Resolution 2023-01 Paratransit Eligibility Procedures
Whereas, in determining paratransit eligibility, it is the prevailing practice among California transit districts to require riders to have their eligibility recertified at stated intervals, such as every three or five years; and
Whereas, this requirement applies even when the rider’s disability is permanent and irreversible; and
Whereas, during the recertification process transit districts often require a physician to complete and sign a portion of the recertification application; and
Whereas, when a transit district is in receipt of a physician’s determination that a disability is permanent and irreversible, there is no reason to have the rider’s eligibility subsequently recertified; and
Whereas, completing the application and finding a physician to complete and sign a portion of the paratransit recertification application can be difficult and time-consuming; and
Whereas, obtaining a physician’s services is frequently expensive especially for low-income riders; and
Whereas, eliminating this requirement, , will result in monetary savings and lessens the administrative burden for transit districts,
now, therefore, be it
Resolved, by the California Council of the Blind, in convention assembled this 2nd day of April, 2023, that this organization urge and assist its chapters , affiliates, and all members to advocate with transit districts and appropriate elected officials to eliminate the requirement for recertification of paratransit eligibility for those riders whose disability is permanent and irreversible, and be it further
resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent to each chapter and affiliate, And be it further
Resolved, that this organization send a copy of this resolution to the California Association of Coordinated Transit for dissemination to each transit district.
Resolution 2023-02 Vending Facility Equipment
Whereas, historically, Randolph-Sheppard vendors have not had to pay for facility equipment used to operate the facility, such as appliances cash registers, and card readers; and
Whereas, instead, states purchase equipment using federal funds, along with matching funds from various sources; and
Whereas, in some states, including California the required match for the purchase of equipment is obtained through funds collected from BEP vendors by state licensing agencies, with these funds being known as set-aside funds,; and
Whereas, the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration, as part of the U.S. Department of Education, and the Office of Management and Budget initially approved a regulatory requirement which limited the state’s ability to purchase BEP equipment to purchases of at least $5,000; and
Whereas the result of this decision was to require a BEP vendor to make purchases of equipment under $5,000; and
Whereas, in light of the pandemic, these federal entities revised this requirement by reducing the threshold which must be met before the state may purchase equipment from $5,000 to $1,000; and
Whereas, due to such vendor equipment expenses for the facility and in light of shrinking BEP facility income due to fewer patrons working in these facilities since the onset of the pandemic, the $1,000 maximum remains a burdensome cost when a vendor must purchase such equipment as coffee makers, cash registers, card readers, and micro wave ovens that are below the required $1,000,
now, therefore, be it
Resolved, by the California Council of the Blind, in hybrid convention assembled this 2nd day of April, 2023, that this organization urge the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration and the Office of Management and Budget, to eliminate the prohibition against a state using federal and matching funds for the purchase of equipment valued at less than $1,000, and be it further
Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the American Council of the Blind for action at its 2023 national convention.
Resolution 2023-03 Funding of AIRA or similar Services
Whereas, choosing community based living and self-determined lives is a freedom that is valued by Californians who are blind or have low-vision; and
Whereas, access to everyday visual information is by far one of the most challenging barrier to true independence and quality of life for people who are blind or have low vision; and
Whereas, technological advancements have brought about new visual interpretation services , such as AIRA , a Fee based service using highly trained,paid agents for customers who are blind or have low vision;and
Whereas, these agents, through access to a customer’s computer or smart phone camera and to digital content through remote access to assist with, among other things: reading mail and other printed materials, self-administration and reading results of at-home medical tests, computer access concerns interpreting inaccessible digital content, and identifying landmarks and signs when traveling; And
Whereas, the state of California has a long history of providing programs and services that enhance opportunities for people with vision loss to enjoy independent and productive lives; and
Whereas, as an example, the state funds NFB Newsline, an accessible reading service; and
Whereas, the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program (DDTP), which is administered by the California Public Utilities Commission, (CPUC) provides an array of telecommunications devices and services to people with disabilities, including various specialized phones, the California Video Relay Service (VRS) for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and the Voice Options Program which provides people with speech disabilities with communication devices; and
Whereas, AIRA, like the VRS, makes the world a far more accessible place; and
Whereas, the cost of AIRA is often unaffordable for low and middle-income Californians with vision loss including the dramatically increasing number of older adults and
Whereas, a number of states cover the cost of AIRA services for their residents, now therefore be it Resolved, by the California Council of the Blind, in hybrid convention assembled this 2nd day of April, 2023, that this organization seek legislation to expand the DDTP to include coverage for AIRA services or a similar service using highly trained, paid agents for Californians with vision loss, and be it further
Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the American Council of the Blind for action at its 2023 National Convention, for the purpose of urging other states to seek funding for AIRA or a similar service.
