[Ohio-Talk] Protecting and Expanding the Right of the Blind to Live in the World

[Andra Stover]

On Sun, Nov 22, 2020 at 8:48 PM Suzanne Turner via Ohio-Talk <
ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

>
> Protecting and Expanding the Right of the Blind to Live in the World: The
> Report from the Advocacy and Policy Department
>
>
> by John Paré, Jeff Kaloc, and Stephanie Flynt
>
> From the Editor: Because of time constraints, we were not able to listen to
> the report of our advocacy and policy team during our 2020 National
> Convention. What follows is a report from the fine folks who make up our
> advocacy and policy group. John Paré begins the presentation after this
> introduction by President Riccobono:
>
> Our advocacy and policy team works on a daily basis to amplify and
> coordinate the advocacy activities of our affiliates across the country.
> They help us stay plugged in, connected to all the right places, and make
> sure that we synthesize the tremendous resources that we have to get the
> agenda of blind Americans accomplished in the Congress as well as helping
> with local legislators here. To kick off our advocacy report is a gentleman
> who brings as much heart and determination as anybody in the National
> Federation of the Blind to our work. He makes sure that our name is as
> well-known as any other and certainly better known than most in Washington,
> DC, and beyond. Here is the executive director for advocacy and policy,
> John
> Paré:
>
> JOHN PARÉ: Thank you, President Riccobono, and good afternoon Federation
> family. The National Federation of the Blind is composed of members who are
> imaginative, supportive, and determined. When we formed our organization
> eighty years ago, we found that the broader community dismissed us as
> irrelevant. They believed the blind were not capable of speaking for
> ourselves, but this did not stop us. In the 1990s, we challenged the
> federal
> government when it said that we could not have federal jobs, and we beat
> them. In the 1970s, we won the right of blind employees in sheltered
> workshops to organize and bargain with management about wages and working
> conditions. In the 1990s, when leaders of the United States House of
> Representatives tried to merge vocational rehabilitation services with
> human
> services programs, we just said “no” and beat them on the House floor.
> These
> three victories are just a few examples of the power of the organized blind
> movement. Our 2020 Washington Seminar was no exception. Representative
> Bobby
> Scott, chairman of the powerful committee on education and labor, spoke at
> our Great Gathering-In. We had fifteen members of Congress speak at our
> Congressional Reception, and we picked up forty-six cosponsors across our
> legislation. We were steadily working on our legislative agenda, making the
> voice of the organized blind movement heard on Capitol Hill and in our
> local
> communities. Then on March 11, the World Health Organization declared
> COVID-19 a pandemic. As the threat of COVID-19 took hold, President
> Riccobono took decisive action. On March 13, he postponed all in-person
> Federation meetings, and on March 23, the Jernigan Institute was closed.
> But
> the National Federation of the Blind is composed of members who are
> supportive, imaginative, and determined. We found ways to continue the work
> of the Federation. Our programs were adapted, our advocacy efforts
> intensified, and our commitment to our Federation family deepened. Chapter
> meetings were moved to Zoom calls, the BELL Academy was changed to the
> in-home edition, and our national convention is still occurring. Most
> importantly, our members continue to communicate with each other to discuss
> ways of persevering through the COVID-19 pandemic.
>
> When the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act was
> passed, our members began an intensive effort to educate each other on the
> Economic Impact Payments, expanded unemployment insurance, and the effects
> these programs might have on Social Security Disability Insurance [SSDI]
> and
> Supplemental Security Income [SSI]. Through it all, we continue to educate
> our elected leaders on legislation that would, when passed, improve the
> lives of blind Americans. We explained the Access Technology Affordability
> Act was needed more than ever to help blind students who are now learning
> from home, how it would help blind people look for and apply for jobs, and
> how it would help us maintain our self-sufficiency in this time of
> mandatory
> social distancing. Our cosponsor count grew rapidly, and we are now up to
> 112 cosponsors in the House and twenty-three in the Senate. We also asked
> Congress to eliminate the five-month waiting period for eligible SSDI
> recipients and the corresponding twenty-four-month waiting period for
> Medicare benefits. Eliminating these waiting periods permanently is a good
> idea; eliminating them during the COVID-19 pandemic is even more crucial.
