[Ohio-Talk] This year's resolutions in the body of this message

[Barbara Pierce]

If you wish to read this year’s resolutions before the meeting of the committee Friday evening, I am placing all seven of them below. The committee will read through them and discuss them before voting do pass. You have another chance to hear them on Saturday afternoon. I will also send them to Richard with the suggestion that he have them placed on NEWSLINE. No one should complain this year that you did not have a chance to digest and think about them before being asked to vote on them.


 

Resolution 2021-01: Regarding the Need for Ophthalmologists and

Other Medical Professionals to Inform Newly Blind People of the Benefits of

Rehabilitation Services

 

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines us or our future, but many members of the general public do not believe or understand this principle; and

 

WHEREAS, too many medical professionals, such as ophthalmologists and optometrists, hold the same misconceptions about the capabilities of blind people as does the rest of society; and

 

WHEREAS, newly blind people frequently become frustrated because they cannot find information about how to adjust to blindness and have not been exposed to the positive philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind; and

 

WHEREAS, since ophthalmologists and optometrists are already treating newly blind people, they could provide such information but rarely do because they view blindness as a failure of their practice; and

 

WHEREAS, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults, and diabetes requires medical care from endocrinologists and other medical professionals who could also improve the quality of life and independence of their patients by giving them information about rehabilitation services but frequently fail to do so; and

 

WHEREAS occupational therapists also have direct contact with people losing vision; and

 

WHEREAS, the best way to change the attitudes of medical professionals towards blindness is to influence their specialized training programs, such as reaching out to the directors of all medical schools in the State of Ohio: Now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in Convention assembled this sixth day of November, 2021, that this organization strongly urge the directors  or governing bodies of medical schools and graduate programs of occupational therapy in the State of Ohio to work with the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities to develop a resource list of rehabilitation services for blind patients and to encourage their students and graduates  to distribute this information so that newly blind people learn to live the lives they want; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge Ohio medical schools, the Ohio Ophthalmological Society,  the Ohio Optometric Association, the Ohio Occupational Therapy Association, and the Ohio River Region Society of Endocrinology to work with the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio to ensure that medical professionals are taught that they have an obligation to inform their patients about adjustment to blindness resources and the benefits of the positive philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind.

 

 

Resolution 2021-02: Regarding the Need  for the Ohio General Assembly to Pass Legislation Protecting the Fundamental Rights of Blind Ohioans Quickly

 

WHEREAS, the blind and other disabled citizens must often work hard to pass laws protecting basic rights that the sighted and nondisabled public take for granted; and

 

WHEREAS, H.B. 352 and S.B.202, legislation protecting the rights of the blind and disabled to have custody of minor children, is now before the Ohio General Assembly; and

 

WHEREAS, HB 448 has recently been introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives to ensure that the blind have equal access to information on medication bottles, information that members of the sighted public have access to each time they fill a prescription: Now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in Convention assembled this sixth day of November, 2021, that this organization call upon the Ohio General Assembly to pass both of these bills as expeditiously as possible; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge Governor Mike DeWine to sign both bills into law without delay.

 

 

Resolution 2021-02: Regarding the Need  for the Ohio General Assembly to Pass Legislation Protecting the Fundamental Rights of Blind Ohioans Quickly

 

WHEREAS, the blind and other disabled citizens must often work hard to pass laws protecting basic rights that the sighted and nondisabled public take for granted; and

 

WHEREAS, H.B. 352 and S.B.202, legislation protecting the rights of the blind and disabled to have custody of minor children, is now before the Ohio General Assembly; and

 

WHEREAS, HB 448 has recently been introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives to ensure that the blind have equal access to information on medication bottles, information that members of the sighted public have access to each time they fill a prescription: Now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in Convention assembled this sixth day of November, 2021, that this organization call upon the Ohio General Assembly to pass both of these bills as expeditiously as possible; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge Governor Mike DeWine to sign both bills into law without delay.

