[nfbwatlk] Massachusetts Blind pledge to fight cut in TBBL Program

[Carl Jarvis]

The Boston Herald, USA
> Monday, March 12, 2007
> Blind pledge to fight cut$: Gov seeks to slash funds for talking book 
> libraries
> By Jessica Fargen, Health & Medical Reporter
> Blind Bay State book lovers are vowing to "make their voices heard" on  Beacon Hill after news that Gov. Deval Patrick wants to cut thousands of  dollars from libraries that give the visually impaired access to  everything from newspapers to "Harry Potter [website]."    "This is the way blind people have access to information," said Paul 
 arravano, who works in the president's office at Massachusetts Institute  of Technology and is legally blind. "I'm not throwing in the towel."

>    Parravano, 55, calls Newsline, a state-funded service that plays  recordings of newspaper articles, at least a dozen times a day.    "It's like you just pick up the newspaper. I pick up the phone," he  said.     While only a tiny slice of Patrick's proposed $26.7 billion budget,  the 4.6 percent cuts at each of the Perkins Braille and Talking Book  Library in Watertown and the Worcester Talking Book Library translate into  big bucks for the blind.     Patrick is seeking to cut $100,000 from the $2.2 million funding at  the Perkins library and $18,000 from the $390,000 program at the Worcester  library.     Steven Rothstein, president of the Perkins School for the Blind, said  less money means fewer books for fewer people. Thousands of people use the  library each year, but he estimates 150,000 aren't being served.    Cyndi Roy, a Patrick spokeswoman, defended the proposed cuts, saying  that Patrick has hard decisions to make to close a $1.3 billion budget  deficit. She added that former Gov. Mitt Romney cut talking book funding  by $263,000 last year, but Patrick restored it when he took office.    "We understand that behind every dollar is a person and unfortunately  we had to make cuts to several agencies," Roy said. "And we're glad this  one wasn't as severe as it could have been."     Sen. Stephen Brewer (D-Barre), a member of the Senate Ways and Means  Committee, said he hoped legislators could at least level-fund the  programs, calling access a "civil right" for the blind.    At least one advocate for the visually impaired called the proposed  pinch on programs for the blind another disappointment in Patrick's  administration.    "It's sad to see he has money to go out and lease a Cadillac and he  decides to make a cut in books for the blind," said Bob Hachey, president  of Bay State Council for the Blind.
-------------- next part --------------
The Boston Herald, USA
> Monday, March 12, 2007
> Blind pledge to fight cut$: Gov seeks to slash funds for talking book
> libraries
> By Jessica Fargen, Health & Medical Reporter
> Blind Bay State book lovers are vowing to "make their voices heard" on  Beacon Hill after news that Gov. Deval Patrick wants to cut thousands of  dollars from libraries that give the visually impaired access to  everything from newspapers to "Harry Potter [website]."    "This is the way blind people have access to information," said Paul 
arravano, who works in the president's office at Massachusetts Institute  of Technology and is legally blind. "I'm not throwing in the towel."
>    Parravano, 55, calls Newsline, a state-funded service that plays  recordings of newspaper articles, at least a dozen times a day.    "It's like you just pick up the newspaper. I pick up the phone," he  said.     While only a tiny slice of Patrick's proposed $26.7 billion budget,  the 4.6 percent cuts at each of the Perkins Braille and Talking Book  Library in Watertown and the Worcester Talking Book Library translate into  big bucks for the blind.     Patrick is seeking to cut $100,000 from the $2.2 million funding at  the Perkins library and $18,000 from the $390,000 program at the Worcester  library.     Steven Rothstein, president of the Perkins School for the Blind, said  less money means fewer books for fewer people. Thousands of people use the  library each year, but he estimates 150,000 aren't being served.    Cyndi Roy, a Patrick spokeswoman, defended the proposed cuts, saying  that Patrick has hard decisions to make to close a $1.3 billion budget  deficit. She added that former Gov. Mitt Romney cut talking book funding  by $263,000 last year, but Patrick restored it when he took office.    "We understand that behind every dollar is a person and unfortunately  we had to make cuts to several agencies," Roy said. "And we're glad this  one wasn't as severe as it could have been."     Sen. Stephen Brewer (D-Barre), a member of the Senate Ways and Means  Committee, said he hoped legislators could at least level-fund the  programs, calling access a "civil right" for the blind.    At least one advocate for the visually impaired called the proposed  pinch on programs for the blind another disappointment in Patrick's  administration.    "It's sad to see he has money to go out and lease a Cadillac and he  decides to make a cut in books for the blind," said Bob Hachey, president  of Bay State Council for the Blind.