                             RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE
                              ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE
                          NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
                                     JULY, 1992
                                  by Ramona Walhof

     Resolutions adopted by the National Federation of the Blind are written policy
statements of the organization. Each resolution is presented to the convention for
discussion and a vote. Prior to coming before the convention, resolutions are
ordinarily presented to the Resolutions Committee for discussion and a
recommendation. The committee may not block a resolution from coming to the floor; it
can only recommend "pass" or "not pass." The committee may recommend changes and
revisions, but these must be acceptable to the presenter if they are to be
incorporated in the text of the document. Any NFB member may present a resolution to
the Resolutions Committee and, through it, to the NFB convention. If the presenter
chooses to withdraw a resolution based on committee discussion or for some other
reason, this is also possible.
     At the 1992 convention the Resolutions Committee consisted of fifty-two
Federationists, who considered thirty resolutions. Twenty-five were brought to the
floor of the convention. All of them passed and are printed below. Five resolutions
were withdrawn by their authors.
     Resolution 92-01 opposes the establishment of the Study Commission on Education
and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
     Background: At the time of the convention a proposal to establish such a
commission had been made in the Committee on Education and Labor in the House of
Representatives. Members worked throughout the convention to help Congress understand
the problems which this commission would cause.
     Resolution 92-02 supports statutory linkage between the earnings exemptions for
blind people and for retirees under Social Security.
     Background: For some years benefits for blind people receiving Social Security
Disability Insurance have been paid according to the same formula as the one used for
computing benefits for retirees who are sixty-five or older. The NFB has worked to
maintain these similar benefits.
     Resolution 92-03 calls upon Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander to terminate
his Department's inclusion of the National Accreditation Council on the Department of
Education's list of approved accrediting bodies.
     Resolution 92-04 commends Congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana for
sponsoring legislation to strengthen the right of choice for individuals receiving
Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and it encourages other Congressmen and Senators
to join with Mr. Jefferson in this effort.
     Resolution 92-05 calls upon employers and software developers to help make
Graphical User Interfaces (GUI's) accessible to the blind.
     Resolution 92-06 is an updated statement of NFB policy regarding audible traffic
signals.
     Background: Audible traffic signals have been installed in some cities,
purportedly to assist blind individuals at street crossings. The National Federation
of the Blind is on record opposing audible traffic signals. For the most part this
position has not changed. However, it is important, under the Americans with
Disabilities Act, that representatives of the National Federation of the Blind be
consulted by city and county governments considering the installation of audible
traffic signals. Further, newly developed audible traffic signals which can be
activated by pedestrians and used only when they choose to do so may require study
and testing.
     Resolution 92-07 opposes research on detectable warnings for the blind in
architecture, on sidewalks, etc.
     Background: The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
adopted regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act, requiring
installation of truncated domed tiles as a warning to the blind of the proximity of
certain allegedly dangerous areas. For example, a strip could be used between a
sidewalk and a parking lot if there is no curb. The blind have argued that bumpy
tiles are more dangerous than helpful and tend to lead others to the false conclusion
that the blind are incapable of gathering information when, in fact, they are.
     Resolution 92-08 calls upon rehabilitation agencies to provide instruction for
blind clients in the use of city buses and trains even if special Dial-A-Ride
services for the handicapped are available.
     Resolution 92-09 calls upon officials in the Department of Justice to support
the arbitration process provided for by the Randolph-Sheppard Act.
     Resolution 92-10 seeks to avoid competition between Randolph-Sheppard vending
facilities and the Committee for Purchase from the Blind and Other Severely
Handicapped.
     Resolution 92-11 opposes North Carolina legislation regarding vending
facilities.
     Background: A piece of legislation was introduced in the North Carolina
Legislature which seriously damages opportunities for vendors in that state. At the
time of the convention in Charlotte, this bill was being debated.
     Resolution 92-12 calls upon the National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped to offer all its tests for blind proofreaders in Braille.
     Resolution 92-13 calls upon the Small Business Administration to award contracts
to the disabled and to define disability as a presumed social and economic
disadvantage.
     Resolution 92-14 joins the voice of the Federation with that of the United
States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in requesting that federal agencies
eliminate special awards for the disabled. 
     Background: Many federal agencies have long had the practice of presenting
disabled employees with awards which are different from--and often in addition to--
awards presented to their other employees. If these awards were ever desirable, there
seems to be general agreement among the disabled that that time has passed.
     Resolution 92-15 calls upon the Social Security Administration to develop
improved reporting procedures for disabled persons who are working.
     Resolution 92-16 calls upon the Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights
to treat blind applicants for Child Care Certification in the same way as it treats
sighted applicants.
     Resolution 92-17 declares that parents should have primary decision-making
responsibility about whether a blind child should attend a residential school or a
public school and calls upon school officials to furnish parents with relevant
information.
     Resolution 92-18 takes the position that guide dog schools do not have the right
to stipulate the kinds of employment in which their graduates may engage. 
     Background: The National Federation of the Blind has worked hard to reduce the
number of blind persons who engage in begging. The image of the blind beggar is one
of the most destructive stereotypes which puts us down and keeps us out. We have
worked to improve training and job opportunities and to broaden public understanding
of blindness. We have also fought to increase welfare and Social Security benefits
for the blind. Further, the NFB has gone on record repeatedly as believing that
demeaning activities (such as begging) carried on by some blind individuals reflect
poorly on all members of the blind community. Nevertheless, the convention took the
position that no guide dog school should have the power to deny any blind person
appropriate training and a dog on the basis of the individual's occupation. 
     Resolutions 92-19 and 92-20 were withdrawn by their authors.
     Resolution 92-21 calls upon all guide dog schools to transfer ownership of dogs
to the blind people who use them.
     Resolutions 92-22 and 92-23 were withdrawn by their authors.
     Resolution 92-24 calls upon those exploring the installation of audible traffic
signals to consider the problems these signals may cause for deaf-blind people and to
consult them when considering such installations.
     Resolution 92-25 requests exploration of the purchase and circulation in this
country of Braille books produced in Great Britain.
     Resolution 92-26 calls upon the Association for Handicapped Students Services
Programs in Postsecondary Education to consult with the NFB to develop a policy on
blindness that does not lump blind students with all other disabled students.
     Resolution 92-27 demands that the Educational Testing Service comply with the
Americans with Disabilities Act.
     Resolution 92-28 calls upon the General Services Administration to amend its
rules so as to exempt blind federal employees from mandatory special requirements
regarding building evacuations.
     Resolution 92-29 calls upon the Internal Revenue Service to do local hiring and
training of blind people.
     Resolution 92-30 was withdrawn by its author.
     The following are the complete texts of the resolutions adopted by the 1992
convention of the National Federation of the Blind: 