 

Resolution 2021-03: Regarding Discriminatory Language Prohibiting the Blind From Obtaining Employment in Child Care Centers

 

WHEREAS,  Chapter 5101:2-12  of the Ohio Administrative Code requires that “child care center staff  must be able to see and hear children without the use of mechanical devices such as baby monitors, video cameras, or walkie talkies”; and

 

WHEREAS, 5101:2-12-20 Supervision, Staff/child

Ratios and Grouping for Licensed Child Care Centers (A), specifically says: “Supervision of children is the function of actively observing and guiding a child or group of children. This includes awareness of and responsibility for the activity of each child and being physically present and near enough to intervene if needed. Supervision means child care staff members have knowledge of children's needs, accountability for their care, and knowledge of which children they are responsible for at all times. With the exception of school age children in programs that have a written supervision policy permitting school age children to be supervised as specified in paragraph (E) of this rule, no child shall ever be left alone or unsupervised. Supervised means that children shall be within sight and hearing of child care staff members at all times. Staff must be able to see and hear children without the use of mechanical devices such as baby monitors, video cameras, or walkie talkies. The use of mirrors to view children in another room does not meet the supervision requirements of this rule”; and

 

WHEREAS, blind child care workers and teachers have successfully supervised children of all ages and abilities without sight; and

 

WHEREAS, the blind have developed and rely on alternative techniques for supervising children without sight; and

 

WHEREAS, time after time the blind have demonstrated that sight is not required  to observe actively and guide a child or group of children, including having awareness of and taking responsibility for the activity of each child and being physically present and near enough to intervene if needed; blind child care staff members, teachers, and parents have knowledge of children's needs, accountability for their care, and knowledge of which children they are responsible for; and

 

WHEREAS, this discriminatory rule has undoubtedly led to the denial of employment for numerous blind child care applicants and clearly resulted in the denial of one such applicant in the Columbus area; and

 

WHEREAS, HB352 and SB 202, which seek to prohibit discrimination against the blind and otherwise disabled in parenting and caring for minor children, are now before their respective committees in the Ohio House and Senate; and

 

WHEREAS, it is quite possible that discrimination against blind people applying for employment as child care workers is an unintended consequence of an Ohio administrative rule that might be easily misinterpreted by employers: Now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in Convention assembled this sixth day of November, 2021, that this organization call upon the director of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services to take any and all steps necessary to make it clear that the aforementioned rule shall in no way be interpreted to deny an otherwise qualified blind applicant employment at any child care center located in the state of Ohio; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call  upon Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, the state agency that has an understanding of the capacities of the blind to care for children and to perform a myriad of jobs without sight and that has the responsibility to take action to help end discrimination in the employment of the blind  in Ohio, to join our active efforts to get government officials to take action immediately to clarify that this rule in no way prevents a child care center from hiring an otherwise qualified blind job applicant.

 

 

Resolution 2021-04:

Regarding Promoting  Employment in Journalism for the blind and Visually Impaired in Ohio

 

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind cites the unemployment rate of blind and low vision individuals as 70%; and

 

WHEREAS, Blind and low vision people are underrepresented in the media industry; and

 

WHEREAS, they are routinely discouraged from entering journalism training programs and the media industry because of its barriers to employment; and

 

WHEREAS, blind and low vision journalists in Ohio and around the country have consistently demonstrated that they are fully capable of working as professional journalists; and

 

WHEREAS, Ohio has 360 newspapers, at least fifty-two full-power television stations, over 1,000 radio stations, and countless independent news websites and other news outlets and publications; and

 

WHEREAS, Ohio’s media outlets provide thousands of full-time journalism jobs and countless freelance journalism opportunities: now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in Convention assembled this 6th day of November, 2021, that this organization call upon the Ohio News Media Association, Ohio Association of Newspapers, local chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists, Ohio Association of Broadcasters, the Ohio Broadcast Educational Media Commission, the Ohio Scholastic Media Association, all Ohio colleges and universities with journalism education programs, and all Ohio news media outlets to work with the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio to ensure that blind and low vision journalists and journalism students have equal access to journalism jobs and journalism education programs.

 

Resolution 2021-05

Regarding Promoting Opportunities in Ohio’s Entertainment Industry for Blind and Low-Vision Performers

 

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind estimates that the current unemployment rate among the blind is 70%; and

 

WHEREAS, the NFB’s Performing Arts Division estimates that only 2% of all performers in the entertainment industry have any type of disability; and

 

WHEREAS, both the National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division and the Access Acting Academy, which trains blind and low-vision performers, believe blind and low-vision performers are severely underrepresented in the entertainment industry; and

 

WHEREAS, the Access Acting Academy reports that significant barriers remain preventing blind and low-vision actors from getting auditions and parts; and

 

