[Colorado-talk] PLEASE PASS ALONG TO INTERESTED PARTIES --2010 NFB of Colorado State Convention Press Release

[Lorinda Riddle]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 

Contact: Kevan Worley

First Vice President-National Federation of the Blind of Colorado

(303) 929-2369

 <mailto:kevanworley at worleyenterprises.com>
kevanworley at worleyenterprises.com

 

Blind of Colorado Fire Up Response to Amendments 60, 61 & Proposition 110

 

Boulder, Colorado, October 28, 2010, 7p.m. - Blind and vision impaired
citizens from across the state of Colorado will gather at the Millennium
Harvest House Hotel in Boulder, Colorado (1345 28th Street) for a rally in
opposition to ballot initiatives 60, 61 & 101. 

 

The group will be gathering the weekend of the 28th through the 31st for the
56th annual state wide Convention. According to Kevan Worley, chairman of
the Federations' efforts to defeat the ballot initiatives, "Blind people
know how damaging the passage of these draconian initiatives will be. We are
gathering for a great bonfire to express our opposition in dramatic
fashion." According to Worley, who is blind and manages companies from his
office in Colorado Springs, "The drastic cutbacks in education services,
transportation programs, the erosion of our states infrastructure and the
loss of jobs will affect blind people as much as everyone else in Colorado,
if not more." The group maintains that given the 70% unemployment rate among
people who are blind, any effort which will cause layoffs, and limit
vocational rehabilitation and job placement will hinder full integration.
The Federation will gather at the bonfire pit for a bit of street theatre. 

 

The President of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, Scott
LaBarre, is a prominent blind attorney from Denver. LaBarre says, "If
Proposition 101 passes, vital telephone relay services for the deaf will be
extinguished."  Mr. LaBarre goes on to say, "One of the challenges facing
our blind and tens of thousands of low vision Coloradans has been a lack of
timely access to information such as local newspapers, national newspapers
and magazines. In recent years the NFB-NEWSLINER program in partnership with
the state library has brought information to the blind of our state via
telephone. If 101 passes, these kinds of programs will immediately be
eliminated." LaBarre continues, "Our members are fired up! It is not
surprising that any measures which reduce employment opportunities take away
access to vital information, and further erode transit services will enflame
passions." 

 

Proposition 101 will eliminate the telephone users fee of approximately ten
cents per land line. These fees are used to fund critical communication
services for thousands of people with disabilities across our state. The NFB
of Colorado plans to begin their state Convention with a blaze of
conviction. During their Conventions opening ceremony they hope to ignite
further opposition from all citizens of Colorado to these severe, cruel and
unilateral cuts in government services. 

 

The group will burn copies of the ballot initiatives during the vigil. They
will burn large posters emblazoned with the most egregious language
contained in the ballot measures. "It is just a bit of street theatre to
call attention to the damaging effects the passage of these initiatives will
have on the blind and our families all across the state," Worley says. The
Millennium Harvest House Hotel will host the 56th Annual state Convention of
the Federation running through Sunday morning, October 31st. The Convention
also features keynote remarks from the President of the National Federation
of the Blind and noted Civil Rights leader, Dr. Mark Maurer- Baltimore,
Maryland. The group says that they are not worried about a fire in Boulder.
The Millennium Harvest House has a safe and secure fire pit which they often
use. "Perhaps we are being dramatic," Worley says. "These dreadful
initiatives call for each Coloradan to respond dramatically. We absolutely
must vote no!!!" 

 

For more information about the event, and the entire weekend Convention
contact Kevan Worley (303) 929-2369 or email Kevan Worley at
kevanworley at worleyenterprises.com.  Also, go to www.nfbco.org
<http://www.nfbco.org/>  for more information.  

 

# # #

 

 

 

Lorinda Ann Riddle 

Coordinator of Special Projects 

National Federation of the Blind 

 of Colorado (NFBCO)

2233 W. Shepperd Avenue 

Littleton, CO 80120

W: 303-778-1130 

C: 720-384-5871

lriddle at cocenter.org    www.nfbco.org

 

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