                                  Resolution 92-01

     WHEREAS, Congress is considering legislation to amend and extend the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and
     WHEREAS, provisions in a bill before the Committee on Education and Labor of the
United States House of Representatives call for the establishment of a "Commission on
Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired"; and 
     WHEREAS, the stated purpose for this commission is to conduct an eighteen-month
study of programs and needs in areas such as the adequacy of mobility instruction and
the need for improved instructor training programs, Braille literacy, specialized
versus generic services, the Randolph-Sheppard program, physical accessibility,
advancements in technology, specialized services for children and youth, assistance
to older blind individuals, and more; and 
     WHEREAS, the proposition that a special commission should be appointed to
examine the needs of the blind and then interpret them to the President and the
Congress has the air of paternalism in that the commission if created would lead
policymakers to the false belief that individuals employed to serve the blind or
appointed to study the blind are the legitimate representatives of the blind; and 
     WHEREAS, since 1940, with the formation of the National Federation of the Blind,
blind people in the United States have had a vehicle for self-expression and a means
of explaining our needs to local, state, and federal policy-makers; and 
     WHEREAS, the desire to have a special commission on blindness, which is
principally supported by the trade association of blind service agency employees, is,
in fact, a reaction to the effectiveness of the consumer movement; and 
     WHEREAS, members of Congress and officials of the Bush Administration should
adopt a consumer-empowerment stance by rejecting the commission on blindness as a
ploy by blind service workers to speak for the blind through the auspices of a
specially-appointed body whose members will not be accountable to anyone, including
the blind, the President, or the Congress: Now, therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization strongly oppose legislation to establish a "Commission on Education and
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired" because the structure and purposes
of such a commission have been designed to quash methods of effective advocacy by
blind consumers; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all members of Congress and responsible officials of
the Bush Administration are urged to stand up for an independent voice for blind
consumers by calling for, and if necessary by voting for, removal of the commission
on blindness provisions from the Rehabilitation Act reauthorization bill.

                                  Resolution 92-02

     WHEREAS, on June 11, 1992, the Committee on Finance of the United States Senate
approved legislation to amend the Social Security Act, including provisions to raise
the ceiling on earnings exempt from benefit-offset requirements for retired persons
who have attained age sixty-five; and 
     WHEREAS, the House of Representatives has already approved similar legislation
to raise the age-sixty-five earnings ceiling in staged increases beyond the normal
annual adjustments currently required; and 
     WHEREAS, these plans to increase the basic exempt earnings amount under Social
Security would retain an earnings ceiling but would more than double the amount of
$10,200 annually (or $850 monthly) presently permitted without penalty; and 
     WHEREAS, earnings of blind individuals evaluated under Social Security to
measure "substantial gainful activity" in the disability insurance program are linked
by statute to the basic exempt amount for retirees age sixty-five to sixty-nine; and 
     WHEREAS, this statutory linkage between the exempt earnings amounts for
retirees, on the one hand, and blind beneficiaries, on the other, would be broken by
the legislation now being considered; and 
     WHEREAS, there is no rational basis for breaking the relationship between these
earnings exemptions, since both blindness, as a disability, and age sixty-five, as
retirement age, are clearly defined conditions, neither of which is measured by
earnings; and 
     WHEREAS, from 1978 through 1982, when substantial increases were made in the
earnings exemption for retirees, precisely the same increases were allowed for blind
people by law; and 
     WHEREAS, raising the earnings ceiling for blind people, just as for seniors, is
supported by evidence of the need for work incentives among people who qualify for
Social Security benefits:  Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization call upon all members of Congress to endorse the policy of maintaining
the statutory linkage between the earnings exemptions for blind people and for
retirees under Social Security.

