2004 State Resolutions

                                    
                        2004 Resolutions of the
                       National Federation of the
                           Blind of Michigan
                                    
                                    
                                contact
                        President Fred Wurtzel 
                       email nfbm@comcast.net or
                          phone (517) 372-8700
                         web page www.nfbmi.org
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                           Printed, 2005, by
                    Helping Hands Braille Ministries
                              Kentwood, MI                           Resolution 2004-01
                                                                 
WHEREAS: More than 70% of blind persons who wish to work are unemployed or
under employed, and;

WHEREAS: The unemployment rate for persons who receive rehabilitation
services from the public rehabilitation system are much lower making rehabilitation
the most successful federal program among all government services, and;

WHEREAS: Participation in a rehabilitation program, including adjustment to
blindness services that provide a positive attitude about blindness greatly reduces the
unemployment rate among those who successfully complete a program, and;

WHEREAS: The single best predictor of success in employment is the possession
of a college degree, and;

WHEREAS: The costs of all services resulting in an employment outcome that
causes the participant to cease to receive Social Security Disability or Supplemental
Security Income benefits are fully refunded to the agency for the blind, and;

WHEREAS: The cost of college related services is a relatively small portion of the
Commission's budget, and;

WHEREAS: Time spent finding new resources would be a far better use of time and
would yield much more benefit to blind people, and;

WHEREAS: The Michigan Commission for the Blind is striving to become a
consumer driven organization that values consumer input and values its clientele,
and;

WHEREAS: There is an anti consumer proposal to implement a means test for
college students that will force students not receiving SSDI or SSI to pay for college,
and;

WHEREAS: Such policies inevitably cause animosity and undue hardship and
prevent blind people from achieving their full potential and waste agency resources
by unnecessary conflict and adjudicating conflicts between the agency and the very
clients it is there to serve, and;

WHEREAS: Developing implementing and enforcing such malevolent policies uses
precious time that could be far better spent creating positive programs and services
that improve opportunities for blind people and assist blind people to become
employed, one of the primary goals of the rehabilitation process.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED in convention assembled this 14th day of
November, 2004, in the City of Midland, Michigan, that this organization goes on
record opposing any and all means tests for any services provided to blind people by
the Michigan Commission for the Blind, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon Director Cannon to direct staff to
cease and desist from planning or developing means tests or other policies that are
negative toward clients and use their time to create a positive attitude toward
blindness among staff and clients and develop creative, cost effective programs and
policies that provide more services, not fewer, and attract new resources and lead to
employment and independence for its clientele.

                           Resolution 2004-02

WHEREAS: More than 70% of blind persons who wish to work are unemployed,
and;

WHEREAS: Participation in a rehabilitation program, including adjustment to
blindness services that provide a positive attitude about blindness greatly increases
the employment rate among those who successfully complete a program, and;

WHEREAS: To be effective adjustment to blindness services that convey a positive
attitude toward blindness include measurable standards that challenge every
participant to move beyond their expectations of blind people and specifically
themselves, and;

WHEREAS: Provision of services that lead to employment and independent living
most frequently will include computer based devices such as note takers and reading
systems, and;

WHEREAS: To get the most value from these devices it is necessary for the user to
possess minimum requisite skills to get the most from the device, and;

WHEREAS: Such skills include Braille reading speed and comprehension and;

WHEREAS: There is a lack of objective, measurable and challenging standards in
place by which Michigan Commission for the Blind Rehabilitation and Independent
Living clients are measured prior to providing computer based devices, and;

WHEREAS: Application of such standards will provide a means of improving the
likely success of rehabilitation and independent living clientele in 2 ways, 1) by
improving the self confidence and self image of the client, and 2) by improving
employability by possession of marketable and useful job skills.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED this 14th day of November, 2004 in convention
assembled in Midland, Michigan that this organization call upon the Michigan
Commission for the Blind Board and Director to convene appropriate groups and
individuals, including consumer groups, to develop minimum skill goals for all
persons who receive services from the Michigan Commission for the blind prior to
providing computer based devices.