> On
> July 24 Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois introduced the Greater
> Access and Independence through Nonvisual Access Technology Act (HR 3929).
> We are working to secure a Senate champion. This bill establishes a minimum
> nonvisual access standard for home use medical devices, home appliances,
> and
> fitness equipment. It currently has twenty-eight cosponsors in the house.
> On
> December 5, 2019, Representatives Roe and Courtney introduced the
> Accessible
> Instructional Material in Higher Education Act, and on December 18, Senator
> Warren introduced companion legislation in the Senate. The House bill
> currently has forty-three cosponsors, and the Senate bill has eight. We
> hope
> to either pass this legislation as a standalone bill or as a component of
> higher education reauthorization.
>
> We continue to advocate for the passage of the Transformation to
> Competitive
> Employment Act. As I mentioned, Chairman Bobby Scott spoke at our Great
> Gathering-In and said that subminimum wages are outdated and
> discriminatory.
> Furthermore, he said “Ending section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act
> is a critical civil rights issue that deserves our nation’s attention.” We
> could not agree more. The House bill has sixty cosponsors, and the Senate
> bill has seven.
> Now, let’s take a minute to talk about NFB-NEWSLINE®. At the beginning of
> the pandemic, when information about COVID-19 was more difficult to obtain,
> we added a special “Search” feature to NFB-NEWSLINE to help subscribers
> find
> COVID-19 breaking news. We also added COVID-19 statistics from Johns
> Hopkins
> University, and in order to make sure that all blind Americans had access
> to
> this information, President Riccobono temporarily extended the NFB-NEWSLINE
> service to all non-sponsored states. The National Federation of the Blind
> has also contracted with Deloitte Consulting to analyze NFB-NEWSLINE, the
> news industry, and trends in media consumption. We will be using this
> information to determine what enhancements are made to the service. Thank
> you to everyone who participated in our survey.
>
> We have recently integrated the core elements of the KNFB Reader into the
> NFB-NEWSLINE Mobile App. We are currently having some problems with that.
> We
> hope to rectify these problems and reissue the beta and the actual
> production app in the next few weeks. So, stay tuned for that.
>
> NFB-NEWSLINE serves more than 123,000 subscribers, and it has over
> five-hundred publications. On average, we receive 5,226 calls every day.
> And
> some portion of NFB-NEWSLINE is accessed every 1.8 seconds. The weather
> portion of the service includes detailed seven-day forecasts, emergency
> alerts, and other useful information such as air quality and heat index.
> The
> TV listings include programming for every broadcast and cable provider,
> channel mappings for your specific cable or satellite provider, and
> information on audio description. The job listings include every job listed
> on CareerBuilder and USA Jobs. Don’t forget that you can now also access
> NFB-NEWSLINE on any of the Amazon family of products.
>
> When I think of imagination, support, and determination, I think of the
> members of the National Federation of the Blind. It is our imagination that
> has helped us create opportunities and find solutions when none were
> apparent. In our support of each other, we have built a community that is
> there for us in good times and bad. It is our determination that drives us
> every day in our relentless pursuit of equality. Our bonds of friendship
> have made a lasting impact on the history of the Federation.
>
> As the American playwright, Tennessee Williams once said, “Life is partly
> what we make it and partly what is made by the friends we choose.” I am
> honored to count all of you as my friends. I am strengthened by our
> commitment to each other during this pandemic. I am proud of what we have
> accomplished together. And I look forward to working with all of you as we
> build our future and live the lives we want. Let’s build the National
> Federation of the Blind.
>
> Alright, fellow Federationists, we’re gonna move to the two specialists
> that
> helped so much in coordinating all of our work on Capitol Hill. It’s really
> our teamwork, our fifty thousand plus members, your advocacy happening in
> the Capitol and in the local districts—coordinated with the work we do in
> Baltimore and in talking in detail to staff members on the Hill—that makes
> us the success we are. Our first specialist is going to be Jeff Kaloc. He’s
> the newest member of our staff. He used to work as a staff member on
> Capitol
> Hill, so he’s been on the other side of the table as we talk to people.
> Please welcome Jeff Kaloc.
