Voice of the Nation's Blind

VNB readers know that the National Federation of the Blind is working to secure full funding for the conversion of Talking Books provided by the Library of Congress from obsolete cassette technology to digital technology.  The following item appeared in the Sunday “On the Hill” column in the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

The head of the National Federation of the Blind in Louisiana is asking Congress to increase financing proposed by the Bush administration to speed the conversion of the federal recorded book program for the blind from analog cassettes to digital-talking books. In a letter to Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who oversees the Senate Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the program, Federation President Pamela Allen said the president's request for $12.5 million would mean a six-year delay in implementation. That kind of delay, she said, means thousands of Americans would lose access to the books. A House subcommittee voted to appropriate $34.5 million for the program, which would allow the transition to occur in three years, she said. Stephanie Allen, a Landrieu spokesman and no relationship to the federation president, said Landrieu is committed to financing that will allow the transition to occur in four years. The program now serves about 800,000 Americans, including nearly 7,000 in Louisiana.

You can read the entire column here.  While Senator Landrieu’s commitment to a four-year funding plan is admirable, the National Federation of the Blind will continue to encourage her subcommittee to match the funding appropriated by the House subcommittee so that blind Americans will have increased access to literacy as soon as possible.

In April of 2008, the National Federation of the Blind held the first-of-its-kind Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium.  As part of this landmark event, a video produced by the NFB detailing Dr. tenBroek’s life and his contributions to the field of civil rights and disability law was premiered.  This video was also recently screened at the convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Dallas.  Watch the video and learn about this legal scholar and how his contributions have shaped the lives of the blind and others.  The first Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium was a great success, and a second symposium is planned for 2009.

On July 2, 2008, the National Federation of the Blind officially launched an ambitious Braille literacy initiative—the Braille Readers Are Leaders campaign.  This campaign was kicked off by the unveiling of the design of the Louis Braille Bicentennial Commemorative Coin by the director of the U.S. Mint during the second March for Independence—A Walk for Opportunity.  The March for Independence took place on the opening day of the sixty-eighth annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Dallas, Texas.  Later that day, blind conventioneers also had a chance to hold a prototype of the coin, which will be the first coin in United States history to feature legible Braille.  To find out more about the campaign, read the official press release or visit www.braille.org, the official Braille Readers Are Leaders initiative Web site.

Last week, to the surprise of many, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a lower court ruling that the paper money of the United States discriminates against blind people.  The National Federation of the Blind opposed the lawsuit claiming discrimination by the United States Department of the Treasury, and we have expressed our opinion that the ruling which has just been upheld is flawed in its reasoning and based on emotionalism rather than evidence.  The National Federation of the Blind is not, and never has been, categorically opposed to the modification of paper money to make it more convenient for blind people to use.  Our position with respect to the court’s ruling was articulated clearly and thoroughly by President Maurer in an article in the February 2007 issue of the Braille Monitor.  In that article, Dr. Maurer said:

“… The currency contains identifiable visual markings for the sighted. Why could it not also contain tactilely identifiable markings for the blind? Undoubtedly such currency could be manufactured. However, if no need for it has been demonstrated, the decision to produce such currency is a matter for policy determination by the government rather than a requirement imposed by law.” 

Dr. Maurer went on to point out that the court ruled that paper money discriminates against the blind without any evidence to show that the blind are regularly defrauded.  Without such evidence, Dr. Maurer said, the court should not assume that the lack of non-visual mechanisms for identifying paper money results in discrimination against blind people.  The ruling implies that the blind are incapable of taking steps to prevent being defrauded or of detecting fraud when it occurs.  The ruling only contributes to the negative attitudes and stereotypes held by the general public about blind people without addressing a serious problem experienced by the blind.  That is why the National Federation of the Blind opposed the lawsuit and why the blind of America are deeply concerned about the implications of this ruling.

Pursuant to the policy of the National Federation of the Blind as articulated by the national convention, the NFB has engaged in public relations activities to counter the misperceptions about the capabilities of blind people created by the ruling.  Dr. Maurer issued a statement, and John G. Paré Jr., the executive director for strategic initiatives of the National Federation of the Blind, was interviewed on the Fox Business Network.  VNB will continue to keep readers informed about this issue.

The convention of the National Federation of the Blind is fast approaching.  Make sure to pre-register for the convention by May 31.  Pre-registration saves time and also saves you five dollars on your registration and your banquet and Texas barbeque tickets.  See you at the convention!

The dangers posed by silent vehicle technology continue to make headlines, and the general public is increasingly seeing the merits of the point of view of the National Federation of the Blind. Earlier this week, the Press-Enterprise published an excellent article about the problem. The article highlights continued scientific research about the perception of these vehicles by pedestrians, noting that a pedestrian may have as little as one second of warning in which to avoid an approaching hybrid car. Also this week, a Minnesota television station reported that a sighted eight-year-old cyclist had collided with a Toyota Prius that he did not hear. Thankfully, the child was not seriously injured. Jennifer Dunnam, the president of our Minnesota affiliate, was interviewed following this incident and explained the importance of vehicle sound to the blind and all other pedestrians. The television story has also been aired on CNN. In light of these developments, support for the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 continues to grow, with twenty-five cosponsors having signed on to H.R. 5734 at the time of this writing. Representative Towns, the sponsor of the bill, has requested that Congressional hearings be held. The National Federation of the Blind is clearly requesting action that will benefit all pedestrians, and the logic of our argument is beyond dispute. VNB will continue to keep readers informed as support for safe vehicle technology continues to grow.

Scientific research is now providing preliminary evidence of what the National Federation of the Blind has known all along: that hybrid cars and other silent vehicles pose a danger to the blind and other pedestrians.  Lawrence Rosenblum, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Riverside, has conducted an experiment which shows that a hybrid car traveling at five miles per hour must be forty percent closer to a listener than a vehicle with a traditional combustion engine traveling at the same speed before the listener can detect from which direction the hybrid car is approaching.  The experiment that produced this finding is the first in a series of tests that Professor Rosenblum plans to conduct.  There’s every reason to expect that his findings will continue to bear out the experience of blind travelers.  Read the official press release from UC Riverside about Professor Rosenblum’s findings for more information.

On April 4, the National Federation of the Blind will hold its annual Celebration.  The 2008 Celebration marks the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of the NFB headquarters in Baltimore.  Several Baltimore celebrities and dignitaries, including Maryland Congressman John P. Sarbanes, will be in attendance.  Entertainment will be provided by tribute band Beatlemagic...the ultimate beatles experience.  You can read more about the event in the official press release.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer published an editorial in its Sunday edition and online urging federal regulators or the United States Congress to act quickly to require a minimum sound standard for silent vehicles such as hybrid and electric cars.  Read the editorial here.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has published an extensive article about Anil Lewis, who is a member of the NFB Board of Directors, president of the Georgia affiliate, and chairman of the NFB Scholarship Committee.  Anil has just received a Distinguished Leadership award from the Community Leadership association.  Read the article about Anil Lewis here.