                                  Resolution 92-03

     WHEREAS, the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and
Visually Handicapped (NAC) is seeking continued recognition by the United States
Secretary of Education; and 
     WHEREAS, the Secretary of Education has official criteria that are used to
evaluate all accrediting agencies applying for recognition; and 
     WHEREAS, the criteria for recognition include having sufficient personnel and
financial resources to conduct ongoing accreditation activities, including regular
reviews of accredited agencies at stated intervals; and 
     WHEREAS, another criterion is widespread recognition and acceptance of the
accreditation agency in the field in which it operates; and 
     WHEREAS, still another criterion states that the recognized accrediting agency
must operate in a field where accreditation is necessary for postsecondary programs
or students to be eligible for federal assistance; and 
     WHEREAS, a substantial body of evidence submitted to the Secretary of Education
shows that NAC fails to meet these criteria in that (1) federal funding for any
program or student of an agency serving the blind at the postsecondary level does not
depend upon accreditation by NAC or by any other agency; (2) NAC is not generally
accepted by agencies and blind people; and (3) NAC consistently postpones the
announced re-evaluation of its member agencies and in many instances automatically
extends the accreditation of agencies well beyond their five-year term; and 
     WHEREAS, the ultimate purpose for the Secretary to place an accreditation agency
on the recognized list is that the accreditation agency is a reliable authority on
the quality of the postsecondary programs in its field, something which NAC certainly
is not; and 
     WHEREAS, the extensive documentation of NAC'S failure to meet the Secretary of
Education's criteria presents a solid basis for the Secretary to use in withdrawing
the recognition at this time: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
Federation urge Lamar Alexander, Secretary of Education, to remove NAC from the list
of recognized accrediting agencies; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we invite Secretary Alexander to join with the blind
in finding that, in twenty-five years of trying to establish its legitimacy as an
accreditation agency, NAC has failed.

                                  Resolution 92-04

     WHEREAS, "empowerment" is becoming a guiding theme in designing programs and
services for people with disabilities; and 
     WHEREAS, placing fundamental decisions squarely in the hands of eligible
individuals, rather than solely in the hands of their counselors, is essential for
empowerment to be more than an empty promise; and 
     WHEREAS, choosing the provider of each vocational rehabilitation service is a
fundamental decision to be made in the vocational rehabilitation program, just as the
choice of an institution of higher education is one of the most crucial career
planning decisions for any student, disabled or not; and 
     WHEREAS, current practices in vocational rehabilitation favor counselor
decisions over client decisions, especially in the selection of agencies to provide
rehabilitation services; and  WHEREAS, Congressman William Jefferson has introduced
legislation (H.R. 4259), which says that the client, not the counselor, will have the
final say in the actual selection of each service-providing agency to be used in the
client's vocational rehabilitation program; and 
     WHEREAS, Congress is presently considering amendments to the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973, and, therefore, this would be an appropriate time to add Mr. Jefferson's
amendment (or language with a similar purpose) to the law: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization express official commendation to Congressman William Jefferson for
standing tall in favor of true empowerment for blind consumers of vocational
rehabilitation services; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge all members of Congress to join with Mr.
Jefferson in calling for the enactment of legislation to strengthen the right of
individual choice in the design of services and in the selection of agencies used in
the vocational rehabilitation program.

                                  Resolution 92-05

     WHEREAS, Windows and other computer programs incorporating the Graphical User
Interface (GUI) are being used by public and private employers; and 
     WHEREAS, these programs cannot be accessed by blind people using current screen
access products: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that we call
upon public and private employers to provide equal access for the blind to all
computer programs using the Graphical User Interface with the understanding that
equal access may vary for different programs and applications; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we request all commercial software developers to
work with the organized blind and with developers of screen-access technology to
insure that all Graphical User Interface applications are accessible to the blind. 

                                  Resolution 92-06

     WHEREAS, one of the unfortunate negative effects of the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) has been a renewed interest in the installation of audible
traffic signals for use by blind pedestrians; and 
     WHEREAS, the intent of the ADA is not the wholesale redesign and reconstruction
of the environment to satisfy every whim and wish of disabled persons, but only to
require the essential accommodations which would permit them to live and work on
terms of equality; and 
     WHEREAS, the ADA also grants disabled persons the right to refuse to accept
specific accommodations; and 
     WHEREAS, long experience has repeatedly demonstrated that, with proper mobility
training, blind persons can competently and safely negotiate a wide variety of
traffic conditions--rendering the installation of audible traffic signals an
unnecessary expense; and 
     WHEREAS, it is particularly damaging to blind persons for audible traffic
signals to be installed at intersections located near facilities serving the blind
such as schools, rehabilitation centers, and workshops; and 
     WHEREAS, in rare instances there may exist an intersection with complicated
traffic sequencing and road patterns at which an audible traffic signal might be
helpful to some blind persons; and 
     WHEREAS, the only appropriate audible traffic signals are those which are
strictly pedestrian-activated and which do not interfere with the sounds of traffic;
and 
     WHEREAS, in comprehensive traffic design as well as work on individual
intersections, ADA mandates that public officials seek and include participation of
blind consumers in decision-making: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization reaffirm its long-standing policy against wholesale and routine
installation of audible traffic signals; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand that, where audible traffic
signals are being considered, public officials comply with the mandate of the
Americans with Disabilities Act by including representatives of the National
Federation of the Blind in their decisionmaking. 

