[Arizona-students] NFBA legislative luncheon talking points

[Darrell Shandrow]

Back in the old days, wen I was a NFB member, I don't actually recall 
possessing a membership card.  I had no card to carry.  I guess I got left 
out; man, I feel hurt now...  :-)


Darrell Shandrow - Accessibility Evangelist
Michele Y. Sinnock (sister): 7/20/1957 - 11/29/2007
Please visit http://BlindWebAccess.com and sign the petition asking Yahoo! 
to make their CAPTCHA accessible!
Information should be accessible to us without need of translation by 
another person.
Blind Access Journal blog and podcast: http://www.blindaccessjournal.com
Check out high quality telecommunications services at http://ld.net/?nu7i
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Allison Hilliker" <hillikera at gmail.com>
To: "Arizona Association of Blind Students List" 
<arizona-students at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 3:09 PM
Subject: Re: [Arizona-students] NFBA legislative luncheon talking points


Gabe,

Any blind person can come to this.  We're working to improve the lives of
all blind Arizonians after all.  No card-carrying is necessary at any of our
events.  They're always open to everyone.

I look forward to seeing you at the luncheon!

 <smile>.

Allison:
Vice President, Arizona Association of Blind Students.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "The Blind Network" <info at theblindtechsnetwork.com>
To: "Arizona Association of Blind Students List"
<arizona-students at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 2:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Arizona-students] NFBA legislative luncheon talking points


