From tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com Wed Dec 2 15:11:25 2020 From: tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com (tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com) Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2020 15:11:25 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: [NAGDU] PLEASE READ: U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Final Rule on Traveling by Air with Service Animals In-Reply-To: <01dc01d6c8ff$f3b4dae0$db1e90a0$@gmail.com> References: <01dc01d6c8ff$f3b4dae0$db1e90a0$@gmail.com> Message-ID: <01df01d6c900$7511eba0$5f35c2e0$@gmail.com> The U.S. Department of Transportation, DOT, has announced its final rule on Traveling by Air with Service Animals. This final rule amends the Department?s Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) regulation on the transport of service animals by air. Quoted from the website, https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/final-rule-traveling-air-service-animals, "This final rule is intended to ensure that our air transportation system is safe for the traveling public and accessible to individuals with disabilities." The full PDF can be downloaded from this same link, but here are some of the changes. The final rule: ? Defines a service animal as a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability; ? No longer considers an emotional support animal to be a service animal; ? Requires airlines to treat psychiatric service animals the same as other service animals; ? Allows airlines to require forms developed by DOT attesting to a service animal?s health, behavior and training, and if taking a long flight attesting that the service animal can either not relieve itself, or can relieve itself in a sanitary manner; ? Allows airlines to require individuals traveling with a service animal to provide the DOT service animal form(s) up to 48 hours in advance of the date of travel if the passenger?s reservation was made prior to that time; ? Prohibits airlines from requiring passengers with a disability who are traveling with a service animal to physically check-in at the airport instead of using the online check in process; ? Allows airlines to require a person with a disability seeking to travel with a service animal to provide the DOT service animal form(s) at the passenger?s departure gate on the date of travel; ? Allows airlines to limit the number of service animals traveling with a single passenger with a disability to two service animals; ? Allows airlines to require a service animal to fit within its handler?s foot space on the aircraft; ? Allows airlines to require that service animals be harnessed, leashed, or tethered at all times in the airport and on the aircraft; ? Continues to allow airlines to refuse transportation to service animals that exhibit aggressive behavior and that pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others; and ? Continues to prohibit airlines from refusing to transport a service animal solely based on breed. The final rule will be effective 30 days after date of publication in the Federal Register. -- Raul A. Gallegos President: National Association of Guide Dog Users First Vice President: National Federation of the Blind of Texas 832.554.7285 | RGallegos at nagdu.org "Blindness is a characteristic, not a handicap." -- Dr. Kenneth Jernigan _______________________________________________ NAGDU mailing list NAGDU at nfbnet.org http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU: http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/judotina48kg%40gmail.com From tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com Fri Dec 4 12:33:15 2020 From: tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com (tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com) Date: Fri, 4 Dec 2020 12:33:15 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: Department of Transportation Final Regulations on Traveling by Air with Service Animals In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <009101d6ca7c$b1b78c40$1526a4c0$@gmail.com> Subject: Department of Transportation Final Regulations on Traveling by Air with Service Animals Dear Graduate of The Seeing Eye: We are reaching out to let you know that the Department of Transportation has issued final regulations on traveling by air with service animals. Before we go into any detail about what the regulations mean for guide dog handlers, we want to assure you that you should not expect any changes right away. These regulations were issued on December 2 but have not yet been published in the federal Register, which is where federal regulations are officially published after they are finalized. The regulations will not take effect until 30 days from the date they are published in the Federal Register. After that time, airlines must make any necessary adjustments to their policies to comply with the regulations. Here is what the new regulations will mean for air travelers with guide dogs once they are effective: * Only dogs are service animals under the new regulations. A service animal is defined as a dog, regardless of breed or type, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified person with a disability. This means that emotional support animals are no longer considered to be service animals under the new regulations. * The new regulations do allow airlines to require people traveling with service animals to submit a form attesting to their dog?s good behavior, health and training. If airlines choose to require the form, they must use a standard form developed by DOT. It is called the Service Animal Air Transportation Form. The form is completed and signed by the service animal handler. * Airlines are allowed to require passengers to submit the Air Transportation Form 48 hours in advance of a flight. Airlines are required to have an accessible version of the form on their web site and to allow submission of the form electronically or by hard copy. If the reservation is made less than 48 hours before the flight, airlines can require the passenger to submit the form at the gate. * The form must be current. This means it has to be completed on or after the date the ticket was purchased. Airlines can require the form for each round trip but not more than once in a trip. * If a service animal handler is traveling on a flight that is 8 hours or longer, airlines can require them to complete a form stating that the animal will not need to relieve during the flight or that relieving can be managed in a safe and sanitary way. The big difference in this part of the rule is