                                  RESOLUTION 92-07

     WHEREAS, the United States Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance
Board is considering priorities for research activities to be undertaken during
fiscal year 1993; and 
     WHEREAS, some of the priorities suggested by the Board in an official notice
have merit, such as methods for making automatic teller machines accessible to blind
people; and 
     WHEREAS, detectable warnings are also listed as a research priority, even though
the overwhelming sentiment among blind people is that the truncated domes used for
such warnings may be hazardous to all pedestrians and can interfere with the ability
of blind people to travel effectively; and 
     WHEREAS, the Board's considerations and research activities have focused
exclusively on the technical aspects of detectable warnings, including their color,
shape, size, and placement, ignoring the often-expressed objections of the blind; and

     WHEREAS, continuing to research the technical aspects of detectable warnings
begs the real question, which the Board itself must settle--that is, should
detectable warnings of any color, size, or shape be permitted or required at all; and

     WHEREAS, the experience of thousands of blind people in traveling each day
testifies to their ability to travel safely without truncated domes and argues
further that placement of these warnings without a documented need discriminates
against blind people by fostering false notions that the blind must have modified
environments: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
Federation strongly oppose all further research on the color, size, shape, and
placement of detectable warnings, since such research itself leads to the false
conclusion that such warnings serve a legitimate purpose, which they do not.

                                  RESOLUTION 92-08

     WHEREAS, for years, the National Federation of the Blind has proven that most
blind persons can master the skills of independent travel, including the use of
fixed-route transportation; and 
     WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind operates orientation and
adjustment centers in which cane travel programs emphasize the use of fixed-route
transportation (buses, trains, etc.), thus requiring students to use these forms of
public transportation; and
     WHEREAS, despite such programs that foster greater independence among the blind,
some vocational rehabilitation agencies emphasize the use of paratransit as a primary
means of transportation for blind people, believing that traveling by paratransit is
a safer alternative for blind clients and that they cannot master the skills needed
to travel on fixed-route transportation; and 
     WHEREAS, the decision to use paratransit or fixed-route transportation can be
made objectively by a blind person only if he or she receives adequate training in
the use of all forms of public transportation: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization demand that all state vocational rehabilitation agencies instruct blind
clients in the use of fixed-route transportation and promote this mode of travel as
the primary means of transportation for blind clients.

                                  RESOLUTION 92-09

     WHEREAS, the concept and use of binding arbitration as a mechanism to resolve
disputes arising in the administration and operation of the Randolph-Sheppard program
is sound and fair for blind vendors, state licensing agencies, and federal property-
managing agencies; and 
     WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind was the principal architect of and
proponent for the arbitration provisions which were enacted by Congress and signed by
the President of the United States as part of the Randolph-Sheppard Act amendments of
1974; and 
     WHEREAS, arbitration is an orderly process for resolving legitimate differences,
and by the very nature of arbitration the positions taken by contending parties may
be upheld, altered, or lost altogether, which is a risk taken by any party entering
into a process of this kind; and 
     WHEREAS, the Justice Department of the United States, in appealing an
arbitration decision (which found in favor of the Mississippi state licensing agency
and against the federal government), argued to the court that the arbitration
provisions of the Randolph-Sheppard Act are unconstitutional; and 
     WHEREAS, although the court in the Mississippi case has now rejected the
government's challenge to the constitutionality of arbitrations in the blind vendor
program, future assaults upon the arbitration law can be expected as long as federal
officials feel free to attack the process when the outcome of a case is unfavorable
to their position: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
Federation deplore the attack by the Department of Justice upon the arbitration
process in the Randolph-Sheppard program; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that policy-making officials of the Department of
Education (who are responsible for administering the law) and policy-making officials
of the Department of Justice (who are sworn to defend and uphold the law) are hereby
urged to commit publicly to the arbitration process and to honor the integrity of
this process just as all other parties must, whether they win or lose.