> can any blind person come to this or do we have to be card carrying
> members?
> The Blind Network
> www.theblindtechsnetwork.com
> info at theblindtechsnetwork.com
> 623-565-9357 (west phoenix Arizona)
> 480-297-7569 (East Phoenix Arizona)
> 562-219-2309 (Los Angeles California)
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 22, 2008, at 6:58 AM, Krezguy wrote:
>
>> From Sami Hamed, Chair
> NFBA legislative committee -
>
> Hello, fellow Federationists,
>
> As you know, Thursday, January 24 is our annual legislative luncheon.
> Please try to arrive at the Capitol's Grand Canyon Room (lower level
> of the
> capitol
>
>
>
> Building) by 11:00 AM, and be prepared to stay until about 2:30 PM.
> We need
> a good turnout to be effective and have a lasting presence.  Please call
> your fellow NFBA members to
>
>
>
> urge them to attend, have lunch, and meet with their representatives and
> senators.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Please, if you haven't already done so, personally phone or e-mail
> your two
> representatives and one senator to participate in our luncheon.  If
> you need
>
>
>
> info about your own legislator, you can contact your senator and
> representatives by phone at:
>
>
>
>
>
> *       AZ House and Senate Tucson Office: (520) 398-6000
> *       Senate-Phoenix: (602) 926-3559
> *       House-Phoenix: (602) 926-4221
> *       Toll Free: 1-800-352-8404
>
>
>
>
>
> This legislative session, we, as the NFBA, will be focusing on three
> important issues with our legislators.  We need them to understand
> that the
> $500,000 appropriation made last year for Independent Living Services
> for
> the blind must be preserved and not eliminated.  The Department of
> Economic
>
>
>
> Services / RSA program, has been vastly underfunded, and the
> appropriation
> only makes a start at providing adequate services.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> We are asking the legislature to pass a model bill that helps protect
> pedestrian safety with silent hybrid automobiles.  This is also a
> national
> initiative, but the federal bill will have a better chance of passing if
> states pass their own bills.  Therefore, we, the NFBA, must get this
> passed
> in order for the Federal Government to recognize that this is a national
> issue and must be done for all of the Blind in the United States.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> We have been successful in helping pass an accessible textbook law for
> children kindergarten through high school.  Now we turn our attention to
>
>
>
> making instructional materials accessible for college and university
> students.  We are having difficulties with passing a federal law, so our
>
>
>
> national leadership has asked us to work at passing a state law that
> helps
> make post-secondary educational material accessible in order to put
> pressure
> on
>
>
>
> federal lawmakers.  Last year, the Maryland General Assembly, Senate,
> and
> Governor Martin O'Malley, passed a state accessible instructional
> materials
> text book law for college students who are Blind and attending Maryland
> Colleges and Universities.  We can pass this in Arizona.  We have a
> great
> chance to make this happen, so let's get it done and let's start
> advocating
> for passage of our soon-to-be legislative bill for Arizona.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> The two model bills are attached and also appended to the bottom of this
>
>
>
> message.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I look forward to seeing all of you at our legislative luncheon on
> Thursday,
> January 24th.  If you have any questions, please contact our
> President, Bob
> Kresmer or me.
>
> Best,
>
> Sami Hamed, Chairman
>
> NFBA Legislative Committee
>
> Cell: (520) 490-1633
>
> Home: (520) 903-1190
>
> Email:  Govhamed at aol.com
>
> Talking Points for the Arizona Legislature NFBA Legislative Luncheon
> January
> 24, 2008
>
>
> This year, we, the NFBA, are urging our legislators to preserve the 2007
> appropriation of $500,000.00 to fund the RSA Independent Living
> services for
> the blind of Arizona.   The appropriation enjoyed wide bi-partisan
> support,
> and addresses a long-time need that has never been adequately addressed.
>
> The additional funding is already begun to cause an increase in the
> level of
> services to the senior blind in our state.  Because the funding did not
> actually flow to the Rehabilitation Services Administration until late
> 2007,
> we cannot yet accurately claim exactly how many blind seniors have
> benefited
> from the appropriation.
>
>
> The state of Arizona will, after the first year of the additional
> appropriation, be able to assure legislators how many, and in what
> ways, the
> senior blind have had their lives improved.  Please do not cancel a
> long-needed program in order to meet this year's budget crunch.
>
>
>
> Model Quiet Car Legislation
> Talking Points for the Arizona Legislature NFBA Legislative Luncheon
> January
> 24, 2008
>
>
> The purpose of this legislation is to establish a minimum sound level
> standard for all phases of vehicle operation, which is to be
> applicable to
> every new vehicle sold in Arizona and licensed for use on our cities and
> counties streets and roadways.
>
> .       The total number of hybrid vehicles sold per year in Arizona is
> growing dramatically, and although the present number of hybrid vehicles
> constitutes a small overall percentage of vehicles, if this rate of
> growth
> persists, the number of hybrid vehicles will soon equal or exceed the
> number
> of internal combustion engine vehicles.  Currently, all hybrid and
> electric
> vehicles sold in Arizona do not make any sound at all.
>
> .       We, as Blind pedestrians, cannot locate and evaluate traffic
> using
> vision.  We must listen to traffic to determine its speed, direction,
> and
> distance in order to travel safely and independently; and other people,
> including pedestrians who are not blind, bicyclists, runners, and small
> children, benefit from multi-sensory information available from vehicle
> traffic, including the sound of vehicle engines.
>
> .       When operating, hybrid vehicles sold in Arizona, cannot be
> heard by
> blind people and others, rendering such vehicles extremely dangerous
> when
> driving on the street, emerging from driveways, moving through parking
