[Nfbv-announce] We do make a difference in Richmond. Read how we got a law passed.

[John Bailey]

By working with our Virginia Delegates and Senators, we got Newsline funded in Virginia. The NFBV (we) did that!

"DEL. PETERSEN'S TELEPHONIC READING SERVICES FOR THE BLIND BILL SIGNED INTO LAW"
http://cbcbvi.tripod.com/html/News/news8.htm

[Make your own free website on Tripod.com]<http://adtrack.ministerial5.com/clicknew/?a=637394>
DEL. PETERSEN'S TELEPHONIC READING SERVICES FOR THE BLIND BILL SIGNED INTO LAW

Tomorrow at his office in Richmond, Governor Mark Warner will sign into law Del. Chap Petersen's (D-Fairfax) HB 798, funding the Newsline(r) program which provides telephonic reading services for the blind.

Telephonic reading services are designed so that any person, specifically blind persons, can call into a voice telephone newspaper service (Newsline(r)) and pick among nearly 100 updated newspapers they would like to listen to.  The words from the chosen paper are transmitted through digital voice synthesis over the phone and are available by 7:00am each morning.

The idea for this bill was brought to Delegate Petersen by John Bailey, a constituent and member of the Fairfax Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind.  Del. Petersen offered the bill during the 2003 legislative session but was unsuccessful because the legislature would not agree to appropriate funds for the program.  "It was disheartening to watch the bill fail the first time, with the whole blind community supporting it," said Del. Petersen, "I was determined to go back to the drawing board and find a specific funding source so that there could be no excuse not to offer this service in Virginia."

Del. Petersen then offered the bill again in 2004 with funding coming from the telecommunications relay service.   Joe Bowman, the Commissioner for the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired, on behalf of the Warner Administration, repeatedly testified in support of the bill.  In addition, the State Corporation Commission reported that the cost of Newsline(r) would not have a significant impact on the telecommunications relay service fund.

Members of the blind community from across the Commonwealth testified before committees on behalf of this bill.  Tomorrow their hard work will officially pay off when these same activists will join Del. Petersen, Joe Bowman, and Charlie Brown, President of the Virginia Foundation of the Blind, at Governor Warner's bill signing ceremony.

"Newsline is available in 36 states, and I am proud to finally be able to include Virginia in that group...something as common as having the ability to read the newspaper in the morning won't have to be out of the ordinary for our blind citizens anymore," Del. Petersen remarked.

Back to What's New<http://cbcbvi.tripod.com/html/News/whats_new.htm>
Back to Home<http://cbcbvi.tripod.com/html/News/index.htm>
[Make your own free website on Tripod.com]<http://adtrack.ministerial5.com/clicknew/?a=637394>

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: winmail.dat
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 56911 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbv-announce_nfbnet.org/attachments/20170113/79ed19ee/attachment.bin>