[Ohio-talk] 2017_legislative_agenda.pdf

[Richard Payne]

2017_legislative_agenda.pdf

National Federation of the Blind logo and tagline live the life you want.

LEGISLATIVE AGENDA OF BLIND AMERICANS 

PRIORITIES FOR THE 115TH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION 

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 we want. 

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. The Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HE) Act 

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Electronic instructional materials have replaced traditional methods of
learning in postsecondary education, but the overwhelming majority of
ebooks, courseware,

web content, and other technologies are inaccessible to students with print
disabilities. The law requires equal access in the classroom but fails to
provide

direction to schools for the way it applies to technology. AIM HE creates
voluntary accessibility guidelines for educational technology to stimulate
the

market, improve blind students' access to course materials, and reduce
litigation for schools. 

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. The Access Technology Affordability Act 

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Currently, blind Americans rely on scarce sources of funding to acquire
access technology. By providing a refundable tax credit for qualifying
access technology

purchases, Congress will stimulate individual procurement of access
technology and promote affordability of these tools for blind Americans. 

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. Appropriation to the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped (NLS) for the Purchase of Refreshable Braille Devices 

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Established in 1931, the NLS provides its patrons with accessible format
copies of printed works. With the latest innovations in refreshable Braille,
it

is now easier than ever before to put Braille into the hands of more Blind
people. According to a Government Accountability Office report, a one-time
appropriation

to the NLS will save money and lead to the proliferation of critically
needed Braille material for blind Americans. 

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. The Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons
Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled 

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Despite the ability to convert print books into accessible formats like
Braille, large print, audio, and digital copies, millions of blind and
otherwise

print-disabled Americans are excluded from accessing 95 percent of published
works. The Marrakesh Treaty will enable the cross-border exchange of
accessible

format copies, thereby vastly expanding the availability of accessible
foreign language literature to blind and otherwise print disabled Americans.
These

priorities will remove obstacles to employment, education, and access to
published works. We urge Congress to support our legislative initiatives. 

Mark Riccobono, President | 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230 | 410 659 9314 | www.nfb.org