> lots,
> and in other situations where pedestrians and vehicles come into
> proximity
> with each other.
>
> .       Failure by the State of Arizona to take immediate action
> assuring
> that blind pedestrians can hear hybrid and other silent vehicles in all
> phases of their operation will lead to pedestrian injuries and
> fatalities.
> This would also cause several problems for the state's auto insurance
> industry and for city and county law enforcement that enforce all
> local and
> state traffic laws.
>
> .       Fatalities and injuries can be avoided through vehicle designs
> which
> take into account the multi-sensory nature of traffic detection and
> avoidance and require that vehicles emit a minimum level of sound
> designed
> to alert all pedestrians, especially blind pedestrians, to the
> presence of
> electric and hybrid vehicles.
>
> .       Passage of this legislation will not result in any cost to
> Arizona
> taxpayers.  The only persons who would be bearing the cost are persons
> who
> purchase and lease electric and hybrid vehicles.
>
> .       Passage by the Arizona Legislature of a Model Quiet Safety
> Pedestrian Bill is urgent for the safety and security of Blind of
> Arizona
> and all persons who travel on Arizona streets and roadways.
>
>
> Arizona Equal Access to Instructional
> Materials in Higher Education Legislation Talking Points for the Arizona
> Legislature NFBA Legislative Luncheon January 24, 2008
>
>
> This year, we, the NFBA, are urging our legislators to pass the Arizona
> Equal Access to Instructional Materials in Higher Education Bill.  The
> purpose of the Equal Access to Instructional Materials in Higher
> Education
> Bill will benefit blind and other eligible students by:
>
> 1.      improving literacy,
> 2.      enhancing performance in higher education,
> 3.      improving employability, and
> 4.      reducing the cost of acquiring instructional materials in
> accessible
> formats, including Braille.
>
> .       By supporting the passage of the Accessible Instructional
> Materials
> for Higher Education for Arizona college students, the publisher can
> provide
> the book in a simple electronic format.  With technology changing
> constantly, this will allow for publishers to have the text books
> available
> to the colleges and universities without delay or additional cost to the
> college and university bookstore and the publishers.
>
> .       In our Legislative Bill, the publishers will be consulted on the
> formatting of the text book and both the consumer and the publisher,
> must
> mutually decide an acceptable formats.  If the publisher and the college
> and/or university cannot agree upon a format, the publisher will then
> provide the file in another mutually agreed upon computer or electronic
> format, such as Microsoft Word or LaTex.
>
> .       Under our legislation, the publisher does not necessarily
> supply the
> accessible instructional materials directly to the student; the college
> and/or university must supply the instructional material to the eligible
> student in the accessible format of the student's choice.  This is
> done in
> order for the publisher to work with the college and university as other
> students get their text book from the college and/or university book
> store.
>
>
> .       In our legislation, the publisher shall provide the computer or
> electronic version of the printed instructional materials to the
> eligible
> student or educational institution, at no additional cost.  Any
> student who
> requests a text book in an electronic format will be the same price as
> any
> other student pays for a print text book.  There would be no
> additional cost
> to the publisher or the student.
>
> .       In this legislation, the colleges and/or universities will not
> copy,
> publish, or in any other way distribute the accessible version of the
> instructional materials for use by anyone other than the student.
>
> .       We are not mandating that every text book must be sold to all
> blind
> students; we are only asking that they be available upon request to
> blind
> students who want them an in accessible format in order to complete
> their
> required assignments at any of our state's colleges and universities.
>
> Model Quiet Car Legislation
>
> Section 1.  This Act shall be known as the "Pedestrian Safety
> Enhancement
> Act of 2008."
>
> Section 2.  Definitions.
> (a) "Vehicle" means anything licensed for transporting people or goods
> on
> public roadways including but not limited to a car, van, light truck,
> cargo
> truck, or bus.
>
> Section 3.  Findings and Purpose.
> (a) The General Assembly of this state finds that:
> (1)     Vehicles designed to provide the desirable benefits of reducing
> harmful pollutants and operating with greater fuel efficiency include
> gasoline-electric hybrid and electric-only vehicles, and in the
> foreseeable
> future may include hydrogen fuel cell and other engine designs that
> rely on
> fuels and technologies other than the gasoline-powered internal
> combustion
> engine.
> (2)     All of the vehicle engine designs specified in (1) above, as
> well as
> other designs not specified herein, operate or are likely to operate
> with
> virtually no sound being produced by the vehicle.
> (3)     The total number of hybrid vehicles sold per year in this
> state is
> growing dramatically, and although the present number of hybrid vehicles
> constitutes a small overall percentage of vehicles, if this rate of
> growth
> persists, the number of hybrid vehicles will soon equal or exceed the
> number
> of internal combustion engine vehicles in this state.
> (4)     Because blind pedestrians cannot locate and evaluate traffic
> using
> their vision, they must listen to traffic to discern its speed,
> direction,
> and other attributes in order to travel safely and independently; and
> other
> people, including pedestrians who are not blind, bicyclists, runners,
> and
> small children, benefit from multi-sensory information available from
> vehicle traffic, including the sound of vehicle engines.
> (5)     When operating on their electric engines, hybrid vehicles sold
> in
> this state cannot be heard by blind people and others, rendering such
> vehicles extremely dangerous when driving on the street, emerging from
> driveways, moving through parking lots, and in other situations where