                           Resolution 2004-03

WHEREAS: The secret ballot is a lynchpin of American democracy, and;

WHEREAS: Blind people have forever in America been deprived of this most
fundamental of rights, and;

WHEREAS: The Congress of the United States passed and President Bush signed
the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and;

WHEREAS: The National Federation of the Blind was directly and integrally involved
in the crafting and passage of HAVA, and;

WHEREAS: The National Federation of the Blind of Michigan has a major stake in
the development of an accessible voting system for blind people, and;

WHEREAS: Our first desire is to work cooperatively with the Michigan Secretary
of State to fully implement the provision of HAVA, and;

WHEREAS: There are at least 3 other laws that apply to access to public
accommodations, and;

WHEREAS: Voting is a public service that requires that full access be guaranteed,
under all access laws and;

WHEREAS: HAVA, unlike other laws requiring accessibility, requires specific
access to voting, and;

WHEREAS: Congress provided funding to allow state and local governments to fully
implement the provisions of HAVA, including access to voting for blind persons, and;



WHEREAS: The State of Michigan, /Secretary Of State, Bureau of Elections has
received money for creating accessible voting for blind people, and;

WHEREAS: To date there is no public plan known to this organization for the
implementation of accessible voting in all precincts in Michigan, and;

WHEREAS: HAVA requires full voting access to blind people by 2006.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED this day of November in convention assembled in
Midland, Michigan that this organization call upon the Michigan Secretary of State to
share its plan or create a plan to fully implement the Help America Vote Act,
including access to voting for blind people, so that Michigan is fully in compliance with
the law by 2006.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Michigan offer our full cooperation and expertise to the Secretary of State
and be empowered to take any action including education, administrative and/or court
action, to see to it that the Michigan Secretary of State carry out the letter and spirit of
the Help America Vote Act.

                           Resolution 2004-04

WHEREAS: Pedestrian access to our community and its goods and services is of
vital concern to blind people, and;

WHEREAS: There is a 70% unemployment rate among blind people, and;

WHEREAS: Lack of accessible transportation, including pedestrian pathways is a
major roadblock to accessing many quality jobs, and;

WHEREAS: Development of new roads, highways and shopping centers almost
always creates a hostile pedestrian environment that inhibits blind people from fully
enjoying and utilizing community goods and services, and;

WHEREAS: There is a tendency for transportation planners to gravitate toward
expensive and ineffective means of attempting to address pedestrian access for blind
people, and;

WHEREAS: This same money and time would be better spent building sidewalks
and creating pedestrian friendly intersections.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this organization in convention assembled
this 14th day of November, in the city of Midland, Michigan, call upon the director of
the Michigan Department of Transportation to work with the National Federation of the
Blind to develop a uniform statewide policy to create a pedestrian friendly
transportation system that allows blind pedestrians to fully enjoy our communities
and participate in all aspects of community life, especially employment, without
regard to transportation.

                           Resolution 2004-05

WHEREAS: 2004 has seen a drastic reduction in intercity bus service within
Michigan, and;

WHEREAS: Blind persons depend heavily upon public transportation to engage in
commerce and otherwise enjoy the Michigan community including access to
employment education, and;

WHEREAS: Many cities, including significant regional educational and economic
centers, such as Gaylord and Mt. Pleasant, no longer have intercity bus service, and;

WHEREAS: Some major communities, including Lansing, Michigan are divided by
multiple political boundaries that are served by multiple local and regional transit
services, and;

WHEREAS: These services do not always have any or easily negotiated interfaces
nor do they always cooperate to provide user friendly networks that allow citizens to
seamlessly move from one jurisdiction to another, and;

WHEREAS: The lack of intercity bus service exacerbates and compounds the
harmful effects of the lack of transportation choices, and;

WHEREAS: This lack of seamless networks inhibits or prevents access to jobs and
enjoyment of services and access to goods available to those who do not use
automobiles to travel, and;

WHEREAS: It is desirable to allow all citizens to travel freely in order to work,
recreate and fully participate in society as first class citizens, and;

WHEREAS: Political decision has been made that allow this inefficient and harmful
system to exist.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED in convention assembled this 14th day of
November 2004 in the City of Midland, Michigan, that this organization calls upon
Governor Granholm, Director of the Department of Transportation, the Director of
the Department of Labor and Economic Growth to work with the National Federation
of the Blind of Michigan to restore intercity Bus service to all significant cities and
towns in our state, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that those same individuals develop uniform policies
that require adjacent public transit services to create and maintain seamless
interfaces that allow citizens of all jurisdictions to move about freely to the maximum
abilities of the services to provide access to areas in those jurisdictions.



