01 - Regarding the use of the term visually impaired when referring to blind people with some vision
Resolution 2024-01
Regarding the use of the term "visually impaired" when referring to blind people with some vision
WHEREAS language plays a crucial role in shaping society's perceptions and understanding of different perspectives and aspects of life; and
WHEREAS accurate terminology is an essential factor in the creation of a climate which fosters respect and inclusivity for everyone, including the blind; and
WHEREAS, at its 2024 convention, the National Federation of the Blind adopted Resolution2024-22, which calls upon organizations serving the blind to use the terms blind and low vision rather than the term visually impaired, and
WHEREAS, this resolution clearly declares that the word "blind" is meant to include people with low visual acuity or no visual acuity and does not circumvent the use of a word which, in other circles, is either avoided altogether or combined with other terms such as "visually impaired, "or "visually challenged," “sight challenged” euphemisms which are thought to be more acceptable and less off-putting to the broader community; and
WHEREAS, the term "visually impaired" (often combined with the word "blind" as in Blind and Visually Impaired) is used by many programs and agencies serving the blind as an attempt to clarify that their services are available to individuals with limited or no eyesight and not just to individuals who are totally blind; and
WHEREAS, the word "impaired" when combined with the word "vision" or "visual" implies a sense of deficiency and inferiority and perpetuates the incorrect notion that people who have vision measured as low or no eyesight are automatically less capable or limited in their abilities as compared to people with normal eyesight; and
WHEREAS, when referring to a group of people comprised of individuals with varying degrees of sight--from total blindness to legal blindness to significant vision loss--the term "blind and low vision" is a more accurate and positive description in that it correctly indicates less-than-20 20 vision without connoting the negative assumptions and stereotypes that have too often been associated with the blind; and
WHEREAS, other minorities, such as the deaf community, have successfully advocated for the use of terms like "deaf or hard of hearing" in place of "deaf and hearing impaired," thereby recognizing the value of moving away from terminology that includes the word "impaired"; and
WHEREAS self-advocacy and asserting preferred terminology can do much to challenge existing misconceptions and encourage others to adopt more accurate and respectful language; and
WHEREAS, raising awareness and educating the public to use appropriate terminology that is free from negative assumptions and stereotypes can be achieved through educational campaigns, media initiatives, and inclusive language guidelines in academic and professional settings: Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona, in Convention assembled this twenty-fourth day of August , 2024, in the city of Phoenix , Arizona, that this organization call upon Arizona based organizations, agencies, and entities that work with or serve blind individuals and believe that it is appropriate to use terms such as "blind and visually impaired," "visually impaired," or similar terminology in their names and/or promotional materials to use instead "blind," "blind and low vision," "low vision," or similar phrasing instead; and
Be it further resolved that this organization call upon the Arizona legislature to modify instances where the blind are referred to as blind and visually impaired, to blind and low vision within the Arizona Revised Statutes.
02 - Regarding Nonvisual Access to Automated and Connected Vehicles
Resolution 2024-02
Regarding Nonvisual Access to Automated and Connected Vehicles
WHEREAS vehicles with level four and five automations, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, operate vehicle steering, acceleration, and braking without human driver input and are designed so the operator is not expected to monitor the roadway while the vehicle is in self-driving mode; and
WHEREAS, connected Vehicles use technologies to communicate with the driver, other cars on the road, roadside infrastructure, and the "cloud", in order to improve vehicle safety and vehicle efficiency; and
WHEREAS private industry stakeholders like Waymo are already designing, developing, and evaluating such vehicles in Phoenix Arizona; and
Whereas, ARS 28-9707, prohibits Arizona motor Vehicle laws from requiring a human driver to be present to operate them on public roads, and
WHEREAS Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton cosponsored the Autonomous Accessibility act which would mandate full accessibility for blind drivers including access to the vehicle itself, and elimination for the need for a driver's license for level four and five autonomous vehicles, and
Whereas more than thirty states have already enacted legislation regarding automated and connected vehicles, with more states introducing such legislation every year; and
WHEREAS inadequate public transportation systems and inaccessible rural and suburban transportation options have long presented a major barrier to employment opportunities for blind people and others who cannot drive traditional vehicles; and
WHEREAS, if professionally designed from the outset, innovations in automated and connected vehicle technology represent a potentially valuable new resource to help blind people gain greater independence and overcome challenges related to limited transportation options; now, therefore.
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona in Convention assembled this 24TH day Of August , 2024, in the city of Phoenix , Arizona , that this organization commend Congressman Stanton for pioneering national legislation that would create the pathway for Blind Americans to gain equal access to transportation options for the first time, and
Be it further resolved that this organization commend Waymo for partnering with the National Federation of the Blind to create an experience with an autonomous vehicle that is working towards full accessibility, and
BE IT further RESOLVED that we call upon the Arizona legislature to adopt recommendations and enact legislation regarding level four and five autonomous vehicles that will 1) require nonvisual access in user interfaces; 2) include accessibility as a component of reporting requirements, and 3) prohibit licensing requirements that discriminate on the basis of disability; and
Be it further resolved that this organization call upon all automobile manufacturers, technology companies, and all other stakeholders involved in designing, developing, and deploying automated and connected vehicles to make their vehicles nonvisually accessible to the blind.