that airlines cannot develop their own forms and must use a standard form created by DOT. * Airlines are not allowed to require people with service animals to check in at the airport. They must be allowed to check in online if they choose to do so. * Airlines can limit the number of service animals traveling with a person with a disability to two. This means no more than two animals per person. There is no restriction on the number of service animals per flight. * Airlines can require service animals to fit within the passenger?s foot space or on their lap. However, airlines are still required to accommodate passengers with large service animals that cannot fit in the foot space by offering another seat in the same class of service if available. * Airlines are allowed to require that service animals be harnessed, leashed, or tethered at all times in the airport and on the aircraft. This does not present any real change for guide dog handlers, as the harness can be removed to fit the dog under the seat with the leash remaining on. * Airlines are allowed to charge service animal handlers for damages caused by the animal if they would charge passengers without service animals for similar damage. * As in the pre-existing regulations, airlines are allowed to refuse transportation to animals that are aggressive or pose a direct threat. This email is intended to summarize and provide you with the most important points about the regulations. If you want to read the final rule, you can do so by going to this link: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportation-announces-final-rule-traveling-air-service-animals We know there will be a learning curve for travelers and airline personnel as everyone adjusts to these new rules. We are here to support our graduates as we all navigate these changes. We also want to thank each and every graduate who took the time to submit comments on the proposed regulations. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to The Seeing Eye. You can call 800-539-4425 and ask to speak to the Advocacy Specialist or email advocacy at seeingeye.org. Melissa R. Allman Senior Specialist, Advocacy and Government Relations The Seeing Eye contact The Seeing Eye P.O. Box 375 Morristown, NJ 07960-0375 (973) 539-4425 info at seeingeye.org unsubscribe social nonprofit software -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 392 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201204/5a34c83f/attachment-0004.jpe From tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com Sat Dec 5 22:51:37 2020 From: tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com (tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com) Date: Sat, 5 Dec 2020 22:51:37 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: China has 8 million blind people, but only 200 guide dogs In-Reply-To: <007901d6c2c2$84ca9040$8e5fb0c0$@gmail.com> References: <007901d6c2c2$84ca9040$8e5fb0c0$@gmail.com> Message-ID: <024201d6cb9c$3eb7fbf0$bc27f3d0$@gmail.com> Subject: [Members] China has 8 million blind people, but only 200 guide dogs China has 8 million blind people, but only 200 guide dogs By Nectar Gan CNN, November 23, 2020 Blind runner makes history with help from furry friends At the age of 11, Yang Kang lost his vision due to a rare type of eye cancer. But he considers himself one of the lucky few among China's millions of blind people -- he has a guide dog. Yang splits his time between living in Beijing with his wife and running a piano studio in his hometown Tangshan, a sprawling industrial city some 100 miles away. His weekly journey consists of a high-speed train ride, two bus rides and three subway transfers through often-crowded stations. It would have been impossible for most blind Chinese, but Yang is blessed with a furry companion that guides him every step of the way -- Dick, a four-year-old Labrador. Guide dogs like Dick are so rare in China that Yang waited five years to get one. According to state broadcaster CCTV, China only had some 200 dogs in service as of April -- which makes them even rarer than the giant pandas. The service dogs' scarcity is all the more striking considering the large number of people who could potentially benefit from their help. The China Association of the Blind estimates the country's visually impaired population to be over 17 million. According to the World Health Organization, eight million Chinese are completely blind -- roughly equal to the whole population of Switzerland. That's one guide dog for every 85,000 Chinese people who have partially or fully lost their eyesight. In comparison, about one in 50 blind and visually impaired people in the United States work with guide dogs. In Britain, over 1,000 guide dogs are trained each year for a total of 36,000 people who are registered as blind or partially sighted. Dangerous streets Navigating Chinese cities can be a daunting task for the blind to manage on their own. A 2016 survey by the China Information Accessibility Product Alliance found that 30% of the country's visually impaired seldom leave their homes; only one in four regularly go outside by themselves, with the remainder mostly shepherded by family and friends. Before Dick came along, Yang had to rely on his white cane to get around -- but he said it was difficult and dangerous to cross the multi-lane highways and navigate the numerous pedestrian overpasses and tunnels that make up the Chinese capital by himself. "I was in constant fear," he said. "The most terrifying thing is that I have no idea what the road ahead is like." After three years of researching and making calls, Yang finally found out where to apply for one -- a guide dog training center in the northeastern city of Dalian. Founded in 2016, the China Dalian Guide Dog Training Center is China's first such facility. Wang Jingyu, an animal behavior expert at Dalian Medical University, decided to train China's own guide dogs after noticing that, unlike their Western counterparts, blind Chinese athletes did not have guide dogs to help them during the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, said Liang Jia, a staff member at the Dalian center. Without any prior knowledge or experience, Wang researched online how to train guide dogs and sought help from international experts. When the center opened in 2006, about 50,000 people called from across China to apply for a guide dog -- but Wang only had two to offer. "Our office phone was ringing off the hook," Wang told state-run news agency Xinhua. The facility has expanded over the years -- it now keeps 100 in various stages of training, and