                                  Resolution 92-10

     WHEREAS, a priority for blind persons to operate vending facilities on federal
property has been established by the Randolph-Sheppard Act; and 
     WHEREAS, the officials responsible for conducting each government activity are
required by the Act to cooperate with the Secretary of Education and the Commissioner
of the Rehabilitation Services Administration in assuring that one or more vending
facilities are established for operation by blind persons at each federal site; and 
     WHEREAS, the Committee for Purchase from the Blind and other Severely
Handicapped has added services of the type provided by blind vendors to the
"procurement list," which it publishes for federal agencies to use in purchasing
products and services from nonprofit agencies for the blind and other severely
handicapped; and 
     WHEREAS, placement of vending facility services on the "procurement list" is an
action which causes direct competition between the priority for blind vendors in the
Randolph-Sheppard program, on the one hand, and the non-competitive purchase of
services from nonprofit agencies for the severely handicapped, on the other; and 
     WHEREAS, the fundamental nature of the Randolph-Sheppard program is to promote
individual responsibility and entrepreneurship among blind people by providing them
with business opportunities involving management and supervisory skills, including
the opportunity for upward mobility in the conduct of complex food service
operations; and 
     WHEREAS, contracting with nonprofit agencies for the purpose of employing
severely handicapped persons in food service operations conducted at federal sites
will inevitably diminish business opportunities for blind vendors and is inconsistent
with the statutory objectives of the Randolph-Sheppard Act and the goals set by
Congress for this program; and 
     WHEREAS, even without competition from nonprofit agencies that employ persons
with severe handicaps, the Randolph-Sheppard program already faces stiff obstacles in
establishing large-scale food service businesses on federal property; and 
     WHEREAS, rather than fostering and endorsing competition between federally
sponsored programs which provide opportunities and jobs for blind and severely
handicapped individuals, the Committee for Purchase from the Blind and Other Severely
Handicapped should respect and promote opportunities for persons who are blind, as
well as using its procurement policies in other areas to provide jobs for persons who
are severely handicapped: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization register its fervent opposition to placement of vending facility
services on the procurement list of the Committee for Purchase from the Blind and
Other Severely Handicapped; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge the Committee for Purchase from the Blind
and Other Severely Handicapped to adopt a formal policy of noncompetition with the
Randolph-Sheppard program and with other programs which provide employment
opportunities to blind people and to persons with other disabilities as well.

                                  Resolution 92-11

     WHEREAS, the North Carolina Department of Human Resources is seeking the
enactment of state legislation that would radically alter the fundamental
relationship between the state licensing agency and the licensed blind vendors in the
state; and 
     WHEREAS, the assignment of vendors for indefinite periods would end in North
Carolina if this legislation is enacted; and 
     WHEREAS, strict income limits would also be placed on vendors in the state, with
the imposition of a 50 percent tax (called a set aside charge) on all income over
$56,000 this year and a 75 percent tax on proceeds above $74,000; and 
     WHEREAS, these policies, if enacted by the legislature of the state of North
Carolina, would defeat the declared purposes of the federal Randolph-Sheppard program
by threatening vendors with the loss of their businesses every two years and by
penalizing those who successfully build their businesses as anticipated by the
federal law; and 
     WHEREAS, these policies are being forced upon the vendors of North Carolina
under circumstances in which many of the vendors feel that they have no choice but to
go along with the state's decisions; and 
     WHEREAS, the potential passage of this legislation in the state of North
Carolina makes a statement that the right to fair treatment of blind people
everywhere may be threatened by government officials virtually at their whim--a
condition which blind people throughout the United states cannot and should not
accept; and 
     WHEREAS, officials of the Department of Human Resources are fully aware of the
powerful relationship which they have over the vendors and have not failed to flex
their muscles in getting most of the vendors to knuckle under to the policy changes
now being sought: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in convention assembled
this first day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization deplore the shameful tactics used by the state officials in North
Carolina who have bullied many of the blind vendors into accepting policies which
will make them even more vulnerable to agency demands in the future, not to mention
the inequitable fees that would be imposed; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be dispatched immediately
to every member of the legislature of the State of North Carolina with the urgent
request that this proposed legislation be stopped in its tracks in fairness to blind
people in this state and throughout this country.

                                  Resolution 92-12

     WHEREAS, for many years, the National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped has offered courses in literary Braille transcription and
literary Braille proofreading; and 
     WHEREAS, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
is currently developing courses in the Braille Music Code and the Braille Mathematics
(Nemeth) Code for blind proofreaders; and 
     WHEREAS, the Hadley School for the Blind also offers courses in both the music
and the mathematics Braille codes; and 
     WHEREAS, by using material on audio cassettes as well as material printed in
Braille, Hadley has designed these courses so that all aspects, including test
taking, can be performed without the need for a sighted reader or copy holder; and 
     WHEREAS, in 1991 the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped began offering a test in the Mathematics Braille Code to blind
proofreaders; and 
     WHEREAS, currently, this test can be taken by a blind proofreader only if he or
she has access to a sighted reader, who follows along with a printed version of the
test; and 
     WHEREAS, some blind persons do not have ready access to sighted persons who can
read music and other specialized materials; and 
     WHEREAS, providing this material to the blind proofreader on audio cassette
would eliminate the need for a sighted reader, thus allowing the blind proofreader to
complete the tests independently: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization strongly urge the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped to furnish to its blind proofreaders both Braille and cassette versions
of proofreading tests for specialized Braille codes; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped work closely with the National Federation of the Blind and the
National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB) in designing these courses
and tests so that they are accessible to all blind proofreaders. 