03 - Regarding Equivalent Certifications from the NBPCB
Resolution 2024-03
Regarding Equivalent Certifications from the National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB)
WHEREAS every blind Child living in Arizona deserves a high-quality education that empower and inspire them to live the lives they want; and
WHEREAS, in Arizona , there exists a shortage of qualified and competent instructors to fill vacant positions providing expanded core curriculum instruction to blind students including Orientation and Mobility, Daily Living Skills, and Access Technology, and
WHEREAS, the National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB), established in 2001, today provides certifications in access technology, orientation and mobility, rehabilitation teaching, and Unified English Braille--certifications which promote a positive philosophy of blindness and emphasize the importance of positive blind role models; and
WHEREAS, the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind and Arizona Department of Education recognizes certifications by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation Professionals (ACVREP), but does not recognize any of the certifications from the NBPCB; and
WHEREAS the pathway to obtaining certifications issued by ACVREP continues to be problematic for blind applicants and marginalizes blind people within the professional community affiliated with ACVREP; and
WHEREAS the NBPCB was established to administer certifications for blindness rehabilitation professionals in a way that does not discriminate against blind instructors and thus treats all certificates equally, regardless *of whether a person is blind or not; and
WHEREAS, since 2001, professionals holding certifications from the NBPCB have been successfully training blind students in Arizona and across the country through Education and vocational rehabilitation programs that are primarily funded by the United States Department of Education, thus demonstrating the efficacy and validity of certifications from the National Blindness Professional Certification Board; and
WHEREAS, by failing to recognize certifications from the National Blindness Professional Certification Board, the Arizona Department of Education Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind, and Arizona school districts denies equitable employment opportunities to individuals certified by the NBPCB and limits the instructional approaches from which blind student and their families can choose: Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona in convention assembled this 24th day of August, 2024, in the City of Phoenix, Arizona , that this organization urge the Arizona Department of Education, Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind, and Arizona school districts to accept certifications issued by the National Blindness Professional Certification Board (NBPCB), to treat these certifications as being equivalent to certifications issued by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation Professionals (ACVREP), and to require their contractors to accept NBPCB certifications wherever they accept ACVREP certifications.
04 - Regarding Discrimination Against the Blind by Transportation Network Companies
Resolution 2024-04
Regarding the Need for Urgent Action to Prevent Ongoing Discrimination Against the Blind by Transportation Network Companies
WHEREAS the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona is the oldest and largest organization of people who are blind or have low vision in the state; and
WHEREAS access to transportation means access to employment, education, family, religious worship, medical care, and civic life; and
WHEREAS, for more than a decade, Transportation Network Companies (also known as rideshare providers) such as Uber and Lyft have changed the transportation landscape for millions of Arizona residents; and
WHEREAS, Transportation Network Companies have become an indispensable option in the Arizona transit system, especially as public transit options have failed to fully rebound since the COVID pandemic; and
WHEREAS, the Regional Transportation Administration (RTA), to name one entity, has contracted with Uber and Lyft to provide on-demand, accessible, low-cost paratransit services for eligible individuals with disabilities; and
WHEREAS Uber and Lyft profit greatly from these contracts as well as from blind and other disabled riders who have need of their rideshare services; and
WHEREAS, far too often, blind riders with service animals are denied transportation when drivers find out that they will be transporting a passenger with a service animal; and
WHEREAS these service denials are discriminatory and create unwarranted obstacles to the ability of the blind to live the lives they want on terms of equality with their peers who can see; and
WHEREAS, we who are blind, despite our best efforts, are finding denial of transportation services by transportation network companies to be increasing significantly in frequency--to the extent that some guide dog handlers are being forced to consider seriously abandoning the use of guide dogs as a primary and equalizing travel tool; and
WHEREAS, what should be a great equalizer for people with disabilities has become a source of great anxiety and a transportation obstacle for service animal users; and
WHEREAS, for many years, the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona has worked diligently with community partners to end the horrendous practice of discrimination by Transportation Network Company drivers; and
WHEREAS, although there seems to be some progress on the national level through increased dialog with Uber, constant denials of service continue to blight the everyday lives of riders with service animals, creating unwarranted barriers to jobs, education, and community life; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona in convention assembled this 24th day of August , 2024, in the City of Phoenix, Arizona, that this organization call upon Governor Hobs, the Arizona Legislature, the Arizona Department of Transportation, and all state and local government subdivisions to work with the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona and to take immediate steps to eliminate the frequent, flagrant, and unwarranted denial of transportation by Transportation Network Companies against rideshare passengers with service animals; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon Transportation Network Company contract drivers and their representatives to partner with the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona to ensure that this type of transportation discrimination will not happen in the future.
