RE: Rights and Responsibilities of Blind Bus Riders

WHEREAS, on May 24, 1984, representatives of the National Federation of the Blind of Lincoln, Nebraska, met with bus operators of the Lincoln Transportation System in order to discuss the rights and responsibilities of blind bus riders; and,

WHEREAS, at the time those representatives clearly stated that it is the right of each blind rider to choose whether or not he or she will accept or request assistance from any LTS operator; and,

RE: The Kennelly Amendment and Interstate Rest Area Vending

WHEREAS, seventy percent (70%) of working age blind people capable of working are unemployed or underemployed; and,

WHEREAS, the Randolph-Sheppard Act has and continues to employ thousands of blind Americans; and,

WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress has enacted the Kennelly Amendment allowing blind people to operate vending facilities in rest areas on interstate highways; and,

RE: The Nebraska Department of Insurance Investigating Insurance Discrimination

RE: Quality Education for Blind Children in Nebraska

WHEREAS, current trends indicate that an increasing number of blind children are receiving their education in a public school setting; and,

WHEREAS, there presently exists no formalized system for evaluating or insuring the effectiveness of the academic and skill training provided to blind children attending public schools; and,

RE: Consolidation of the Nebraska Schools for the Deaf and Blind

WHEREAS, it is both desirable and necessary to provide the highest quality education for blind children in Nebraska; and,

WHEREAS, the special educational needs of blind children are different from those of other children needing special educational programs; and,

WHEREAS, the Nebraska Unicameral has passed L.R. 192 providing for a study of the feasibility or desirability of consolidating the schools for the blind and the deaf; and,

RE: Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act

WHEREAS, the “Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act” was enacted on June 1st, 1985; and,

WHERAS, persons (blind or sighted) should have the opportunity to vote in their home precincts, thus eliminating the need for separate or segregated polling places; and,

(Summary)

This resolution calls upon the Nebraska Unicameral to pass legislation giving priority to blind vendors in public vending facilities, or to pass a Little Randolph-Sheppard Act in Nebraska. This resolution also calls upon us to work closely with the sponsoring senator and any other agency or organization concerned with blind vendors in the drafting of this legislation.

Passed

RE: Fostering Positive Attitudes About Blindness

WHEREAS, one of the goals of this organization is to foster positive attitudes about blindness among the general public; and,

WHEREAS, the majority of the public gets its information from the print and broadcast media (seventy-five percent of those persons rely on television); and,

WHEREAS, the media has had a history of not dealing with blindness in a reasonable or appropriate manner, often opting to sensationalize everyday activities done by blind persons; and,

RE: Advisory Committee Revision

WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind has supported the concept of an "advisory committee" to services for the blind; and,

WHEREAS, membership of such an advisory committee should be represented by those persons who are affected (a majority of two-thirds of the 9 members is reasonable); and,

WHEREAS, the Federal definition of blindness is more accurately applied to those served by Nebraska Services for the Visually Impaired; and,

RE: Nebraska Services for the Visually Impaired

WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska, are dedicated to the common goals of security, equality, and opportunity for all blind persons; and

WHEREAS, we are a state affiliate of our nation’s largest and oldest organization of the blind, the National Federation of the Blind; and