                                  Resolution 92-13

     WHEREAS, socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses may receive
assistance from the United States Small Business Administration under section 8(a) of
the Small Business Act; and 
     WHEREAS, the assistance provided to businesses that qualify as socially and
economically disadvantaged includes government contracts assigned without competition
and technical assistance in managing the business as well; and 
     WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind has found that the current
regulations of the Small Business Administration tend to screen out applicants who
are blind, unless the applicant is also identified as a member of a recognized racial
or ethnic minority group; and 
     WHEREAS, members of recognized racial and ethnic minority groups are presumed to
be socially disadvantaged under the application criteria for the Section 8(a)
program, but blind people (or persons with other severe disabilities) are not given
the same presumption, forcing each new applicant to prove individually that he or she
has in fact been socially disadvantaged; and 
     WHEREAS, regardless of the ongoing and significant efforts being made by public
and private agencies, as well as by blind individuals and organizations, to increase
employment opportunities, it is still estimated that more than 70 percent of
employable blind people are either unemployed or underemployed; and 
     WHEREAS, the rate of unemployment among blind people far exceeds that of any of
the recognized minority groups, yet they are presumed to be socially disadvantaged
and the blind are not; and 
     WHEREAS, the findings made by Congress as the basis for the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 provide the Small Business Administration with all of the
authority and evidence needed to classify blind people and others with severe
disabilities as having a presumed social disadvantage, thus making it easier to
qualify for assistance through the section 8(a) program: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this first day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that we urge
the small business Administration to amend its regulations for the Section 8(a)
program by declaring that a presumed status of social disadvantage exists for persons
who are members of disability minority groups as well as for persons who are members
of racial and ethnic minorities; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, beyond taking this action to smooth the way for the
prompt consideration of applications by persons with disabilities, the Small Business
Administration is hereby urged to adopt affirmative action policies designed to
ensure that future section 8(a) contracts are actually distributed to firms that are
owned and controlled by persons who are blind.

                                  Resolution 92-14

     WHEREAS, while the Federal government claims to be a model employer of the
disabled, blind and disabled people are significantly underrepresented in the Federal
work force; and 
     WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind has long recognized that prejudice
derived from negative public attitudes is the principal barrier which blind people
face in securing employment opportunities; and 
     WHEREAS, Federal agency disabled-employee-of-the-year awards and similar special
awards for the disabled tell Federal managers and the public that blind and disabled
workers should be held to a different and lesser standard of performance; and 
     WHEREAS, such awards also promote the misconception that blind and disabled
employees who do good work are exceptional; and 
     WHEREAS, Evan Kemp, Chairman of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission, has called for the elimination of special awards for disabled Federal
employees as inconsistent with the objective of promoting equality for the disabled
under the Americans with Disabilities Act: Now, therefore 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization recognize that disabled employee-of-the-year awards are harmful relics
of paternalism and strongly endorse the efforts of Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission Chairman Evan Kemp to eliminate these and other similar awards for the
disabled. 

                                  Resolution 92-15

     WHEREAS, regulations and public statements from the Social Security
Administration encourage blind disability insurance beneficiaries to work or attempt
to work; and 
     WHEREAS, beneficiaries who respond to these work incentive provisions by
performing work activity will often find that they are charged by the Social Security
Administration with substantial overpayments, amounting to tens of thousands of
dollars; and 
     WHEREAS, in many of these cases beneficiaries have fully reported their work
activity but are told by claims representatives not to worry since their cases will
be evaluated at periodic intervals; and 
     WHEREAS, lack of due diligence by Social Security personnel and the procedures
they use tend to be the most common reason for substantial overpayments, leaving
beneficiaries who work almost always at risk of incurring a debt to the Social
Security Administration which they cannot ever hope to repay; and 
     WHEREAS, the procedures for evaluating work activity appear to be based on the
expectation that most beneficiaries will not work, and therefore a frequent and
simple reporting system is not being used for beneficiaries who do work; and 
     WHEREAS, persons who receive Social Security retirement benefits while working
file annual reports so that their earnings and benefit status can be reviewed; and 
     WHEREAS, the use of a similar annual work reporting system in the disability
insurance program, used solely for the purpose of evaluating earnings, could lead to
a reduction in the number of sizable overpayments and would give beneficiaries more
certainty about their status with Social Security while working: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization ask the Social Security Administration to institute a frequent and
simple work reporting system for disability insurance beneficiaries in recognition of
the fact that increasing numbers of beneficiaries want to work but are concerned
about how their earnings will affect their benefits; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge the Social Security Administration to design
a work reporting system in consultation with beneficiary representatives, including
leaders of the National Federation of the Blind, to the end that work activity is
encouraged and beneficiaries who attempt to work are protected from threatening
overpayment allegations and the consequences resulting from substantial and unpayable
debts; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the Social Security
Administration to establish a policy that, once the annual work activity and earnings
evaluation is completed by SSA and accepted by the beneficiary, that work period is
closed and shall not be reopened for further evaluation absent good cause. 

                                  Resolution 92-16

     WHEREAS, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil
Rights is responsible for enforcing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
with respect to recipients of Federal funds distributed by the Department of Health
and Human Services; and 
     WHEREAS, in ruling on and reviewing a complaint filed against the Massachusetts
Office for Children, the HHS Civil Rights Office has determined that it is not
unlawful discrimination under Section 504 to subject blind people to extra scrutiny
in deciding on their suitability for licensing as childcare workers; and 
     WHEREAS, it is an established fact that blind people are capable of caring for
children to the same extent that sighted people are; and 
     WHEREAS, just as race, ethnicity, or national origin cannot be used as reasons
for extra scrutiny in childcare licensing, neither should blindness be used to permit
extra scrutiny: 
Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this second day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization demand that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for
Civil Rights reverse its policy of using extra scrutiny when blind people apply for
child care licenses from public agencies. 