more than 20 graduate each year. The puppies -- mostly Golden Retrievers and Labradors, chosen for their gentle, friendly nature -- are first sent to foster families for a year to learn to live with humans, before returning to the center for another year of professional training. It is a lengthy and strict process -- along the way, about 60% of the dogs will be disqualified and put up for adoption as pet dogs. The causes for disqualification can include showing aggression, having excessive energy, being overly sensitive to pressure, and lacking the ability to remained focus, as well as suffering from car sickness. After passing all the evaluations, a qualified guide dog will be matched with an owner and undergo another 40 days of joint training, before it can follow the owner to its new home. Limited by funding Over the past years, a few smaller guide dog training centers have opened in China, but the Dalian center remains the country's largest, and one of the only two recognized by the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF). In general, it's hard to get the funding to start or continue running a center. And to be qualified by IGDF, a center needs to pass a strict evaluation process, which can be difficult for those without sufficient funding. The other IGDF-approved school, Yunnan Erxin Dog Guides, opened in Shanghai in 2018. Before that, the Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation had been commissioning a police dog training center in the nearby city of Nanjing to train guide dogs for its visually impaired citizens. The lack of funding is a key constraint for China's guide dog schools, Liang said. As a nonprofit, the Dalian center provides guide dogs to applicants for free, but each animal costs about 200,000 yuan ($30,353) to train. In the early years, Wang used his own savings to keep the center running. Then, in 2010, the Dalian government started to subsidize the center with 60,000 yuan ($9,106) for each guide dog it trains. The center also receives donations from the public, but they're often not enough to cover the cost -- currently, it faces a 30% budget deficit, according to Liang. "If we had more sufficient funding, we'll be able to train more guide dogs," Liang said. "But the reality is, we can only operate on the money we've got." The center currently has about 30 instructors. Many of them are young university graduates who are passionate about dogs and helping others -- and are committed enough to accept a monthly salary 60% below the city's average income. Liang, who graduated from university in 2011, gave up her job offer as a civil servant to join the center as an instructor -- against the advice of everyone around her. "My parents disapproved it, and my boyfriend broke up with me because of it, but I had my mind set on the job -- it is a cause that's worth devoting my passion and youth for," she said. Liang hopes the government -- especially the central government in Beijing -- can offer more funding, given that its guide dogs are offered to applicants not just from Dalian, but all over China. The center is also trying to raise public awareness about guide dogs on social media, hoping to bring in more donations. Public acceptance Yang, and other guide dog users, said that guide dogs have become more accepted by the Chinese public in recent years. More often than not, they are allowed on subways, buses and trains, especially in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. But some other cities still have a long way to go. In April, in an attempt to test public acceptance, a traffic officer in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, pretended to be blind and tried to board a bus with a guide dog. He ended up being waved off the bus by the driver and scolded by some passengers for wasting their time. The video of his encounter went viral on Chinese social media, drawing calls for more public awareness on the difficulties faced by the country's blind. While guide dogs have allowed Yang and others to travel more freely, there are also obstacles -- many hotels still don't accept guide dogs, and buying a plane ticket can sometimes turn into a bureaucratic nightmare. Even if a guide dog has valid work permit and proper vaccine certificate, many airlines requires a separate health certificate -- the kind needed for the transportation of pets and farm animals, which can be tricky to obtain. Chinese laws are vague on the use of guide dogs in public. The Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons says "blind persons shall comply with relevant state regulations when entering public places with guide dogs," but it doesn't specify what the "relevant state regulations" are. Some cities have issued their own policies to allow guide dogs in public places and transports, but enforcement can be spotty. Yang said he had been turned down by bus drivers, hotels and restaurants, but he wasn't discouraged. Instead, he treated every refusal as an opportunity to let one more person learn about guide dogs. "There are only some 200 guide dogs in a country of 1.4 billion people -- the chance of meeting one is extremely low," he said. "That's why we need pioneers to introduce them (to society.)" https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/23/china/china -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: _______________________________________________ * Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/blindcanadians * Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blindcanadians * Check out the web site: http://www.BlindCanadians.ca The AEBC is not responsible for material posted on this list and the views expressed are solely those of their respective authors. Messages are posted as they were intended by the author! To unsubscribe or change your subscription options, visit: http://lists.blindcanadians.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/members -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#3339): https://guidedogs.groups.io/g/friends/message/3339 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/78480498/1607068 Group Owner: friends+owner at guidedogs.groups.io Unsubscribe: https://guidedogs.groups.io/g/friends/leave/3823564/661612071/xyzzy [maddymartin at mymts.net] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- -- You are receiving this message because you have subscribed to the Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI) Chat list, either via email or via the Web. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GDUI Chat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to chat+unsubscribe at guidedogusersinc.org. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/guidedogusersinc.org/d/msgid/chat/!%26!AAAAAAAAAAAuAAAAAAAAAFPmf39UueFIsv3JoKfb9cUBAMO2jhD3dRHOtM0AqgC7tuYAAAAAAA4AABAAAAD3pIgPmf1tSLDniGJVM6l4AQAAAAA%3D%40mymts.net. -- You are receiving this message because you have subscribed to the Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI) Chat list, either via email or via the Web. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GDUI Chat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to chat+unsubscribe at guidedogusersinc.org. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/guidedogusersinc.org/d/msgid/chat/005c01d6c28f%24d3ddd210%247b997630%24%40gmail.com. From rachel.grider at gmail.com Tue Dec 8 07:11:28 2020 From: rachel.grider at gmail.com (Rachel Grider) Date: Tue, 8 Dec 2020 07:11:28 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] CAGDU Holiday Party! Message-ID: <28072BE3-D91F-4395-9A1D-D0BE63905D3D@gmail.com> ?Hello, everyone: CAGDU Will not be having a business meeting tonight, but we will be having something just as awesome. This Saturday, December 12, at 4 PM, settle down with your favorite beverage and log in to our holiday party! This will take the place of our normal social hour and will include some fun activities such as NFB trivia, music trivia, and a special time for us to share holiday traditions and stories with each other. I will be posting the link to join the party later this week. It will be different than the link to the usual social hour, so stay tuned. Also, don?t forget that there is no CAGDU meeting tonight. I can?t wait to see you all on Saturday! Rachel Rachel Grider Vice-President, California Association of Guide Dog Users From tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com Wed Dec 9 14:45:07 2020 From: tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com (tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com) Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2020 14:45:07 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: [NAGDU] NAGDU is inviting you to a special town hall meeting to answer questions about the Department of Transportation Final Regulations on Traveling by Air with Service Animals In-Reply-To: <001701d6cded$2b3f99e0$81becda0$@gmail.com> References: <5fd01098.1c69fb81.5c335.38d5SMTPIN_ADDED_MISSING@mx.google.com> <001701d6cded$2b3f99e0$81becda0$@gmail.com> Message-ID: <00aa01d6ce7c$f1f88170$d5e98450$@gmail.com> For your information. Subject: [NAGDU] NAGDU is inviting you to a special town hall meeting to answer questions about the Department of Transportation Final Regulations on Traveling by Air with Service Animals The National Association of Guide Dog Users is inviting you to a special town hall meeting, which will be held this Thursday, December 10 at 8 PM Eastern time. The meeting will last for one hour and the meeting will be recorded. The purpose of this meeting is to answer your questions about the new ruling that the Department of Transportation has published regarding air travel with service animals. The link to the announcement and the PDF is here: https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/fina l-rule-traveling-air-service-animals The direct-download of the PDF is here: https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2020-12/Final%20Service%2 0Animal%20Rule.pdf When joining, there are a few things to keep in mind. 1. Since these are final rules, they will go into effect thirty days after the announcement. 2. We will answer questions to the best of our abilities, and we will obtain clarification from the DOT as needed. 3. It might be best to come with prepared questions, but also know that someone else might ask the question before you do. In order to try and keep the meeting moving, we will answer one question from one person, then move onto another person to give them a chance. 4. You are free to email questions ahead of time so we can compile a list prior to the meeting. Questions can be emailed to board at nagdu.org with the word, question, in the subject. The meeting connection information follows; Topic: NAGDU TownHall Meeting Time: Dec 10, 2020 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87528839249 Meeting ID: 875 2883 9249 One tap mobile +13462487799,,87528839249# US (Houston) +16699006833,,87528839249# US (San Jose) Dial by your location +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) Meeting ID: 875 2883 9249 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kemzLGuk2y -- Raul A. Gallegos President: National Association of Guide Dog Users First Vice President: National Federation of the Blind of Texas 832.554.7285 | RGallegos at nagdu.org rgallegos at nagdu.org "Blindness is a characteristic, not a handicap." -- Dr. Kenneth Jernigan _______________________________________________ NAGDU mailing list NAGDU at nfbnet.org http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU: http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/judotina48kg%40gmail.com From tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com Thu Dec 10 13:40:36 2020 From: tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com (tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com) Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2020 13:40:36 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: DOT Traveling by Air with Service Animals rule will be effective January 11, 2021 In-Reply-To: <29a67eb48d9344fc8b05f67d7bd47149@seeingeye.org> References: <29a67eb48d9344fc8b05f67d7bd47149@seeingeye.org> Message-ID: <024101d6cf3d$190570f0$4b1052d0$@gmail.com> Subject: DOT Traveling by Air with Service Animals rule will be effective January 11, 2021 Dear Seeing Eye graduate: We sent you an email last week about the final rule issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT) on traveling by air with service animals. We are writing again to let you know that the rule has been published in the Federal Register and will be effective January 11, 2021. Below is a link to the rule as it appears in the Federal Register. