[Nfbv-announce] 2016 Priorities of the Blind - Richmond Seminar

[Tracy Soforenko]

Please find the 2016 Richmond Seminar  Legislative Priorities From
Virginia's Blind below and attached.

 

Michael Kasey, President
1305 Prince Edward Street Fredericksburg, VA 22401
(540) 760 - 3885
michaelgkasey at verizon.net
           

 

 

 

2016 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FROM THE BLIND OF VIRGINIA

 

Priority #1: Virginia's Blind Students Deserve Literacy Equal to their
Sighted Peers

 

Action:  Co-patron HB 166 (Patron Delegate Cole, 88th District) which
requires a research-based assessment of the literacy needs of Virginia's
blind and low vision students as a component of a student's Individual
Education Plan (IEP).

 

Issue:  Visually impaired students in Virginia are not obtaining the
literacy skills to achieve future employment. Since most visually impaired
students have some residual vision, students are taught to read using large
print, even when Braille, or a combination of large print and Braille, would
best meet the students' current and future needs. While Braille is the
presumed reading media, Virginia schools are teaching Braille to only 100 of
Virginia's 1,200 blind and low vision students. Thus, Virginia's blind and
low vision students are falling behind their sighted peers because they are
not provided the literacy skills to keep pace. While 70% of blind Americans
are unemployed, 90% of those who are employed know Braille. The future
success and employment of Virginia's blind and low vision students depends
on literacy. Virginia has no specific requirements for the reading media
assessment. As a result, bias, cost, and familiarity often drive the use of
large print, when Braille, or both large print and Braille, would best meet
the students' current and future needs.

 

Solution:  HB 166 requires use of a research based, data driven and valid
literacy assessment tool. The literacy assessment must provide the IEP team
of parents, teachers, administrators and the teacher for the visually
impaired student an objective recommendation for meeting the student's
current and future needs, as compared with sighted peers. Existing literacy
assessment tools meeting this standard include a free tool developed by
Louisiana Tech University, the National Reading Media Assessment (NRMA).
Since the entire assessment can be completed in just over an hour, the NRMA
could be easily performed annually. The 2015 Fiscal Impact Statement was $0.
In 2014, the identical bill, SB 291 (Patron Senator Carrico, 40th District)
/ HB 228 (Patron Delegate Cole) passed the full Senate and the House
Education Committee. In 2015, the identical bill, HB 1325 (Patron Delegate
Cole), passed the House Education Committee. The National Federation of the
Blind of Virginia urges your support of HB 166 (Patron Delegate Cole).

 

Additional Priorities:

Priority #2:  Keep the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI)
as a separate agency. The Virginia DBVI should remain a separate agency
responsible for serving the unique needs of Virginia's blind citizens. The
National Federation of the Blind of Virginia opposes any action to merge
DBVI into other agencies.

 

Priority #3:  Support blind entrepreneurs. Virginia's Business Opportunities
for the Blind vending program provides a priority opportunity for blind
entrepreneurs licensed by DBVI to operate vending facilities in state
buildings. The National Federation of the Blind of Virginia opposes efforts
to weaken the priority for blind entrepreneurs.

 

*****

 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

 

We are your neighbors, changing what it means to be blind. The National
Federation of the Blind is America's largest and most active organization of
the blind. With more than 50,000 members, we are not an "agency" claiming to
speak for the blind; we are blind people speaking for ourselves. In
Virginia, we are organized into 13 local chapters in major population
centers, and into various special interest divisions. Through advocacy, peer
support, scholarships, specialized literature, student seminars, free white
canes, and much more, we do whatever it takes to promote full integration of
the blind into society on terms of equality.   

 

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