[Njagdu] [Fwd: [nagdu] Resolution Concerning Service Animals]

[Vincent Chaney]

Tracy,

Thank you for following up on keeping the NJAGDU membership up-to-date on what is happening on the NAGDU list. Personally I know I would not have known until I was at the convention and at the Resolution Committee as I am presenting another resolution dealing with the NFB DAN (Diabetes Action Network).
If we need to bring this onto our state level, this document would be a good starting place for us to work with.

Vinny
Vincent Chaney Jr
NFB Diabetes Action Network (DAN) Board of Directors
NFBNJ Diabetes Division President 
NJAGDU Division President
NFBNJ Technology Division Vice President 
NFBNJ.ORG Webmaster

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tracy Carcione 
  To: njagdu at nfbnet.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 10:58 AM
  Subject: [Njagdu] [Fwd: [nagdu] Resolution Concerning Service Animals]


  Below is a message our NAGDU president, Marion Gwizdala, sent to the NAGDU
  list regarding a resolution he is bringing to the national convention.
  Tracy


  ---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
  Subject: [nagdu] Resolution Concerning Service Animals
  From:    "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>
  Date:    Tue, June 29, 2010 8:49 pm
  To:      "NAGDU List" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
           ""FLAGDU List"" <FLAGDU at NFBNET.ORG>
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Dear All,
      Pasted below and attached to this message is a resolution we will
  present at the 2010 annual meeting of the National Association of
  Guide Dog Users and to the general assembly. Please take the time to
  read this resolution and ask any questions you may have. The
  membership will be asked to vote on endorsing this resolution before
  it is presented to the entire convention.

  fraternally yours,
  Marion Gwizdala, President
  National Association of Guide Dog Users
  National Federation of the Blind
  813-626-2789
  Blind411 at Verizon.net



  RESOLUTION 2010-XX

  Regarding Civil Rights Protection of Blind Persons

  and Their Service Animals in Public Accommodations

  Proponent: Marion Gwizdala





  WHEREAS, the purpose of the National Federation of the Blind is "the
  removal of the legal, social, and economic barriers faced by the blind" so
  that we will achieve "full integration into society on terms of equality";
  and



  WHEREAS, discrimination by places of public accommodation is one of the
  barriers faced by the blind, especially among those who choose to use a
  guide dog as their mobility tool; and



  WHEREAS, state laws vary in the protection from discrimination that they
  offer to their blind citizens; and



  WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits
  discrimination on the basis of disability in public accommodations and
  offers greater protection against discrimination than many state laws; and



  WHEREAS, many states have laws that contain provisions that are
  incongruent with the ADA, such as requirements that service animals must
  wear specific gear, provisions for muzzling, requirements for
  documentation, language concerning certifications that do not exist, and
  prohibitions of service animals in zoos, all of which are considered
  discriminatory under the ADA; and



  WHEREAS, although the ADA has been in existence for twenty years, many
  states have not bothered to change their laws to conform with the ADA; and



  WHEREAS, a large majority of states provide criminal penalties for
  discrimination on the basis of disability, allowing law enforcement to
  intervene, generally resulting in an immediate resolution of such access
  issues, while providing appropriate penalties for more serious
  infractions; and



  WHEREAS, criminal penalties allow for a more expeditious resolution of
  such access issues (benefiting the disabled community, in general, and
  society as a whole) by addressing discrimination at the local level, while
  relieving individuals from the burden of costly litigation and prolonged
  civil processes:  Now, therefore,



  BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
  assembled this seventh day of July, 2010, in the city of Dallas, Texas,
  that this organization call upon state legislatures to examine their
  statutes for parity with the ADA, removing provisions that are not in
  conformity with this Federal law; and



  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the remaining
  states that do not provide criminal penalties for discrimination against
  blind guide dog users to more effectively promote and protect the equal
  rights of their blind citizens by creating criminal penalties for acts of
  discrimination; and



  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge all states to protect
  the civil rights of the blind by vigorous enforcement of the law.
  _______________________________________________
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