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-12-10/pdf/2020-26679.pdf?utm_medium=email &utm_campaign=subscription+mailing+list&utm_source=federalregister.gov Quite a few service animal organizations and handlers are pleased with certain aspects of the rule, including the definition of service animal as a dog, regardless of breed or type, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified person with a disability. That said, please know that The Seeing Eye has significant concerns about the additional burdens imposed on guide dog handlers by the new Service Animal Air Transportation form. We were clear about our opposition to additional forms in our public comment to DOT about the proposed rule. The final rule requires that airlines have an accessible version of the form on their web sites. We will be watching closely as airlines begin to implement the new rule and we ask for your help in this effort. If you encounter barriers to air travel created by the new rule, including inaccessible forms, we would appreciate it if you reach out to us so we know what guide dog handlers are experiencing. Remember, if you believe an airline has discriminated against you, ask to speak to a Complaints Resolution Official (CRO). If you are not satisfied with how the airline resolves the issue, you should file a complaint with DOT. DOT cannot take action against an airline unless individuals exercise their right to file a complaint. The civil rights complaint form can be found online at: https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer We will navigate the challenges posed by this new rule as individuals and as a community. We are here to help and support you in any way we can. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-539-4425 and ask to speak to Melissa Allman or email advocacy at seeingeye.org. . Melissa R. Allman Senior Specialist, Advocacy and Government Relations The Seeing Eye contact The Seeing Eye P.O. Box 375 Morristown, NJ 07960-0375 (973) 539-4425 info at seeingeye.org unsubscribe social nonprofit software -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201210/d252292c/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 823 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201210/d252292c/attachment.jpe -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 392 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201210/d252292c/attachment-0004.jpe From rachel.grider at gmail.com Fri Dec 11 10:36:15 2020 From: rachel.grider at gmail.com (Rachel Grider) Date: Fri, 11 Dec 2020 10:36:15 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] Reminder of CAGDU Holiday Party Tomorrow Message-ID: Hello, Everyone! Don't forget about our CAGDU holiday party tomorrow at 4:00 PM. We will be sharing holiday traditions, playing games, and just enjoying spending time together. The link to join the party is below. It is different from our usual CAGDU social link. I can't wait to see y'all there! Rachel The National Federation of the Blind of California is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Holiday Party Time: Dec 12, 2020 4:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/92690556294?pwd=SVhib09lRFFGMWZvY0d0eTUvZEtHZz09 Meeting ID: 926 9055 6294 Passcode: 569688 One tap mobile +14086380968,,92690556294# US (San Jose) +16699006833,,92690556294# US (San Jose) Dial by your location +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) Meeting ID: 926 9055 6294 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adu0MpvCos From tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com Thu Dec 17 09:16:58 2020 From: tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com (tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com) Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2020 09:16:58 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: [Nfbnet-members-list] Open Letter of Apology from President Riccobono In-Reply-To: <5fda4594.1c69fb81.3f267.eb8cSMTPIN_ADDED_MISSING@mx.google.com> References: <5fda4594.1c69fb81.3f267.eb8cSMTPIN_ADDED_MISSING@mx.google.com> Message-ID: <00df01d6d498$6dd10260$49730720$@gmail.com> From: NFBNet-Members-List On Behalf Of National Federation of the Blind via NFBNet-Members-List Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2020 9:21 AM To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Open Letter of Apology from President Riccobono Open Letter of Apology from President Riccobono Content warning: the following letter addresses sensitive topics regarding sexual misconduct and violence. Dear Fellow Federationists: Many NFB members, former members, and people within our blindness community are hurting. For some, the pain comes from their lived experience of being abused or violated by one of our members and/or made to feel like no one else was listening or came to their defense at a Federation event or training program. For others, what they feel is empathy for survivors who were harmed by participating in the National Federation of the Blind, recognizing that we have not done enough within our movement and systemically within our community. We are deeply sorry that this is true and apologize for where we have failed. As the elected President of this movement, Icarry the responsibility of this pain. I am profoundly sorry that anyone has been harmed by experiences in our movement. As a husband, father of three children, and leader who tries to live by a strong set of ethical values, I hurt for the survivors, and I deeply regret that I have made mistakes along the way. At each opportunity that I have to sit with my young children, I am directly reminded how fragile the balances are in our lives and how much our actions can have a lasting impact on others. I live with the regret and sorrow for the mistakes I personally made in dealing with inappropriate behavior in the past. Sometimes my mistakes have only been illuminated later through the honest reflection of a friend or the vulnerable sharing ofsomeone who has been harmed. How do you adequately write a letter to apologize for that? How do you spread this sentiment to an entire movement of people including those who have left our organization? How do we, collectively, create an adequate action plan to promote healing, prevent future incidents, and continue our development of a culture that is welcoming, safe, and eliminates the barriers to bringing concerns forward for resolution? This letter attempts to explore those questions, but this is merely a single moment in these needed conversations. Our hearts break for the survivors of abuse and sexual misconduct who have bravely shared incidents that have happened within our organization over the decades. During the past couple of weeks, a number of courageous individuals have shared painful stories about their experiences on social media and in individual conversations. We thank those brave survivors for sharing their stories because we recognize how difficult that is and how each story creates a unique set of emotions and challenges. We deeply regret that over our eighty years we have not handled each situation