Current mood:

angry

What Next Will We Hear From Our Friends In The Federation!
I know many of you who read my blog are people who are blind. with that understanding, I post the following for your review and consideration. My goodness, even I am shocked at the turn of events portrayed below.

As you may know, the American Council of the Blind has sued and been successful in its first round to require that the United States Department of the Treasury work to make money tactially identifiable. if you know that, you may also know that the National Federation of the Blind, you know the consumer organization purporting to be the voice of the nation's blind, have opposed this suit publically and with vigor.

Well, it seems that in 1997 the House of Representatives passed a Resolution
urging the Department of the Treasury to modify the currency to make it
identifiable by the blind. I strongly urge you to read an excerpt from the United States Congressional Record, discovered by ACB's attorney Day Al Mohammed, and the attorney working on the case with her. Day's excerpt
printed below has interesting information regarding who gets primary credit for work on the resolution.
read and see who is the major source of input
******
House Resolution 122 regarding Accessible Currency for the Blind
In 1997, House Resolution 122 came to the floor for discussion. The
title of that bill read: Sense of House Regarding Tactile Currency for
Blind and Visually Impaired. It stated that the Federal reserve notes
of the United States are inaccessible to individuals with visual
disabilities and that it constituted a serious impediment to independence
in everyday living. The resolution went on to say that the House
strongly encourages the Secretary of the Treasury and the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing to incorporate cost-
effective, tactile features into the design changes, thereby including
the blind and visually impaired community in independent currency usage.
On page 3 of 143 Congressional Record H 10371, are statements made by the
sponsors of that bill. Below is a quote from those statements:
"I also want to express my appreciation to the American Academy of
Ophthalmology and the National Federation of the Blind for their
technical assistance in drafting this proposal.
I want to mention in connection with this resolution that I am
particularly pleased to have worked with the Federation. They have been
a leading force in our country in helping all of us acquire a more
rational understanding of blindness. That has certainly been the case
as we worked together on this particular matter. The Federation notes
that although the visually impaired are currently able to use and
handle their money, this additional step will facilitate safer and more
secure transactions."

Now remember friends, this is the same group who are speaking out loudly in support of the United States Treasury. What's up with that? Has Mark Mowerforgotten what Kenneth Jernigen espoused back nearly ten not so long years ago? How does what they proposed then and failed to achieve differ from what we in ACB are proposing now and winning with? How can this organization even dare to say it is the voice of this nation's blind! I hope this makes us all see things in a clearer light. Do we have the voice of the nation's blind speaking, or do we have an organization who speaks simply to hear themselves speak, even when what they say isn't in the best interests of the nation's blind.