WHEREAS, the Access Acting Academy reports that historically individuals who are blind or have low vision have been discouraged from entering performance training programs because of the barriers to finding work in the entertainment industry; and

 

WHEREAS, Ohio has a robust entertainment industry that includes 2,080 motion picture and television industry businesses that employ 11,700 and generate an estimated 35,500 jobs in Ohio and $1.2 billion in annual wages; The industry also includes various performing arts organizations, including theaters, music festivals, dance groups, symphonies, performing arts centers, ballets, operas, and performing arts schools that employ nearly 20,000 people and generate more than $1 billion in annual revenue: now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in convention assembled this 6th day of November, 2021, that this organization call upon the Ohio Arts Council, the Ohio Community Theatre Association, the Ohio Educational Theatre Association, the Ohio Film Office, the Ohio Motion Picture Association, all local and county arts organizations, all Ohio Colleges and Universities with performing arts training programs, and all Ohio performing arts venues to work with the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio to ensure that blind and low vision performers have equal access to performing arts educational programs and have equal access to motion picture and television, theatre, and other performing arts jobs in Ohio.

 

Resolution 2021-06

Regarding the Availability of Municipal Government Documents and Other Written Material in Alternative Formats

 

WHEREAS, Ohio has 88 county governments; and

 

WHEREAS, Ohio has 2,246 municipal governments that include 938 city and village governments, and 1,308 township governments; and

 

WHEREAS, county and municipal governments regularly produce numerous documents that contain information important for residents to have access to; and

 

WHEREAS, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) says that public entities must ensure that their communications with individuals with disabilities are as effective as communications with others; and

 

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Justice’s Title II Technical Assistance Manual says that the ADA’s effective communications requirement means that, when a public entity provides information in written form, it must, when requested, make that information available to individuals with vision impairments in a form that is usable by them; and

 

WHEREAS, of the 10 largest cities in Ohio, only 20% (i.e. 2) websites provided any reasonable accommodation information on their home pages or within their first level of website menus, and only one, the City of Toledo, specifically referred to the availability of documents in alternative formats: now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in Convention assembled this sixth day of November, 2021, that the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio call upon the Ohio Municipal League, the Mayors Association of Ohio, the Ohio City & County Management Association, and the County Commissioners Association of Ohio to work with the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio to educate county and municipal governments regarding the ADA’s requirements for providing written documents in alternative formats and regarding the importance of ensuring that instructions on how to request documents in alternative formats be easily located on the entities’ websites; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio call upon all counties and municipalities in Ohio to provide written documents in alternative formats as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio call upon all counties and municipalities in Ohio to provide clearly identified instructions regarding how blind and low vision individuals can request documents in alternative formats on their website homepage.

 

Resolution 2021-07

Regarding Performing Arts Venues Providing Written Material in Alternative Formats

 

WHEREAS, Title III of The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) says that, in order to provide equal access, a public accommodation is required to make available appropriate auxiliary aids and services when necessary to ensure effective communications with a person with a disability; and

 

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Justice’s Title III ADA Technical Assistance Manual states that Title III’s effective communications requirement includes providing written material in alternative formats when appropriate; and

 

WHEREAS, one of the examples used in the Title III Technical Assistance Manual showing when providing written material in alternative formats is appropriate is performing arts venues providing programs for performances in alternative formats; and

 

WHEREAS, Ohio has a robust entertainment industry of various performing arts venues, including theaters, music festivals, dance groups, symphonies, performing arts centers, ballets, and operas; and

 

WHEREAS, performing arts venues have traditionally failed to provide written material in alternative formats, and, even when material in alternative formats is available, performing arts venues often fail to advertise the availability of this accommodation: now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio in Convention assembled this sixth day of November, 2021,  that the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio call upon the Ohio Arts Council, the Ohio Community Theatre Association, the Ohio Educational Theatre Association, and all local and county arts organizations to work with the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio to educate all Ohio performing arts venues on the ADA’s requirement to provide written material in alternative formats and  to educate Ohio’s performing arts venues regarding the importance of providing easy-to-locate instructions on how to request material in alternative formats; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio calls upon all Ohio performing arts venues to provide written material in alternative formats and to provide instructions on their website home page regarding how blind and visually impaired patrons can request material in alternative formats.

 

 

Barbara Pierce (she, her, hers)
President Emerita
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
Barbara.pierce9366 at gmail.com
440-774-8077
 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise expectations for blind people because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and their dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.