appropriately or been able to heal the pain that such incidents create. We do notreject these feelings of pain. In fact, we want to find and establish better ways to hear them and continuously eliminate the actions that caused them. We have no intention of debating the circumstances of any instance. Instead we acknowledge that if a survivor was left feeling the situation went unaddressed, then we have failed. The membership demands we do better. I, as President, demand this of myself and expect it from our movement. We will do better. In addition to calling upon all Federationists to listen better, honestly reflect upon your own biases, and to actively align our actions to our words, I call upon you not to dismiss those who cannot believe that our intentions are sincere or those who have had the courage to come forward.It is our individual and collective action, positively focused on making things better that will create belief. That is what has been true for us since 1940, and it will continue to be true for us going forward. Let us get down to the hard facts. Words appear to mean nothing without actions, so below I've outlined six steps that we are committing to in the near future. Before I list them, please understand that these are initial steps, and we are committed to exploring and implementing whatever policies, programs, trainings, or resources necessary beyond these steps to appropriately address these horrible situations. Improvements to Reporting of Incidents We are currently thoroughly reviewing the pathways for reporting incidents and how those paths are handled. We are open to revamping all of the reporting mechanisms we have. We are in discussion with outside consultants who are expected to do a complete review of our processes with a specialized emphasize on sexual misconduct and harassment. We will rebuild all of our procedures if needed. We expect our revised processes to involve a third-party entity, but since we do not yet know how that will turn into actionable efforts within our organization, we cannot be specific about that process. Our hope is to be more transparent about our partnership andtimelines for action during the first quarter of 2021. We hear you about the uncomfortable position some people feel is created by the current reporting system when a person must report through members they will later need to deal with personally. Regardless of the reporting mechanisms we maintain and create, we must be very clear on one point: Every elected leader of this organization must be prepared to take concerns seriously and to act upon information they are given as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Furthermore, the safety of blind youth who are under our supervision is our highest priority, and any incident that is discovered must be dealt with immediately. Open Meeting and Supporting Survivors We are committing to hold an open meeting or series of listening sessions to discuss these issues and solicit feedback on what support and resources victims and survivors need. We have not yet detailed what the open meeting and conversations will be. Because we do not want to unintentionally contribute to further pain among survivors, we want blind people with lived experiences and our consultants to guide that process. In the meantime, we continue to answer calls and emails from Federation members seeking clarity about these issues and offering solutions that we will carefully weigh as our learning continues. We are grateful to those of you who havereached out directly offering your personal experiences as a guide to future development. The members of the Federation are expected to shape what we do, and your readiness to bring solutions makes a big difference. Our goal is to provide support and healing to victims and survivors. Enhancing the Code of Conduct Work Prior to recent events and the stories that have emerged, we were in the process of considering and implementing several enhancements surrounding our code of conduct and its related procedures and programs. We have now paused those efforts. Why? Because we are listening. We have done horribly at messaging and sharing our internal procedures and our plans for effectively administering our organization's code of conduct. I say paused because we want to carefully evaluate where we are and our next steps guided by the expertise of anti-sexual-violence experts from outside our movement. If we must completely reset, that is what we will do. For now, ourcode and existing procedures are in place to set expectations within our organization. We will carefully evaluate current grievances to ensure that they continue to be safely and swiftly investigated even while our procedures are under review. Illuminating Expectations You may already know, but the board made its annual revisions to the code and procedures process on December 5, 2020. When we went to post the revisions, we realized that the FAQ we planned to post after the December 2019 review did not happen. No excuses, that was a pretty big dropped ball. That document is intended to answer questions like what happens when a grievance is filed, how is information kept confidential, and what communications can a filing party expect? Overall, we have failed to communicate broadly the procedures we have been using. For example, we allow for advocates to participate with parties who are involved with code of conductinvestigations. Moreover, these FAQs will also be informed and expanded based upon questions that continue to be raised. They will also evolve as we implement additional avenues for raising concerns and for training members of the organization. We take ownership for the misinformation that is now circulating. Please keep those questions and suggestions coming. Continuous Training Training on issues around misconduct and abuse is something we have only skimmed the surface of in the recent past. We have done a minimal amount of training for affiliate presidents and workshops at our national convention. We were not satisfied that our training was sustainable, so we have been seeking other partners. That has been unreasonably slow. No excuse, we understand. We are going to be putting together training with the specific goal of preventing misconduct and abuse at Federation events and to strengthen the level of comfort with reporting. We have also hired an individual to assist in a number of areas including coordinatingtraining-that person only started on November 30, which is why we had not yet introduced her to the membership. Consistency across NFB Training Centers A lack in