[Ohio-talk] Buckeye Update

[Eric Duffy]

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio Buckeye Update
Friday, April 11, 2014
I have survived my first week with the Mac, and the weather is pretty nice. Not that those two things are connected in any way, other than the fact that there is still hope for me and the weather to get better.
	Our BELL call will be Monday evening at 8:00 PM.  I had previously said 7:30, but 8:00 really does seem to work best for this group.
	On Tuesday evening we will have our regularly scheduled call for chapter and division presidents. This one will start at 7:30. Presidents, remember that we are asking treasurers to be on this call as well. The number to use for both calls is (605) 475-4875. Use access code 201909.
	The above number is also the one that will be used for our board meeting call on Saturday, April 26 at 10:00 AM. Everyone is invited and welcome to attend.
	We are not doing as well as I hoped we would with our Malays sales. We have not yet reached our sales total from the Christmas campaign. The board set a goal of doubleing that. We will make close to $500  from this sale again, but we have a goal of a thousand this time. Please understand that I appreciate all of you who have bought and or sold candy, but we set goals, and I want us to be accountable to ourselves and to each other. 
	Accountability and trust is important to  the organization at every level. We must be sure to do the things we say we are going to do. That responsibility falls on all of us, and I am including myself here as well.
	I do like the fact that Cheryl, Melina, and the Cuyahoga Chapter have really taken the lead with the Malleys project. They have sent out reminders and encouraging emails. I appreciate that.
	Shelbi has really done that with Scrip. She has taken most of that responsibility from me, and I appreciate that. If each chapter took responsibility for a major state fund raiser or two during the year, that would help us a lot.	 Barbara and I  have been working with Disability Rights Ohio to publicize a favorable ruling in a case in wich a public housing entity in the Dayton area has failed to provide accessible materials to a blind woman. I am including the press release here:
	 
 
Court Ruling Ensures Accessible Communication from Dayton Housing Authority
 
April 9, 2014
 
DAYTON, OH - Thanks to a court decision, a woman in the Dayton area will receive all correspondence from the Greater Dayton Premier Management (GDPM) housing authority on microcassette – a format she can read and interpret as a blind person. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio ruled that the public housing authority must provide the microcassettes while the woman’s court case is in process. This case was brought to the court on the woman’s behalf by Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE), Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. (LAWO) and Disability Rights Ohio.  

“The decision is important because it clarifies the obligation of public entities like GDPM to provide blind people with information in an accessible format based on that person’s needs,” said Kerstin Sjoberg-Witt of Disability Rights Ohio. “This important obligation is known as effective communication and is a requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Effective communication allows all individuals to have equal access to the programs and services of local and state governments, like the public housing authority in this case.”

Eric Duffy, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, said: “All too often, blind people are catapulted into a hole of nightmarish actions on the part of government agencies through no fault of their own. More often than not this happens because the government fails to meet its obligation to provide time-sensitive information accessibly. That is why this decision is important to the blind of Ohio and the nation.”

The case is ongoing, but this initial decision is an important step to ensuring equal access to GDPM’s programs for blind people. 

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For media enquiries, contact: Eric Duffy, President, National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, 614.377.9877.
 
For more information about the court decision, contact Stacy Brannan-Smith, Communications Specialist, Disability Rights Ohio, 614.466.7264, ext. 101.
	We were not directly involved with the case, but we can help spread the word. This is what we are all about. That is why it is important that we find ways to raise money, and that is why I say we must be accountable to ourselves and to each other and do what we say we are going to do within the Federation family.