>
> JEFF KALOC: Thank you, fellow Federationists. This is my first time
> addressing you, and it is wonderful to have this opportunity and to work on
> behalf of the National Federation of the Blind. I feel passionate about the
> issues I’ll bring to you today, and it is your passion that will bring them
> to fruition. So, let me get started on my list.
>
> The Access Technology Affordability Act will provide a refundable tax
> credit
> for blind people purchasing specific assistive technology. You know about
> the specifics of the act from our fact sheets and the write-up in the
> Braille Monitor, so let me start with what you may not know. We are doing
> well, but your support is critical because we don’t want to lose out on the
> skills of any blind person, for it is a tragedy when anyone’s potential and
> productivity go to waste. Right now we’re gaining momentum with this bill.
> We have 128 cosponsors in the House and twenty-six in the Senate. Out of
> those 128 in the House, seventy-nine are Democrats and forty-nine are
> Republicans. But announcing party affiliation doesn’t fully express the
> diversity of the support we have attracted. We have members who are
> progressive as well as those who belong to the Freedom Caucus. This speaks
> volumes in demonstrating that this is a solution to a problem that does not
> have partisan distinction. This is something that every American can
> support
> and should support. Right now we have so much momentum that this
> legislation
> has the interest and the support of both Chairman Neal and Chairman
> Grassley. In addition to that, the bill was recognized at the House
> Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures by Chairman Mike Thompson. During
> that hearing, the members were discussing COVID-19 and how it affects
> families and workers during these harsh economic times. Chairman Thompson
> mentioned this bill not only during that hearing but in his opening
> statements, which just goes to show the importance of this bill and how not
> only will it impact the economy but also how it helps workers during these
> tough times caused by the pandemic.
>
> In order to push this bill further, though, we need your support. We need
> you to contact your members of Congress. We need you to call them, we need
> you to email them, or even schedule a conference call using Zoom to express
> the importance of this bill. Tell them not only how it would affect your
> life in normal times but stress the unique nature of this pandemic. We know
> that right now many people are working remotely and that students are
> learning remotely. It’s critical that this technology is at their disposal
> so that they can continue to be productive.
>
> As John mentioned previously, this is a group effort. We can’t do this on
> our own. We need you to contact your representatives and your senators and
> urge them to cosponsor this important piece of legislation.
>
> Another piece of legislation that I want to mention addresses a group that
> has been hard hit during these harsh economic times. I’m talking of course
> about our members who work in the Randolph-Sheppard (RS) program.
> Randolph-Sheppard vendors are small business owners, as many of you know.
> They operate in government facilities. These could be federal or state
> facilities. The locations our RS merchants manage are critical because they
> aid workers in gaining supplies that they need at almost no inconvenience
> to
> them. But due to the closure of these facilities, many of these
> entrepreneurs have not been able to go to work because they cannot access
> the building they work in. This has created a harsh economic downturn for
> their businesses, and they need our help today. Even when federal
> facilities
> open up, they are not going to have the same number of workers. Over time
> these facilities may end up serving the number of customers they had before
> the pandemic, but that time is not yet, and this is why it is critical that
> we receive federal aid to help these entrepreneurs and get them through
> this
> pandemic.
>
> We have been successful in the House of Representatives in gaining an
> appropriation of twenty million dollars to help Randolph-Sheppard vendors.
> But more still needs to be done. We still need to work on the Senate side
> in
> order to make sure this bill passes, and then we must coordinate with the
> White House to see that it is in favor of this legislation. All three must
> work together so that Randolph-Sheppard vendors can prosper during these
> times. This is where you come in as well. We need your support right now.
> As
> we’re reaching out to the Senate, we need you to reach out to your state’s
> Senators, and let them know that Randolph-Sheppard vendors can’t wait on
> this funding. Remind them that these businesses are different from others
> because they reside in federal and state buildings to which they have no
> access. Due to no fault of theirs, the food they have purchased will spoil
> and will need to be paid for and replaced.
>
> Lastly, I want to speak with you about voting rights. None of the things I
> mentioned would be possible without our right as American citizens to vote.
