[nfb-talk] Fw: Washington Connection Legislative Update - TelephoneDirectories

[Joe Orozco]

    Alright, so either you disagree there is a problem or you are not 
willing to provide answers on how to fix it?  Come on Mike.  You're usually 
good about providing thought-out responses.  I don't know that the issue is 
important enough for us to make a legislative item out of it, but it's 
something I'd never thought to consider.

          Joe Orozco

"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."--Emiliano 
Zapata
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>; "NFB Talk Mailing List" 
<nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 8:38 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Fw: Washington Connection Legislative Update - 
TelephoneDirectories


> Won't happen. People are expensive, i.e., directory assistance operators,
> and John Q. Public is getting darned tired of navigating thru automated
> systems.
>
> Mike
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 4:42 PM
> Subject: [nfb-talk] Fw: Washington Connection Legislative Update -
> TelephoneDirectories
>
>
> I think the ACB might be on to something here.
>
>          Joe Orozco
>
> Telephone Directories
>> January 10, 2007
>>
>> In 2005, ACB passed a resolution to seek a national exemption from 411
>> charges for wire line users who are blind or visually impaired.  As 
>> stated
>> in the resolution, during the print era, paper phone directories were an
>> extremely useful tool for finding local, regional, and national
>> information
>> -- for citizens who could manipulate and see the print pages.  But for
>> many
>> disabled citizens, including blind and visually impaired individuals,
>> print
>> phone directories are of limited or no use.
>>
>> One of the strengths of ACB has always been its ability to collaborate 
>> and
>> cooperate with other organizations who share similar goals.   The 
>> National
>> Office recently came in contact with the Product Stewardship Institute
>> (PSI).  PSI is a national non-profit membership-based organization that
>> works with state and local government agencies to partner with
>> manufacturers, retailers, environmental groups, federal agencies, and
>> other
>> key stakeholders to reduce the health and environmental impacts of
>> consumer
>> products.
>>
>> Of particular interest to us was PSI's new Phone Book Project.  Telephone
>> books represent significant tonnage in the waste stream (640,000 tons per
>> year) and in the spring of 2006, PSI was asked by several state and local
>> government officials to develop a national solution to the problem of
>> unwanted phone books.   They have discussed several proposals and are
>> working towards a collaborative process that seeks agreement on joint
>> solutions.
>>
>> In a letter of support, ACB specifically endorsed phone-based directories
>> as
>> an alternative to print telephone books because of the availability and
>> ease-of-use of such phone-based systems.  The letter went on to state 
>> that
>> although internet-based directories have become increasingly popular
>> alternatives for such directory information, they are a poor substitute
>> because of the number of blind and visually impaired individuals who do
>> not
>> have internet access on a regular basis.  Similarly, many seniors,
>> disadvantaged and low-income citizens who need local services do not have
>> internet resources available either.
>>
>> Although ACB's reasons for seeking a decrease in the use of print
>> telephone
>> directories may differ from PSI's reasons, the goal of developing a 
>> system
>> that allows for less paper waste and a system that creates greater
>> accessibility are well-matched.  If the money spent on producing and
>> recycling print directories was re-allocated to free phone-based
>> directories, everyone would have easy, accessible information available 
>> at
>> home and "on the road."
>>
>>
>> Day Al-Mohamed
>> Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
>> American Council of the Blind
>> 1155 15th St. NW
>> Washington DC  20005
>> Tel. 202-467-5081
>> dalmohamed at acb.org
>>
>>
>
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