                                  Resolution 92-17

     WHEREAS, the skills of blindness and an understanding of blindness within
society are two components of education which distinguish the education of blind
children from that of other children; and 
     WHEREAS, the emphasis required in each of these areas will vary from child to
child and from time to time during each child's school years; and 
     WHEREAS, without the skills and understanding of blindness, the ability of the
blind child to integrate into society and to compete on the basis of equality as a
blind adult is seriously compromised; and 
     WHEREAS, both residential and public school programs can meet the special
education needs of blind children, but the two programs offer distinctly different
advantages and are therefore not interchangeable for any child at any given time; and

     WHEREAS, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Public Law 94-142
were intended to open up more educational opportunities for disabled children and
greater participation by parents in educational planning; and 
     WHEREAS, blind children have a unique educational history in this country and
specific educational needs which are not addressed in the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act and Public Law 94-142, an omnibus act covering all
disabilities; and 
     WHEREAS, education officials have their own reasons, which may have little or
nothing to do with the best interests of the child, for placing blind students in one
setting or another; and 
     WHEREAS, parents have no vested interest in one educational program over
another, but are concerned only with what is best for their child: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this third day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that the
decision of whether a blind student shall attend a public or a residential school for
the blind should rest primarily with the parents of the blind student; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon the administrators of educational
programs in each state to provide to parents of blind children complete information
about alternative educational placements.

                                  Resolution 92-18

     WHEREAS, guide dog schools, alone among agencies for the blind, have
historically refused to provide training and guide dogs to blind persons who are
street musicians or beggars; and 
     WHEREAS, graduating students are required by most schools to sign a contract
agreeing not to engage in activities which the schools define as begging, even when
such activities are clearly within the law; and 
     WHEREAS, guide dog schools have used this contact provision to take guide dogs
away from blind persons; and 
     WHEREAS, conditioning the training and provision of guide dogs on the behavior
of students which is unrelated to the use of the dog, even if that behavior is
considered demeaning to the image of blind persons and guide dogs, constitutes
unwarranted interference and intimidation: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization call upon all guide dog schools to provide their services to all
eligible blind persons regardless of the past, present, or future occupation of those
persons; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand that any and all references
to begging be removed from student contracts and applicant literature used by guide
dog schools. 

                                  Resolution 92-21

     WHEREAS, the goal of the National Federation of the Blind is the integration of
blind citizens into society on terms of equality; and 
     WHEREAS, participation of blind citizens in society is linked to independent
mobility; and 
     WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind has always supported the use of
guide dogs as a mobility choice for blind Americans; and 
     WHEREAS, ownership of guide dogs by blind individuals promotes individual
responsibility and independence; and 
     WHEREAS, for decades a leading guide dog program has given the right of guide
dog ownership to those completing the training program while maintaining a commitment
to blind person/guide dog teams; and 
     WHEREAS, another leading guide dog program recently recognized the advantages of
permitting guide dog users to own their dogs by announcing its own new ownership
program; and 
     WHEREAS, the policy of retaining guide dog ownership by many other training
schools is based on paternalism and fosters a sense of dependence: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization commend guide dog training schools that provide the full right of
ownership to those completing training programs, whether by long-standing tradition
or recent enlightenment; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we again call upon all guide dog training programs
to adopt without further delay similar progressive ownership policies.

                                  Resolution 92-24

     WHEREAS, the installation of audible traffic signals is an issue which is widely
debated in communities throughout the nation; and 
     WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind has accumulated documentation
which indicates that audible traffic signals are often a nuisance to the general
populace and an unwelcome distraction to pedestrians who are blind; and 
     WHEREAS, audible traffic signals tend to be confusing and dangerous for blind
pedestrians who are hard of hearing since these signals block and distort traffic
sounds; and 
     WHEREAS, audible traffic signals constitute an additional hazard to deaf-blind
pedestrians because a driver seeing a deaf-blind pedestrian using a white cane or
guide dog at an intersection where there is an audible traffic signal assumes that
the deaf-blind pedestrian can hear the signal; thus the driver may not exercise
appropriate care: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization call upon those exploring the installation of audible traffic signals to
consider the problems these signals may cause for deaf-blind people.

                                  Resolution 92-25

     WHEREAS, the production in Braille of current fiction titles by the National
Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and private agencies tends
to lag far behind the production of similar materials in recorded form; and 
     WHEREAS, the Scottish Braille Press and the Royal National Institute for the
Blind in the United Kingdom regularly produce additional fiction titles in English
Braille; and 
     WHEREAS, the National Federation of the Blind is committed to the promotion of
literacy for the blind through the use of Braille; and 
     WHEREAS, there is inadequate leisure reading material available in Braille in
the United States; and 
     WHEREAS, the availability of additional fiction titles in Braille would be
welcomed by many blind and deaf-blind consumers: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
Federation review the availability of fiction titles produced in English Braille in
other countries which are unduplicated in America; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization investigate the feasibility of
importing, developing, and circulating such a collection of titles within this
country. 