> This is an election year, and it is crucial that we do what we can to see
> that voting is accessible, private, and independent. No one should have to
> choose between their safety during this pandemic and their fundamental
> right
> to vote. Title II of the ADA states that Americans with disabilities have
> the same opportunity to vote as Americans without disabilities. That being
> said, the blind should have the same access to vote as anyone else, and
> that
> should include the right to vote both privately and independently.
>
> Unfortunately, too many states do not have the accessibility, privacy, or
> independence that blind Americans deserve in order to cast their ballots.
> Because of this frustrating process, we must contact our federal, local,
> and
> state representatives, and let them know how important voting privately,
> independently, and accessibly is to us.
>
> With this as my plea to you, I want to give the podium back to John so he
> may introduce our next speaker.
>
> JOHN: Thank you, Jeff. Alright, the Federation team is alive and strong.
> And
> we’re working together to move our legislation forward. I’m so excited.
> Thank you, Jeff for speaking about the Access Technology Affordability Act,
> the RS program, and the critical importance of voting. I appreciated the
> comments that Speaker Pelosi made the other day in her conversation with
> President Riccobono. That was terrific. Alright, now moving to Stephanie
> Flynt. We appreciate the NFB of Mississippi helping to encourage our latest
> staff member. So let’s hear from Stephanie Flynt.
>
> STEPHANIE FLYNT: Thank you, John for that wonderful introduction. And
> Federation family, it is a privilege to be able to address you in this
> capacity. I know that I don’t just speak for myself when I say that our
> virtual energy over this week has been very palpable and just absolutely
> amazing. And that has been, in part, because of Federationists like you.
>
> Winston Churchill is often credited with the quotation: History will be
> kind
> to me, for I intend to write it. That isn’t actually what he said, but for
> the sake of brevity, it probably is what he should have said. Instead, he
> said, “For my part, I consider that it will be found much better by all
> parties to leave the past to history, especially as I propose to write that
> history." But for my presentation today, let’s use the shorter quotation
> and
> just attribute it to me.
>
> Since 1940 we have written and continue to write our history in a way that
> is kind and favorable to our movement. On July 24, 2019, twelve days after
> last year’s convention, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois introduced
> H.R. 3929, the Greater Access and Independence through Nonvisual Access
> Technology Act or GAIN Act for short. This piece of legislation will
> authorize the access board to conduct a study of pre-existing nonvisual
> access standards as well as recommend and establish a nonvisual access
> standard for household appliances, fitness equipment, and home use medical
> devices. Not only does this legislation have the power to enrich the
> quality
> of life for all blind people, but it’s also, dare I say, gaining momentum
> in
> the 116th Congress. I’m pleased to report that the GAIN Act is now also up
> to twenty-nine cosponsors in the House of Representatives. History will be
> kind to us, for we intend to write it in favor of equality and opportunity
> for the nation’s blind.
>
> And speaking of equality and opportunity, after much deliberation and
> negotiation with the higher education lobby, H.R. 5312, the Accessible
> Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act (what we call the AIM HIGH
> Act) was reintroduced on December 5 of last year by Congressman Phil Roe of
> Tennessee and Congressman Joe Courtney of Connecticut. Two weeks later,
> companion legislation—S3095—was reintroduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren,
> along with Senators Michael Bennet, Joni Ernst, Jon Tester, and Dan
> Sullivan. Both the House and Senate bills were reintroduced without safe
> harbors for institutions of higher education. In addition, the primary
> tenets of AIM HIGH were incorporated into the House’s Higher Education
> Reauthorization Package. There is no doubt in my mind that, as a result of
> our movement’s relentless advocacy, lawmakers are beginning to understand
> the critical importance of equal access and that equal access is the key to
> leveling the playing field between disabled and nondisabled students. Equal
> access is the key to expanding the circle of participation and
> revolutionizing the 21st century college classroom so that our blind
> students can compete on terms of equality and have the same opportunities
> as
> their sighted peers. We know now that, more than ever, equal access to
> instructional materials is paramount to a collegiate’s success in not just
> their virtual learning environments but also in their face-to-face
> classrooms. History will be kind to us for we intend to write it in such a
> way that not even a global pandemic such as COVID-19 will be considered an
> excuse to undermine the rights of blind Americans.