> pedestrians and vehicles come into proximity with each other.
> (6)     Failure of this state to take immediate action assuring that
> blind
> pedestrians can hear hybrid and other silent vehicles in all phases of
> their
> operation will lead to pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
> (7)     The results described in (6) above are preventable through
> vehicle
> designs which take into account the multi-sensory nature of traffic
> detection and avoidance and require that vehicles emit a minimum level
> of
> sound designed to alert all pedestrians, especially blind pedestrians,
> to
> the presence of said vehicles.
> (b) The purpose of this legislation is to establish a minimum sound
> level
> standard for all phases of vehicle operation, which is to be
> applicable to
> every new vehicle sold in this state and licensed for use on its public
> streets and roadways when sold and registered after a specified date.
>
> Section 4.
> (a) Within one year of enactment of this Act, the agency or agencies
> in this
> state having jurisdiction over vehicle emissions and vehicle/pedestrian
> safety shall promulgate regulations establishing a minimum sound
> standard
> applicable to vehicles sold in and licensed to travel the public roads
> of
> this state.
> (b) The standard promulgated shall have all of the following
> characteristics:
> (1)     In all phases of operation, including times when the vehicle
> is at a
> full stop, vehicles shall emit an omni-directional sound with similar
> spectral characteristics to those of a modern internal combustion
> engine.
> (2)     The sound shall vary in a way that is consistent with the
> sound of
> vehicles with combustion engines indicating that the vehicle is idling,
> maintaining a constant speed, accelerating, or decelerating.
> (3)     The regulations need not prescribe the apparatus, technology, or
> method to be used by vehicle manufacturers to achieve the required
> minimum
> sound level.
> (c) When determining a minimum sound level, the state agency or agencies
> crafting regulations pursuant to this Act shall:
> (1)     review all available research regarding the effect of traffic
> sounds
> on pedestrian safety; and
> (2)     consult consumer groups representing individuals who are blind,
> other pedestrians, cyclists, and advocates for the safety of children.
>
> Section 5.  No later than two years after the minimum sound standard
> required by this legislation has been promulgated, all new vehicles
> sold in
> this state and licensed for use on the public roads must be in
> compliance
> with the standard.
>
> Section 6.  Beginning one year after the date that new vehicles must
> comply
> with the minimum sound standard, vehicle safety inspections required
> in this
> state shall include inspection of the sound-emitting components to
> insure
> that they are functioning properly in order to provide maximum safety to
> pedestrians in this state.  Vehicles that fail to meet the minimum sound
> standard shall not be certified to travel on the roads of this state.
>
> Section 7.  This Act shall take effect immediately upon its enactment.
>
>
>
> Model Bill:
> Equal Access to Instructional Materials in Higher Education
>
>
> SECTION 1.  SHORT TITLE-This act may be cited as the "Equal Access to
> Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act."
>
> SECTION 2.  PURPOSE-The purpose of the Equal Access to Instructional
> Materials in Higher Education Act is to provide instructional
> materials in
> an accessible format to blind and other eligible students as defined
> in this
> Act at the same time as the corresponding printed instructional
> material is
> made available.  The Equal Access to Instructional Materials in Higher
> Education Act will benefit blind and other eligible students by:
>
>        A.  improving literacy,
>
>        B.  enhancing performance in higher education,
>
>        C.  improving employability, and
>
>        D. reducing the cost of acquiring instructional materials in
> accessible formats, including Braille.
>
> SECTION 3.  DEFINITIONS-
>
>        A.  "Accessible format" means one of several alternatives to
> traditional print, including Braille, audio recordings, large print, and
> computer text files.
>
>        B.  "Braille" means the tactile system of reading and writing
> used
> by persons who are blind, as defined by the Braille Authority of North
> America.
>
>        C.  "Department" refers to the State department of education.
>
>        D.  "Educational institution" means all public or private
> postsecondary educational institutions.
>
>        E.  "Instructional materials" means textbooks (including
> teacher's
> editions) and other materials that are required or essential to
> success in a
> course of study, including computerized, electronic, or Internet-based
> course materials, assignments, and tests.
>
>        F.  "Structural integrity" means the entire contents of the
> printed
> instructional materials, including the text of the material, sidebars,
> table
> of contents, chapter headings and subheadings, footnotes, captions,
> indexes,
> glossaries, bibliographies, pictures, illustrations, graphs, and charts,
> organized in a manner consistent with the original printed instructional
> materials.
>
>        G.  "Eligible student" means a person who is accepted by,
> enrolled
> at, or attending an educational institution and who is also eligible to
> receive services from the National Library Service for the Blind and
> Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress.
>
>        H.  "Textbook" means a book, a system of instructional
> materials, or
> a combination of a book and supplementary instructional material that
> conveys information to the student or otherwise contributes to the
> learning
> process, including electronic textbooks.
>
> SECTION 4. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS-
>
> A.      A publisher that prints instructional materials for eligible
> students attending educational institutions shall provide the electronic
> file in one of the methods below.
>
> (1)     Provide to the educational institution's designated coordinator,
> upon request of the eligible student, any printed instructional
> materials in
> a computer or electronic file which can be easily converted to the
> accessible format of the student's choice.
> (2)     Provide the accessible copy of the instructional materials
