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</v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_s1028" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Tracy Soforenko, President
1511 North Jackson Street
Arlington, VA 22201
202-285-4595
tracy.soforenko@gmail.com
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1511 North Jackson Street
Arlington, VA 22201
202-285-4595
tracy.soforenko@gmail.com
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" style='position:absolute;left:0;text-align:left;margin-left:300.85pt;margin-top:-35.25pt;width:202pt;height:79.15pt;z-index:251658752;visibility:visible;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:text;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-width-relative:margin;mso-height-relative:margin'>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><span style='mso-ignore:vglayout;position:relative;z-index:251658752'><span style='left:0px;position:absolute;left:617px;top:-53px;width:404px;height:158px'><img width=269 height=105 style='width:2.8055in;height:1.0972in' src="cid:image007.png@01D9273A.5F490E30" v:shapes="_x0000_s1026"></span></span><![endif]> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><o:p> </o:p></p><div style='mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in'><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;border:none;padding:0in'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:center'><b>2023 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FROM THE BLIND OF VIRGINIA<o:p></o:p></b></p><div style='mso-element:para-border-div;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;border:none;padding:0in'><b>Priority 1: </b><b>Modernize government procurement of accessible technology.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;border:none;padding:0in'><b>Action: Co-Sponsor HB2207 (Del. Kathy Tran).<o:p></o:p></b></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:justify'><b>Issue</b>: Technology and its impact on our lives has changed dramatically over the past 25 years. In response, Virginia and Federal laws have been updated to reflect expectations that people with disabilities will be able to participate in community life. However, Virginia law requiring accessibility to be a factor in technology acquisition has not been modernized.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:justify'>One important example of this issue is that Virginia school districts are not consistently using technology that is accessible for students with disabilities. While there is a robust market for education technology, accessibility for students with disabilities is not a factor in the product selection process by Virginia schools. This has led to the Federal Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (<b>OCR</b>) signing resolution agreements with 17 Commonwealth entities involved in educating Virginians with disabilities due to inaccessible technology since 2016. <i>See </i>Joint Commission on Technology and Science <a href="http://dls.virginia.gov/commissions/jcots/Materials/JCOTS%202022%20HB1246%20Study%20Report.pdf">2022 HB <span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlt122950538'>1</span>246 Accessible Digital Tools and Education <span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlt122948817'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlt122948816'>S</span></span>tudy</a><a name="_Hlt122948816"></a><a name="_Hlt122948817"></a><a name="_Hlt122950538"></a>. Without providing accessible technology at the front end, schools end up spending more to have educators create one-off solutions so that students with disabilities can learn alongside their peers. Moreover, while Virginia colleges and other Virginia Commonwealth entities are explicitly required to consider accessibility in their procurement process under the Virginia Information Technology Accessibility Act (<b>ITAA</b>), that law is woefully outdated given that it has not been substantively amended since its passage in 1999. This has led to many Virginia governmental entities’ websites, apps, and other information and communication technology being inaccessible. This results in, for example, difficulties in voting, obtaining information about current health and weather crises, and even finding someone in the government to address accessibility problems.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><b>Solution:</b> HB2207 modernizes the ITAA in a number of ways to provide Virginia governmental entities the guidance they need to ensure compliance with other Federal and Virginia laws that require accessible technology. These other laws include Section 504 of Federal Rehabilitation Act, the Virginia and Americans with Disabilities Acts, and, with respect to local schools, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. However, the ITAA has not kept up with current law or market realities that have changed significantly since 1999. For example, it currently only applies to those who are blind or low vision, not all persons with disabilities, despite the fact that procurement for accessibility is not legally limited or practically constrained to those who are blind. In addition, it does not cover K-12, even though 14 of the 17 OCR resolutions since 2016 have involved Virginia public school systems and technology has permeated the student experience since 1999. Moreover, it does not make it clear that the usage of the exception in the ITAA to procure accessible technology does not necessarily ensure compliance with other Federal and Virginia legal requirements. HB2207 seeks to address these shortcomings, as well as modernize the outdated technological language found in the current version of the ITAA. <o:p></o:p></p><div style='mso-element:para-border-div;border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:12.0pt;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;border:none;padding:0in'><b>Priority 2: Enable blind Virginians to become employed and live independently. <o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;border:none;padding:0in'><b>Action: Support the Governor's budget proposal for the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI). <o:p></o:p></b></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:justify'><b>Issue:</b> DBVI provides vocational rehabilitation (VR) training, leading to employment of Virginians who are blind, deaf/blind, and vision impaired. DBVI does not have sufficient dedicated funding for the state’s share of Federal-matching VR services. Without additional funding, DBVI anticipates a wait list for VR services for 40 adults and students in the next 12 months. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:justify'><b>Solution:</b> The Governor's budget request includes $642,000 for such services. This funding would help ensure the availability of sufficient funds needed to serve blind Virginians who require VR services because it would reduce the waiting list and assure a source of matching funds for the federal VR grant, ultimately saving the state money. These additional funds would help to enable blind adults and students to find employment, establish careers and become taxpayers.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:justify'><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center'><b>ABOUT THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:justify'>The National Federation of the Blind is America’s largest and most active organization of blind people. With tens of thousands of members nationwide, 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 throughout the Commonwealth, and into various special interest divisions.<u><o:p></o:p></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Tracy Soforenko<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>President, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>202 285-4595<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:Tracy.soforenko@gmail.com"><span style='color:#0563C1'>Tracy.soforenko@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nfb.org"><span style='color:#0563C1'>www.nfb.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nfbv.org"><span style='color:#0563C1'>www.nfbv.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>National Federation of the Blind. Live the Life You Want<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>