>
> If there is one thing that I’ve had the privilege to witness as someone
> working on the government affairs team at our national office, it is that
> my
> Federation family always answers the call of our movement. On March 19 of
> this year, I received word from multiple sources on Capitol Hill and other
> disability groups that the Senate had proposed legislative language that
> would allow states to request or obtain waivers for all services covered
> under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA. I remember
> thinking to myself, “surely there is no way this is going to actually
> happen.” But then I saw the language, and my heart sank. I feverishly and
> fiercely typed out a call to action alert, letting my Federation family
> know
> what had happened and that it was vital to reach out to Congress in order
> to
> keep this waiver authority out of the CARES Package. Let me just say that,
> while I’m sure you are tired of seeing this same phrase over and over again
> in every single legislative alert that we send out, your calls and emails
> to
> your senators and representatives really do make a significant difference.
> It’s because of those calls and emails from Federationists like you across
> the country that the waiver authority I mentioned was weakened into a
> requirement that the secretary had to report on any waiver recommendations
> thirty days after the enactment of the CARES package. Shortly after its
> passage, President Riccobono wasted no time in writing a letter to
> Secretary
> DeVos explaining that no IDEA waivers were necessary for students, and none
> should be recommended to Congress. And spoiler alert: Secretary DeVos only
> recommended one waiver under IDEA, which extended IFSP [Individualized
> Family Service Plan] services for our blind toddlers past their third
> birthday until a safe determination of IEP services could take place.
>
> As John mentioned earlier, our advocacy and policy team has expanded our
> advocacy efforts to new dimensions in response to COVID-19. We are working
> to eliminate Social Security Disability waiting periods, which would allow
> those who have lost their jobs due to this international crisis promptly to
> begin receiving cash and insurance benefits. What is more, we are
> requesting
> an appropriation which will establish a peer support training centers’
> grant
> program, allocating ten million dollars to Structured Discovery centers
> like
> the Louisiana Center for the Blind, the Colorado Center for the Blind, and
> BLIND, Incorporated so that these vital contributors to the success of
> blind
> people may continue offering their services during and after this
> one-of-a-kind national emergency.
>
> I get asked a lot, “But how are we able to do this?” If I may go ahead and
> paraphrase Hamilton the musical to describe my Federation family, we can do
> it because my Federation family does not throw away our shot. Instead, my
> Federation family rises up to any challenges that come our way, and we are
> able to take our advocacy to new heights and give it all we’ve got. This is
> not because of me and our advocacy and policy team but because of President
> Riccobono’s steadfast leadership and his unwavering commitment to the
> nation’s blind. History will continue to be kind to us because with love,
> hope, and determination, we will write it in such a way that our
> legislative
> dreams are transformed into laws that become our reality. My Federation
> family, I invite you to join me in continuing to build the Federation with
> advocacy at the forefront of our efforts. Thank you.
>
> JOHN: Thank you, Stephanie. The depth and breadth of our advocacy, the
> advocacy of the National Federation of the Blind, knows no bounds; we are,
> as you can see, working together. We are making substantial progress on
> what
> is really our seven bills that President Riccobono mentioned earlier in
> this
> convention, along with all of the specialized work that we’ve been doing
> that Stephanie mentioned related to COVID-19. We’ve also had a great lineup
> of members of Congress speak at this national convention, beginning with
> the
> somewhat surprise presentation with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, the
> sponsor of the GAIN Act, followed by the Speaker of the House, Nancy
> Pelosi,
> followed by Senator Durbin, and now, we are going to view a presentation
> with Senator Boozman. Senator Boozman has been doing an incredible job as
> the sponsor of the Access Technology Affordability Act. President Riccobono
> spoke to him earlier this week and had a terrific conversation. Here it
> is:
>
> PRESIDENT RICCOBONO: It’s my pleasure to be here today with the senior
> senator from the great state of Arkansas, a great friend of the National
> Federation of the Blind. He was first elected to Congress in 2010. Among
> other things, he serves as the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee
> on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.  I think
> I
> first got to know him in the 115th Congress when he came to our
> congressional reception and amongst other remarks announced that he wanted
> to be the lead sponsor in the United States Senate of our Access Technology
> Affordability Act. It is a very important bill that has been advancing, and
> we really appreciate having the senator's leadership on this and other
> important initiatives we both support. It’s a pleasure today to introduce
> Senator Boozman. Senator, thank you for being with us.