05 - Regarding Ending Subminimum Wages in Arizona
Resolution 2024-05
Regarding Ending Subminimum Wages in Arizona
WHEREAS Section 14(c) of the 1938 federal Fair Labor Standards Act authorized entities that employ people with disabilities to pay less than the minimum wage to these employees through the use of special minimum wage certificates from the United States Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division; and
WHEREAS, in 2006, The state of Arizona pass legislation raising the Arizona minimum wage without including a special provision to pay persons with disabilities less than the minimum wage, and
Whereas the, then, Attorney General Terry Goddard ruled that since the "special" minimum wage was not incorporated in Arizona's minimum wage law, it was therefore no longer applicable and people currently being paid sub minimum wage by employers with this Special license were entitled to the full minimum wage, and
Whereas, the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) , consequently adopted a policy statement which exempted individuals from being classified as an employee under the following circumstances:
• The individual is receiving vocational training and is not yet capable of completing tasks at the same capacity as a paid employee, even with assistance.
• The Individuals receiving vocational training have no expectations to receive payment or compensation, but may receive a stipend,
• The training program may not last longer than 7,560 hours, but the clock may start over if the individual enters a new training program, and
Whereas: There are forty-six entities in Arizona who are licensed as certified training programs who may provide no compensation or a stipend for this prolonged "training" and
Whereas there is no standard, or process for evaluating, or monitoring how many times an individual may re-enter a "vocational training program", or what constitutes successful completion; and
WHEREAS, on September 17, 2020, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a report calling for the end of the section 14(c) waiver program because of persistent failures in regulation and oversight and because the program is inconsistent with the civil rights protections to which people with disabilities are entitled; and
WHEREAS, in October 2020, the National Council on Disability recommended the phase-out of the related federal Ability One program because of structural problems and the incompatibility of the program with federal disability policy; and
WHEREAS, an increasing number of states have eliminated, or are working toward the elimination of, the payment of subminimum wages, designing their phase-outs to move toward a competitive integrated employment model now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona in Convention assembled this 24th Day of August 2024, in the city of Phoenix AZ that this organization urge the Arizona Legislature to take a first step toward ending the payment of subminimum wages to workers with Disabilities in Arizona by establishing a Task Force designed to evaluate the duration of these "vocational training" programs, and the rate of success individuals attain completion of these training programs and become fully employed; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the Task Force to bring recommendations to protect against the inappropriate use of these training programs as long-term sheltered employment in alignment with the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the National council on disabilities recommendations, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the Arizona Legislature to enact laws making the prohibition of payment of subminimum wages a reality for every worker in Arizona.
06 - Regarding the Teaching of Unified English Braille to blind students in Arizona
Resolution 2024-06
Regarding the Teaching of Unified English Braille to blind and Low-Vision students in Arizona.
WHEREAS, On November 2, 2012, the United States members of the Braille Authority of North America, BANA, voted to adopt Unified English Braille, UEB, to replace English Braille American Edition in the United States, and
Whereas the vast majority of nationally & locally produced braille books & other documents are now only provided in the Unified English Braille code, and
Whereas The Current Arizona State Braille Law still lists English Literary Braille as the standard at which teachers should educate blind students, and
Whereas: Arizona State Senator Bennett introduced SB1328 in 2021 and in 2023 which updated the criteria for Braille teachers to Unified English Braille and included the need for teachers of blind students to obtain the Unified English Braille Certification offered by the National Blindness Professionals Board, The only certification in the United States to determine UEB competency,, or other comparable university level exam. and
Whereas: A paid lobbyist from the Veritas group representing Arizona association of Charter schools and the Foundation for blind children actively worked against the bill both years consequently causing the bill to be withdrawn, and
WHEREAS, The National Federation of the Blind of Arizona met with the Members of the Veritas group, the
Foundation for Blind Children, the Association of Charter Schools,
Which continued to state their opposition to legislation requiring teachers to demonstrate UEB competency, now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona ,assembled on this 24thday of August, 2024, in the City of Phoenix Arizona, that this organization Denounce the Veritas group and the organizations they represent for standing against legislation proposed by blind consumers and directly opposing the input from the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona, and
Be it further resolved, we demand that the Veritas group and the organizations they represent seek input from the blind community when taking any stand on legislation that has an impact on blind people in a direct manner; and
Be it further resolved that this organization demand that teachers of blind students are able to demonstrate their competence in the Unified English Braille code through successfully passing the NCUEB certification exam, or other comparable university level exam evaluating competence in the Unified English Braille code.