                                  Resolution 92-26

     WHEREAS, every blind student, like every other student, can use the college
years to learn to manage time, resources, and personal and professional relationships
on the way to becoming employable; and 
     WHEREAS, many college and university offices providing services to disabled
students attempt to perform these functions for blind students under the misguided
assumption that blind students cannot perform these functions for themselves; and 
     WHEREAS, examples of this misguided assumption include controlling the terms of
reader services, controlling the circumstances of testing, controlling communication
of every kind between the blind student and everyone else at the institution, and
compelling blind students to undergo psychological testing merely because they are
blind; and 
     WHEREAS, it is counterproductive to provide or require these services for
students during the years when they need to learn to manage these matters for
themselves; and 
     WHEREAS, the Association for Handicapped Students Services Programs in
Postsecondary Education (AHSSPPE) is a nationwide organization for university and
college administrators in offices which serve students with disabilities: Now,
therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization call upon the Association for Handicapped Students Services Programs in
Postsecondary Education to work with representatives of the National Federation of
the Blind to develop a policy on blindness, providing guidance to AHSSPPE members on
campuses of postsecondary institutions across the country; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon AHSSPPE to refrain from lumping blind
students with other groups of disabled students or requiring that blind students
receive special services, but rather that its members encourage independence for
blind students, including independence from offices for disabled students. 

                                  Resolution 92-27

     WHEREAS, testing agencies routinely eliminate questions from the Braille
versions of tests on the grounds that pictorial information integral to the question
is too visual to transcribe when they could allow a live reader to accompany the
blind test taker to describe such untranscribed information; and 
     WHEREAS, testing agencies routinely require blind test takers to accept any
reader assigned by the testing site administrator even though most of these readers
are untrained and unqualified so that their incompetence diminishes the blind
person's test score; and 
     WHEREAS, those testing agencies which allow a blind test taker to bring his or
her own reader routinely require notification of the identity of the reader long
before the actual test, even though the test itself is fully proctored, causing some
blind test takers to be denied testing until the next testing cycle if the planned
reader cannot attend; and 
     WHEREAS, testing agencies sometimes require blind persons to apply to take the
test at an earlier date than their sighted peers, causing confusion about when the
application must be made and resulting in blind persons' being denied testing until
the next cycle; and 
     WHEREAS, many testing agencies provide tests in some alternative media while
providing no preparatory material in the same media; and 
     WHEREAS, the validity of standardized test results for blind persons is
undermined by many of the practices of standardized testing agencies which inhibit
the blind test taker; and 
     WHEREAS, each of the practices listed above can diminish the performance of the
blind test taker due to the testing agencies' reaction to blindness rather than due
to the competence of the blind person, a practice which violates the Americans with
Disabilities Act; and 
     WHEREAS, the results of standardized tests are the gateway to college, graduate
school, and many of the professions for blind as well as sighted persons; and 
     WHEREAS, standardized tests should be provided in Braille, on cassette tape, in
large print, and in standard print accessed with a live reader: Now, therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization demand that the Educational Testing Service and other testing agencies
cease their unfair and illegal practices; and 
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization demand that the Educational
Testing Service and other standardized testing agencies meet with elected
representatives of blind students to address these issues and to achieve compliance
with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

                                  Resolution 92-28

     WHEREAS, blind persons have demonstrated that they are able to compete on terms
of equality as federal employees; and 
     WHEREAS, evacuation plans developed for times of emergency in federal facilities
often require that disabled employees have an individual assigned to them to insure
safe evacuation; and 
     WHEREAS, persons with disabilities are often required to wait in elevator
lobbies instead of using stairs to evacuate the building while persons who are not
disabled use stairs; and 
     WHEREAS, blind persons are often lumped with all other disabled persons with
regard to these requirements and there have been instances where blind federal
employees have been formally reprimanded for walking down stairs during evacuations;
and 
     WHEREAS, discussions with federal safety officials held to explain that blind
persons do not present an increased safety risk to themselves or others during
building evacuations are often fruitless because the officials point to General
Service Administration rules which state that employees with disabilities must remain
in elevator lobbies during emergency evacuations and have an assistant assigned to
them; and 
     WHEREAS, the intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act is that safety is a
consideration in treatment of persons with disabilities only where significant
increases in risk can be shown; and 
     WHEREAS, the ADA also mandates that individual differences in disabilities must
be recognized in making policy decisions; and 
     WHEREAS, we know of no instances where blind persons have been at higher risk to
themselves or others during emergency evacuations from federal buildings; and 
     WHEREAS, the GSA requirements are but another instance of the time-worn
prejudice against blind persons based on the myth of the helpless blind: Now,
therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization call upon the General Services Administration to amend its rules to
exempt blind federal employees from mandatory special requirements regarding building
evacuation of disabled persons. 

                                  Resolution 92-29

     WHEREAS, the Internal Revenue Service has a long history of hiring blind
persons, who have proven their ability successfully to compete on the job; and 
     WHEREAS, the Internal Revenue Service has followed a practice of requiring blind
persons to be trained separately from its own ongoing training classes; and 
     WHEREAS, such practices prevent blind persons from establishing initial
equipment needs and peer contacts with those who will be co-workers; and 
     WHEREAS, in several instances in which local hiring and training have occurred,
blind persons have proven they are able to participate in local training classes,
gaining all of the benefits of such classes and being successfully employed: Now,
therefore, 
     BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled
this fourth day of July, 1992, in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, that this
organization call upon the Internal Revenue Service to take all necessary steps to
bring about the local training and hiring of blind IRS employees.
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