>
> SENATOR BOOZMAN: Well, thanks so much. And special thanks to the National
> Federation of the Blind for inviting me to speak at your convention. As an
> optometrist, I have seen firsthand many of the struggles your members have
> to deal with on a daily basis. In fact, I can remember my brother calling
> me
> when I was at the University of Arkansas as an undergraduate. My brother
> had
> decided he was going to become an ophthalmologist. He was in a medical
> school residency and decided ophthalmology was going to be what he wanted
> to
> devote his life to, so he called me and said, “John, I’m going to get into
> ophthalmology. Why don’t you think about being an optometrist, and then we
> can work together?” So I thought about that, and my brother and I were very
> close. He was four years older than I, and so I did that. I got into my
> training, and when I was a senior, I realized that I was going to have to
> work with people who had impaired vision. I asked the dean of my school if
> I
> could go to the New York Lighthouse for the Blind, which was truly the best
> place in the country at that time for low-vision training, so I spent a
> semester there. I studied under Eleanor Faye, the great ophthalmologist who
> was such a pioneer in that area, and this was so very helpful.
>
> I came back to Arkansas and visited with the school for the blind in Little
> Rock. We set up a low-vision program. And you have to remember, this was
> back in the old days when really there were just some inexpensive, but
> fairly powerful magnifiers. I worked with this young student and got him
> where he was able to read print. The school followed up and did an
> excellent
> job. Literally he was reading newspapers. He goes home on break and he’s
> reading the newspapers, and his mom says, “What’s the deal? What are you
> doing? How can you do this?” So she called the person who was taking care
> of
> him. That doctor subsequently called the person at the school for the
> blind,
> chewed him out, and said, "Do you know what you are you doing?” And, so, I
> really do understand where we’ve been, where we are now, and what we need
> to
> do to push us in the future. That's why I introduced the bipartisan
> legislation to help blind Americans have access to the tools that they need
> to get in the workforce, in this case, with COVID-19, get back to work and
> excel in the classroom. The Access Technology Affordability Act establishes
> a $2,000 refundable tax credit for blind Americans to be used over a
> three-year-period to offset the cost of access technology. Many blind
> Americans have lost their jobs to the COVID-19 pandemic, so this is an
> excellent time to double down on their efforts. A refreshable Braille
> display will be a huge asset to search for a new position. Blind students
> of
> all ages are now learning online at home, so a Braille embosser is an
> essential tool to keep up with their schoolwork. Many states are enforcing
> stay-at-home orders. Screen reader software can help keep blind citizens
> informed of which restaurants and businesses are open and safe for them to
> visit. The legislation also, very importantly, provides flexibility for
> individuals to obtain access technology based upon their specific needs.
> And, as we all know, certainly a person who is categorized as blind—it's
> not
> a one-size-fits-all. There’s all levels of vision; there’s all levels of
> feel. So all of you know better than anyone else—accessibility requires an
> individual assessment of one’s own skills and needs. This can be especially
> valuable for blind Americans to ensure that they are receiving the tools
> that are most useful to them.
>
> The unemployment or underemployment rate among blind Americans was likely
> exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has existed, as we all know,
> for many years. According to the 2017 American Community Survey from the US
> Census Bureau, nearly 70 percent of blind, working-age Americans did not
> have full-time, full-year employment. The bill will help these Americans
> enter the labor force by shouldering a small portion of the cost for access
> technology.
> And the only other thing I’d say is that the technology we have now and the
> affordability is something that in the old days we simply couldn’t imagine.
> There are so many devices that can help make one’s life so much easier. So
> that’s really what it’s all about is working together, and I appreciate the
> efforts of your team in Washington. Fred Graefe does a great job, and you
> all are doing a great job with explaining to members how important this is
> and educating Congress as to how helpful having accessibility through a tax
> credit program is. So thank you very much, and I’ll be glad to visit and
> discuss anything you’d like. We’re willing to help you in any way that we
> can.