> directly
> to the eligible student in the accessible format of the student's
> choice.
>
>        B.  The format used by the publisher shall include any
> nationally
> recognized or generally accepted standard for conversion of files to
> Braille, such as DAISY 3.0.
>
>        C.  If no nationally recognized or generally accepted standard
> is
> appropriate, publishers shall provide the file in another mutually
> agreed
> upon computer or electronic format, such as Microsoft Word or LaTex.
>
>        D.  The educational institution may:
>
>                (1) use the computer or electronic version of the
> printed
> instructional materials that is provided by the publisher to produce the
> accessible version of the instructional materials;
>
>                (2) supply the material to a third-party transcription
> company which will in turn produce the accessible version of the
> instructional materials; or
>
>                (3) supply the electronic or computer file directly to
> the
> eligible student.
>
> In any case, when the publisher does not supply the accessible
> instructional
> materials directly to the eligible student, the educational
> institution must
> supply the instructional material to the eligible student in the
> accessible
> format of the student's choice.
>
>        E.  The computer or electronic version of the printed
> instructional
> materials supplied by the publisher shall:
>
>                (1) comply with any applicable federal standard;
>
>                (2) otherwise maintain the structural integrity of the
> printed instructional materials;
>
>                (3) include copies of all pictures, illustrations,
> graphs,
> and charts, organized in a manner consistent with the original printed
> instructional materials; and
>
> (4) include corrections and revisions as necessary.
>
>        F.  The publisher shall provide the computer or electronic
> version
> of the printed instructional materials to the eligible student or
> educational institution, at no additional cost, and within ten
> business days
> after receipt of a written request that does all of the following:
>
>                (1) certifies that the eligible student has purchased
> the
> printed instructional materials;
>
>                (2) certifies that the student is an eligible student as
> defined in section 3 of this Act; and
>
>                (3) certifies that the printed instructional materials
> are
> for use by the eligible student in connection with a course at the
> educational institution.
>
>        G.  A publisher may require that the request include a statement
> signed by both the eligible student and the educational institution
> agreeing
> that:
>
>                (1) the educational institution will not copy,
> publish, or
> in any other way distribute the accessible version of the instructional
> materials for use by anyone other than the original eligible student,
> except
> that the educational institution may provide the accessible version of
> the
> instructional materials to another eligible student who has made a
> request
> pursuant to F above and who has signed a statement agreeing to the terms
> contained in this section, unless it is otherwise permitted by federal
> law;
> and
>
>                (2) the eligible student will not copy, publish, or in
> any
> other way distribute the accessible version of the printed instructional
> materials to any other person.
>
>        H.  A publisher who manufactures instructional materials using
> any
> type of video or audio format, CD ROM, or other digital format for
> eligible
> students attending educational institutions shall, upon request,
> provide an
> accessible version of the instructional materials, subject to the same
> conditions and limitations as for printed instructional materials.
>
>        I.  Nothing in the Equal Access to Instructional Materials in
> Higher
> Education Act shall be deemed to authorize any use of instructional
> materials that would constitute an infringement of copyright pursuant to
> applicable federal copyright law.
>
> SECTION 5.  GUIDELINES-The department, in consultation with
> representatives
> from educational institutions, shall adopt guidelines consistent with
> the
> Equal Access to Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act for the
> implementation and administration of this Act.  The guidelines shall
> address
> all of the following:
>
>        A.  procedures for the suspension of publishers that fail to
> comply
> with the provisions of the Equal Access to Instructional Materials in
> Higher
> Education Act;
>
>        B.  an administrative complaint process to be followed for
> complaints against a publisher or institution of higher education;
>
>        C.  development of a list of approved third party transcription
> companies for use by educational institutions; and
>
>        D.  any other matters the department deems necessary or
> appropriate
> to carry out the purposes of the Equal Access to Instructional
> Materials in
> Higher Education Act.
>
> SECTION 6.  PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION-An eligible student who contends
> that
> there has been a violation of the Equal Access to Instructional
> Materials in
> Higher Education Act has the right to pursue a private right of action
> in a
> court of competent jurisdiction if the eligible student has exhausted
> the
> administrative complaint process.  Organizations representing the
> interests
> of persons who are blind or of other eligible students shall have
> standing
> to assert any right afforded in the Equal Access to Instructional
> Materials
> in Higher Education Act and shall be subject to the same requirements
> and
> terms as an eligible student.  If the eligible student or organization
> should prevail in a lawsuit, the eligible student or organization
> shall be
> entitled to injunctive and monetary relief and attorney's fees and costs
> incurred in the litigation.
>
>
>
> <Model Bill Equal Access to Instructional Materials in Higher
> Education act.doc><Model Quiet Cars Legislation Final
> 11-27-07.doc><NFBA AZ Quiet Car Pedestrian Talking Points
> Sheet.doc><NFBA AZ Text Book Talking Points
> Sheet.doc>_______________________________________________
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>
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