consistency in practices across the three training centers that are affiliated with the National Federation of the Blind has been raised as a concern. It is worth noting that only BLIND Incorporated, the Colorado Center for the Blind, and the Louisiana Center for the Blind have made the specific partnership commitments necessary to be formally and officially affiliated with the organized blind movement. On a regular basis, I have been meeting with our training center directors with the specific goal of better aligning our practices and policies. There is more work to do there. We expect these centers to fully commit to our code of conductpractices and set the highest standard of professional practice in all programs. During the most recent revisions of our code of conduct, we discussed the topic of consistency in handling and reporting concerns at our centers. We will be conducting a full review and implementing consistent training for the personnel at each of our centers. I stand with those who have been harmed by any employee, contractor, or volunteer at one of our centers, and I am prepared to help eliminate ineffective practices and urge the termination of those employees and contractors (as well as the exclusion of volunteers) who violate our policies in this area. Let me also add that our training centers have made a great difference in raising the standard of training for blind people in this nation and all around the world. As a graduate of one of our centers, I share that pride for the training I received but also the pain that even one person coming through one of our centers would have had a harmful experience. The employees at our centers are some of the most dedicated and thoughtful folks I know, and they are committed to the safety and wellbeing of program participants. However, that does not excuse harmful incidents that have happened in our training programs. I know our centers are committed to doingbetter. I know the executive directors and boards of each of these training centers will be prioritizing the advancement of these conversations. Most importantly, I know they feel your pain in a very deep and personal way. Again, these are immediate actions and commitments. This is not a complete roadmap for the years to come, but it outlines some of the forthcoming actions we are focusing on. We know that we need to examine more ways to support our members such as mental health resources and the expertise of crisis professionals. Members of the Federation have a right to demand information about what is being done, and Federation leaders are expected to share that information. When we committed to the code of conduct in 2018, we made a commitment to a much-needed journey. Our commitment has not wavered even if we have not been outwardly demonstrating a commitment that youcan trust. As leaders, we will continue to work to earn your trust and we will remain committed to continuous improvement and an open dialogue for organizational change. We are committed to finding ways to heal that pain, while preventing any future pain that results from unacceptable behavior. We are going to need the ideas and support of the members of this movement to do that in a meaningful and effective manner, so all are welcomed. You continue to be our wise teachers. You who have shared your personal experiences and who have dared to open yourselves continue to guide us. In the National Federation of the Blind, we value diversity, we strive to be fully inclusive, and we want to be the safe space for all blind people. Every blind person in this nation deserves what this movement has to offer, and we recognize we have work to do so that every blind person feels like there is a place here for everyone. We are going to get there together. We apologize that we have not yet made it all the way, but we pledge that the commitment is deep and it is real. We are not done with our changes. With love and commitment, we are #MarchingTogether. - Mark Riccobono, President officeofthepresident at nfb.org , 410-659-9314 The National Federation of the Blind Board of Directors shown below requested that the President write an open letter regarding our commitments. By signing below, each of us affirms our support and commitment to the content of the letter above. Anybody with concerns regarding the content of this letter, the commitments that have been expressed, or potential incidents that may have happened at Federation events are welcome to contact any of the individuals endorsing this statement. Pam Allen, First Vice President and Board Chair, pallen at louisianacenter.org , 318-251-2891 Ron Brown, Second Vice President, rb15 at iquest.net , 317-213-7031 James Gashel, Secretary, jgashel0923 at gmail.com , 808-234-9259 Jeannie Massay, Treasurer, jeanniemassay at gmail.com , 405-600-0695 Denise Avant, davant1958 at gmail.com , 773-991-8050 Everette Bacon, baconev at yahoo.com , 801-631-8108 Amy Buresh, amy.buresh74 at gmail.com , 402-440-4722 Shawn Callaway, callaway.shawn at gmail.com , 202-352-1511 Norma Crosby, ncrosby at nfbtx.org , 281-968-7733 John Fritz, president at nfbwis.org , 608-622-7632 Ever Lee Hairston, ever.hairston at gmail.com , 323-654-2975 Carla McQuillan, president at nfb-oregon.org , 541-653-9153 Amy Ruell, aruell at comcast.net , 617-752-1116 Joe Ruffalo, nfbnj1 at verizon.net Terri Rupp, terri.rupp at gmail.com , 702-524-0835 Adelmo Vigil, nfbnewmexicopresident at gmail.com , 575-921-5422 National Federation of the Blind | 200 E Wells Street | Baltimore, MD 21230 | 410-659-9314 Unsubscribe | Opt Out | Sign Upfor Our E-newsletter 200 East Wells St. Baltimore, 21230 United States.. