: Transportation Network Companies create transportation networks
that connect drivers and passengers.  Using a Smart Phone, users can request
rides, obtain real time information about arrivals, communicate with the
driver, and pay for the trip. Virginia's blind want to participate but are
denied due to inaccessible technology and discrimination against guide dog
users. Today's smart phones provide spoken output allowing blind users to
access most features of the device including applications built to
accessibility standards. Even though there are guidelines for maintaining
accessible smart phone applications, some of the transportation networks are
not following these guidelines, making it impossible to request or complete
a trip or connect with the driver. Blind passengers are repeatedly denied
rides because the drivers are unwilling to take a blind passenger with a
guide dog.

Solution: Support the provisions in HB 1662 (Patron Delegate Rust) which
prohibit discrimination against guide dog users and add a requirement that
the technology be accessible to the blind.

Additional Priorities:

Priority #3:  Keep DBVI as a Separate Agency - The Virginia Department for
the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI) should remain a separate agency
responsible for serving the unique needs of Virginia's blind citizens. The
National Federation of the Blind of Virginia opposes efforts to merge DBVI
into other agencies.

Priority #4:  Support Blind Entrepreneurs - Virginia's Business
Opportunities for the Blind vending program provides a priority opportunity
for blind entrepreneurs licensed by DBVI to operate vending facilities in
state buildings. The National Federation of the Blind of Virginia opposes
efforts to weaken the priority for blind entrepreneurs.

*****

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

We are your neighbors, changing what it means to be blind.  The National
Federation of the Blind is America's largest and most active organization of
the blind.  With more than 50,000 members, we are not an "agency" claiming
to speak for the blind; we are blind people speaking for ourselves.  In
Virginia, we are organized into 13 local chapters in major population
centers, and into various special interest divisions.  Through advocacy,
peer support, scholarships, specialized literature, student seminars, free
white canes, and much more, we do whatever it takes to promote full
integration of the blind into society on terms of equality.   

Tracy Soforenko

First Vice President, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia

Tracy.soforenko at gmail.com

202 285-4595

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