[NFBWV-Talk] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] NAGDU Celebrates Formation of 15th Affiliate Division

[Sheri Koch]

Sheri Koch, President
National Federation of the Blind of West Virginia
304-993-5103



Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Marion Gwizdala, President via NFBNet-Members-List" <nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org>
> Date: September 4, 2019 at 9:59:35 PM EDT
> To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] NAGDU Celebrates Formation of 15th Affiliate Division
> Reply-To: "Marion Gwizdala, President" <president at nagdu.org>
> 
>  
> NAGDU Celebrates Formation of 15th Affiliate Division
>  
>                 The National Association of Guide Dog Users, a strong and proud division of the National Federation of the Blind, is excited to announce the formation of its newest affiliate division. On August 29, leaders of the guide dog Movement in North Carolina ratified the constitution of the North Carolina Association of Guide Dog Users, formally creating the 15th National Association of Guide Dog Users’ affiliate division. The new affiliate division will hold its first annual meeting during the convention of the National Federation of the Blind of North Carolina which will be held from Thursday September 12, 2019 to Sunday September 15, 2019 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Raleigh-Durham.
>  
> “Dissolution of North Carolina’s voluntary service animal registry is the first initiative of our new division,” Says Cody Davis, an attorney who has spearheaded the creation of the association. “this registry gives the false impression that service animals must be registered as a condition of access to public places!”
>  
>                 The federal Americans with disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against disabled individuals accompanied by service dogs and expressly asserts that documentation or registration cannot be used as a precondition to access. Though North Carolina makes it a misdemeanor to deny a disabled person access because of the presence of a service dog and its service animal registry is voluntary, state law enforcement agencies have refused to file charges for violating the law if the service dog is not on the state’s registry.
>  
>                 The National Association of Guide Dog Users currently has affiliate divisions in the following states:
>  
> 1.       California
> 2.       Colorado
> 3.       Connecticut
> 4.       Florida 
> 5.       Michigan
> 6.       Missouri
> 7.       New Jersey
> 8.       New York
> 9.       North Carolina
> 10.   Ohio
> 11.   Pennsylvania
> 12.   Tennessee
> 13.   Texas
> 14.   Virginia
> 15.   Wisconsin
>  
>                 The North Carolina Association of Guide Dog Users is an affiliate division of the National Association of Guide Dog Users – the nation’s leading advocacy organization for blind people who use guide dogs – and the National Federation of the Blind of North Carolina. The National Association of Guide Dog Users conducts public awareness campaigns on issues of guide dog use, provides advocacy support for guide dog handlers who face discrimination, supports sound policy and effective legislation to protect the rights of guide dog users, offers educational programs to school and civic organizations, and functions as an integral part of the National Federation of the Blind. For more information about the North Carolina Association of Guide Dog Users, you can send a message to cdavis at nagdu.org or call (919) 349-9799. 
>  
> Marion Gwizdala, President
> National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc. (NAGDU)
> National Federation of the Blind
> (813) 626-2789
> President at NAGDU.ORG
> Visit our website
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>  
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise expectations because low expectations create barriers between blind  people and our dreams. You can live the life you want! Blindness is not what holds you back.
>  
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