                           Resolution 2004-06

                       Descriptive Video Service

WHEREAS: The blind community needs to become involved in all aspects of
American life, and;

WHEREAS: The motion picture industry is producing more and more movies
displaying visual graphics rather than dialogue, and;

WHEREAS: The technology to provide description of the visual graphics for the blind
without disturbing family members and other citizens in a movie theater has been
developed and marketed for the use of the blind community, and;

WHEREAS: Such technology has not to date become available in Michigan.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by convention assembled this 14th day of
November 2004 in the city of Midland, Michigan that this organization develop
relationship with a local theater chain to collaborate on the implementation of
description video service at a local theater;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the collaboration will serve the mutual benefit of
the blind community and the theater operator through good public relations and
corporate sponsorship.

                           Resolution 2004-07

                           Paraprofessionals

WHEREAS: Paraprofessionals are not required to have any special training or
knowledge of Braille, adaptive technology, cane travel and other skills of blindness,
and;

WHEREAS: Paraprofessionals are often expected to teach and reinforce these
skills and adapt classroom materials which are assigned to a blind student, and;

WHEREAS: Paraprofessionals assigned to deaf students are required to have
specific training and certification in areas such as sign language and receive higher
salaries and;

WHEREAS: This situation obstructs the ability of the blind student to reach his or her
highest potential, and;

WHEREAS: The lack of classification creates inconsistent and inferior educational
opportunities for blind students;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED in convention this 14th day of November 2004 in
Midland, Michigan, that this organization support efforts that will require that
paraprofessionals of blind students receive adequate training in the skills of blindness,
and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization will in conjunction with the
appropriate agencies and organizations develop and implement a means of
certification of this training.

                           Resolution 2004-08
                                    
                          Michigan Newspapers

WHEREAS: Access to printed information has always been a major barrier to the
blind, and;

WHEREAS: One of the most immediate resources for information and knowledge
that would assist people in their daily lives is the newspapers and other printed
media, and;

WHEREAS: The National Federation of the Blind has developed NFB-Newsline, a
system that enables blind people to access news media on an immediate basis, and;

WHEREAS: NFB-NEWSLINE Cannot operate without cooperation and support of
the participating newspapers, and;

WHEREAS: The newspapers currently participating in Michigan include the Detroit
Free Press, the Flint Journal and the Lansing State Journal.

THEREFORE  BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of
Michigan in convention assembled this 14th day of November 2004 in Midland,
Michigan that this organization commends and thanks these newspapers for their
contribution to NFB-NEWSLINE, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization extends its appreciation for
their contribution.

                           Resolution 2004-09
                                    
             Readers for Blind Students in Higher Education

WHEREAS: Federal law requires higher education institutions to provide auxiliary
aids and services to blind students including readers who constitute a primary tool
for blind college students to access academic programs on a equal footing with their
sighted peers because technology and alternative formats alone do not create a level
playing field, and;

WHEREAS: 34 CFR section 104.4474 regarding personal services makes sense
because personal service has no relevance to accessing academic programs, but
the regulations do not distinguish between study of a personal nature and study
required to learn and pass a college course, and;

WHEREAS: Higher education institutions are denying or limiting the use of readers
because their offices believe the disability student office is better suited to control
services than blind students and because they contend that alternative formats and
technology make readers obsolete, and;

WHEREAS: Many State vocational rehabilitation agencies that have previously
covered the cost of reader services for blind students now mistakenly believe that
they are no longer responsible to pay for such services because institutions of higher
learning take care of auxiliary aids and services through their mandate for
accessibility, and;

WHEREAS: Blind college students are being disadvantaged by the denial of reader
services for study directly linked to academic success by a lack of decision making
control over the types of auxiliary aids and services available to them, and a loss of
funding to pay for the vital services needed to insure complete access to a program
of higher learning.

THEREFORE  BE IT RESOLVED by convention assembled this 14th day of
November in Midland, Michigan that this organization call upon the United States
Congress and the U.S. Department of Education to eliminate the loopholes that
permit colleges and universities to deny reader service to blind students for study,
and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon disability support
offices at Michigan colleges and universities to develop best practice models that
embrace blind student directed reader services for study, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the Michigan
Commission for the Blind to pay for readers as a routine rehabilitative service.

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