>
> PR: Thank you very much Senator. It’s great that you keep your leadership
> and perspective rooted in the real hopes and dreams and needs of blind
> people, bringing your personal experience to that, so we really appreciate
> that. I guess you know that we've registered more than seven thousand
> individuals to be at this online convention. Many more will be streaming
> who
> haven't registered.
>
> SB: That's great.
>
> PR: What would you want to say to those blind people who are out there?
> Some
> of them are going to be learning about this bill for the first time, and
> they’re probably saying, “Yeah, man, I need that.” What would you say to
> them in terms of what they can do to help you and our efforts to move this
> bill in the United States Senate?
>
> SB: Well, as you know, I can help educate members and twist arms and do all
> that we’re doing right now, but there is absolutely no substitute for your
> members or affiliates, for those people reaching out to their congressman,
> their senator, or you know, not necessarily directly, reaching out to their
> staff and just talking about how important this is. I think the thing that
> makes the most difference is relaying how this proposal would make a
> difference in their life, how it would make their life easier. Again, we
> helped start the low-vision clinic in Little Rock, spent many years there,
> and Dr. King took that over and is doing a tremendous job. But I know
> firsthand that some people don’t understand how to categorize blind people:
> it’s all one vision, it’s all one field of vision, all of those things. And
> so we have to educate them as to how a reader would be so helpful or a
> magnifying device that may take many different forms. In the case of
> Braille, you know, we must tell them about the various things we can do in
> that regard or a combination of all of those things—hard copy, refreshable
> Braille. But I think the best thing is personal contacts. You know, I get
> all kinds of contacts. Sometimes they’re from letters and this and that,
> but
> there is no substitute for an individual taking the time to contact by
> email
> or phone call or in-person, and it can either be staff or members.
>
> PR: Great. I’ll throw one more thing at you: so people should definitely
> Support S. 815, which is the bill we’ve been talking about. One of the
> things I love about this and the work that we do in the National Federation
> of the Blind is that it is bipartisan, has support from all angles. One of
> the things that we’ve been doing at this convention is, of course,
> encouraging blind people to register and go out to vote this year,
> regardless of their political views. We've been working hard over the last
> few months to put extra energy to make sure that blind people can vote in
> an
> accessible manner in states as the voting landscape shifts. I just wonder,
> in terms of participation in the voting process in the United States, do
> you
> have any messages for our members?
>
> SB: No, just except as you said: I would encourage them to go and vote. You
> know, the good things about these issues are that they aren’t partisan in
> nature at all. These are things that we simply need to get done and the
> idea
> that helping an individual who is handicapped in some way, this way through
> visual impairment, that’s something that we really do to coalesce. We've
> got
> good sponsors on both sides; that’s really important as you get things
> done.
> We appreciate your leadership in that regard, the leadership of your
> association, your leadership in Washington that’s doing a good job; that’s
> pushing things forward.
>
> And then, as you said, we’re getting ready to celebrate the Fourth of July,
> where we celebrate the founding of our country and the freedoms we enjoy.
> Certainly right at the top of that list is our ability to go and vote, so
> we
> shouldn’t take that for granted.
>
> PR: Well, thank you, Senator. We appreciate your leadership on behalf of
> the
> National Federation of the Blind of Arkansas, who I know really supports
> what you’re doing and your listening to their voice locally and also our
> national movement. We really appreciate your leadership on this bill and
> others, and we look forward to our continued work with you in the Congress.
>
> SB: Well, we appreciate you and appreciate the great work that your
> organization is doing. It’s how you get things done—through banding
> together. So, we’re gonna do our best to continue the work to push this
> through, and I look forward, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, that
> we’re together again in person. We're going to get through this virus. I
> would remind all who are participating really to take precautions, wear the
> mask, and do the things like social distancing. It's all about protecting
> yourself. But as important or maybe even more important, it’s about
> protecting others. So many people have underlying conditions, and we don’t
> want to get these people in difficult situations. So, again, thank you so
> much for having me, and I certainly enjoyed our time together.
>
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Thanks for sharing this. Good read. I liked tell Stephanie quoted from
Hamilton. We are definitely not throwing away our shot!