[Njagdu] [Fwd: [nagdu] Resolution Concerning Service Animals]

Wed Jun 30 22:59:37 UTC 2010

Hi Vinnie,
This resolution is excellent, I honestly don't think that there would be too much to change.  It should be pretty easy to adapt it to our state for convention.
Lynn
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Vincent Chaney 
  To: New Jersey Association of Guide Dog Users 
  Cc: Joe Ruffalo 
  Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 11:52 AM
  Subject: Re: [Njagdu] [Fwd: [nagdu] Resolution Concerning Service Animals]

  Tracy,

  Thank you for following up on keeping the NJAGDU membership up-to-date on what is happening on the NAGDU list. Personally I know I would not have known until I was at the convention and at the Resolution Committee as I am presenting another resolution dealing with the NFB DAN (Diabetes Action Network).
  If we need to bring this onto our state level, this document would be a good starting place for us to work with.

  Vinny
  Vincent Chaney Jr
  NFB Diabetes Action Network (DAN) Board of Directors
  NFBNJ Diabetes Division President 
  NJAGDU Division President
  NFBNJ Technology Division Vice President 
  NFBNJ.ORG Webmaster

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Tracy Carcione 
    To: njagdu at nfbnet.org 
    Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 10:58 AM
    Subject: [Njagdu] [Fwd: [nagdu] Resolution Concerning Service Animals]

    Below is a message our NAGDU president, Marion Gwizdala, sent to the NAGDU
    list regarding a resolution he is bringing to the national convention.
    Tracy

    ---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
    Subject: [nagdu] Resolution Concerning Service Animals
    From:    "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>
    Date:    Tue, June 29, 2010 8:49 pm
    To:      "NAGDU List" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
             ""FLAGDU List"" <FLAGDU at NFBNET.ORG>
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Dear All,
        Pasted below and attached to this message is a resolution we will
    present at the 2010 annual meeting of the National Association of
    Guide Dog Users and to the general assembly. Please take the time to
    read this resolution and ask any questions you may have. The
    membership will be asked to vote on endorsing this resolution before
    it is presented to the entire convention.

    fraternally yours,
    Marion Gwizdala, President
    National Association of Guide Dog Users
    National Federation of the Blind
    813-626-2789
    Blind411 at Verizon.net

    RESOLUTION 2010-XX

    Regarding Civil Rights Protection of Blind Persons

    and Their Service Animals in Public Accommodations

    Proponent: Marion Gwizdala

    WHEREAS, the purpose of the National Federation of the Blind is "the
    removal of the legal, social, and economic barriers faced by the blind" so
    that we will achieve "full integration into society on terms of equality";
    and

    WHEREAS, discrimination by places of public accommodation is one of the
    barriers faced by the blind, especially among those who choose to use a
    guide dog as their mobility tool; and

    WHEREAS, state laws vary in the protection from discrimination that they
    offer to their blind citizens; and

    WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits
    discrimination on the basis of disability in public accommodations and
    offers greater protection against discrimination than many state laws; and

    WHEREAS, many states have laws that contain provisions that are
    incongruent with the ADA, such as requirements that service animals must
    wear specific gear, provisions for muzzling, requirements for
    documentation, language concerning certifications that do not exist, and
    prohibitions of service animals in zoos, all of which are considered
    discriminatory under the ADA; and

    WHEREAS, although the ADA has been in existence for twenty years, many
    states have not bothered to change their laws to conform with the ADA; and

    WHEREAS, a large majority of states provide criminal penalties for
    discrimination on the basis of disability, allowing law enforcement to
    intervene, generally resulting in an immediate resolution of such access
    issues, while providing appropriate penalties for more serious
    infractions; and

    WHEREAS, criminal penalties allow for a more expeditious resolution of
    such access issues (benefiting the disabled community, in general, and
    society as a whole) by addressing discrimination at the local level, while
    relieving individuals from the burden of costly litigation and prolonged
    civil processes:  Now, therefore,

    BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention
    assembled this seventh day of July, 2010, in the city of Dallas, Texas,
    that this organization call upon state legislatures to examine their
    statutes for parity with the ADA, removing provisions that are not in
    conformity with this Federal law; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the remaining
    states that do not provide criminal penalties for discrimination against
    blind guide dog users to more effectively promote and protect the equal
    rights of their blind citizens by creating criminal penalties for acts of
    discrimination; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge all states to protect
    the civil rights of the blind by vigorous enforcement of the law.
    _______________________________________________
    nagdu mailing list
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