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201217/989cab47/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 823 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201217/989cab47/attachment.jpe -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: Untitled attachment 00109.txt Url: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201217/989cab47/attachment.txt From tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com Sat Dec 19 22:19:55 2020 From: tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com (tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com) Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2020 22:19:55 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: Washington Seminar Message-ID: <04b001d6d698$22b971c0$682c5540$@gmail.com> It is once again time to sign up for Washington Seminar. The 2021 Washington Seminar will take place from February 8-11 and be virtual & Free for all. You will get the opportunity to develop a relationship with your Congressional Representative and Senators and meet them on Zoom. This is a great opportunity for members of all ages and abilities to directly participate in our democratic government. If you are interested in attending the 2021 Washington Seminar please fill out the form below and submit your request. The deadline to submit your request is January 1, 2021. Washington Seminar form: https://ulwxastpyh.formstack.com/forms/washington_seminar Tiffany Manosh NFBC Board Member President River City Chapter National Federation of the Blind of California -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201219/d6242a90/attachment.html From tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com Sat Dec 19 22:16:53 2020 From: tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com (tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com) Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2020 22:16:53 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: Action Required - Time Sensitive - need immediate feedback on ACAA form accessibility In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <048801d6d697$b63969b0$22ac3d10$@gmail.com> -----Original Message----- From: Raul A. Gallegos (NFB) Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2020 3:22 PM To: board at nagdu.org Cc: al4.elia at gmail.com; kevan at nfbco.org; Michael Hingson ; Tina Haskin-Reisner ; tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com; Jennifer Bazar ; Elizabeth Campbell ; Stacie Gallegos - NFBHOU Subject: Action Required - Time Sensitive - need immediate feedback on ACAA form accessibility Hello everyone, this is extremely time sensitive. I have received an email from John Pare, requesting that we test these two forms as quickly as possible so we can give our compiled feedback to the Department of Transportation. If you are able to provide feedback on the accessibility and usability of these forms, please email me directly at rgallegos at nagdu.org no later than 7 PM Central time tomorrow, Sunday, December 20, 2020. In anticipation of receiving a lot of email about this, please use the subject, "ACAA Form Feedback" so that I can best filter out your messages. I will then collect your comments and give them to John, who will work directly with the DOT on Monday, December 21. Please note that although we are providing feedback on the accessibility and usability of these forms, our opinion and concern about having to possibly use them has not changed. I have attached these forms to this email, but in case the attachments don't work, I have also provided direct-download links to these forms. Thank you. File 1: Service Animals - Form Health Behavioral Training.pdf https://drive.google.com/file/d/19m4hT60e9THXc54hV5bMyYR1tSTsmKlZ/view?usp=sharing File 2: Service Animals - Relief Form.pdf https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U0qGMagSi3sZWxiunHWLwuVBvDvnA_cw/view?usp=sharing -- Raul A. Gallegos President: National Association of Guide Dog Users First Vice President: National Federation of the Blind of Texas 832.554.7285 | RGallegos at nagdu.org "Blindness is a characteristic, not a handicap." -- Dr. Kenneth Jernigan -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Service Animals - Relief Form.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 198402 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201219/105e41c2/attachment.pdf -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Service Animals - Form Health Behavioral Training.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 199386 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201219/105e41c2/attachment-0001.pdf From tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com Sun Dec 20 13:49:39 2020 From: tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com (tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com) Date: Sun, 20 Dec 2020 13:49:39 -0800 Subject: [Cagdu] FW: Action Required - Time Sensitive - need immediate feedback on ACAA form accessibility In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <005d01d6d71a$04eb7670$0ec26350$@gmail.com> -----Original Message----- From: Raul A. Gallegos (NFB) Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2020 3:22 PM To: board at nagdu.org Cc: al4.elia at gmail.com; kevan at nfbco.org; Michael Hingson ; Tina Haskin-Reisner ; tina.thomas90044 at gmail.com; Jennifer Bazar ; Elizabeth Campbell ; Stacie Gallegos - NFBHOU Subject: Action Required - Time Sensitive - need immediate feedback on ACAA form accessibility Hello everyone, this is extremely time sensitive. I have received an email from John Pare, requesting that we test these two forms as quickly as possible so we can give our compiled feedback to the Department of Transportation. If you are able to provide feedback on the accessibility and usability of these forms, please email me directly at rgallegos at nagdu.org no later than 7 PM Central time tomorrow, Sunday, December 20, 2020. In anticipation of receiving a lot of email about this, please use the subject, "ACAA Form Feedback" so that I can best filter out your messages. I will then collect your comments and give them to John, who will work directly with the DOT on Monday, December 21. Please note that although we are providing feedback on the accessibility and usability of these forms, our opinion and concern about having to possibly use them has not changed. I have attached these forms to this email, but in case the attachments don't work, I have also provided direct-download links to these forms. Thank you. File 1: Service Animals - Form Health Behavioral Training.pdf https://drive.google.com/file/d/19m4hT60e9THXc54hV5bMyYR1tSTsmKlZ/view?usp=sharing File 2: Service Animals - Relief Form.pdf https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U0qGMagSi3sZWxiunHWLwuVBvDvnA_cw/view?usp=sharing -- Raul A. Gallegos President: National Association of Guide Dog Users First Vice President: National Federation of the Blind of Texas 832.554.7285 | RGallegos at nagdu.org "Blindness is a characteristic, not a handicap." -- Dr. Kenneth Jernigan -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Service Animals - Relief Form.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 198402 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201220/08658460/attachment.pdf -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Service Animals - Form Health Behavioral Training.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 199386 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20201220/08658460/attachment-0001.pdf