Introduced by Robert Acosta
Resolution 2023-05 Aggregate Data Awareness
Author: Inclusive Diversity of California
Whereas, collection of aggregate demographic data concerning membership of nonprofit agencies has become increasingly necessary for writing grants and receiving sponsorships and donations; and
Whereas, the American Council of the Blind (ACB), the Parent organization of the California Council of the Blind (CCB), has requested this information from all its state and special interest affiliates based on research and member consultation; and
Whereas, CCB has Only been able to collect a fraction of this data from its chapters and affiliates; and
Whereas, Inclusive Diversity of California (IDC) partners with CCB to increase membership from all marginalized and underrepresented communities; and
Whereas, IDC partners with CCB to create opportunities to nurture ambassadors to bring the mission and vision of CCB to these communities; and
Whereas, As part of the statewide effort of CCB in this matter, IDC and other chapters and affiliates need to know which marginalized communities are underrepresented to refine their recruitment efforts; and
Whereas, The latest statistics on vision loss cited by the American Council of the Blind demonstrate the fastest growing populations experiencing vision loss are African-American or Black and Latino or Latinx; and
Whereas, enhancing the inclusion of marginalized and underrepresented communities into CCB’s advocacy work will provide more opportunities to collaborate with other like-minded organizations, thus increasing its influence; and
Whereas, CCB members from all backgrounds have demonstrated their commitment to growing, supporting, and improving this organization, now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the California Council of the Blind, in hybrid convention assembled this 2nd day of April, 2023, that the board of directors of this organization, in consultation with IDC and other committees appointed by the CCB President, be directed to develop and implement a plan to educate CCB members through community calls, articles in the Blind Californian, and incentive campaigns to voluntarily provide this demographic information, and, be it further
Resolved that the advocacy efforts of this organization intentionally take into consideration the specific issues faced by marginalized racial and ethnic communities with vision loss, providing clear communication of these efforts to CCB members, and,
be it further
Resolved that, when it is feasible, the Board of Directors and other leaders in CCB regularly update the members on the benefits received from using this data, including but not limited to: the receipt of grants, donations, or sponsorships.
Resolution 2023-06 CCB Scholarship Committee Award Requirements
Author: California Council of Blind Students (CCBS)
Whereas, The California Council of the Blind (CCB) annually awards generous scholarships to students who are blind or have low vision; and
Whereas, the CCB Scholarship Committee currently does not have requirements to participate in CCB activities including the annual Conference and Convention; and
Whereas, These scholarship awardees may never be exposed to the CCB Mission, Vision, and Values in action; now therefore be it
Resolved, by the California Council of the Blind in hybrid convention assembled this2nd day of April, 2023, That the CCB Scholarship Committee be directed to develop a set of reasonable requirements for scholarship winners to ensure that they will be exposed theCCB and its mission, vision, and values; and
Be it further resolved,
The these requirements be submitted and presented to the CCB Board of Directors no later than October 1, 2023.
Resolution 2023-07 Ride Sharing
Guillermo Robles and Steve Bauer
Whereas, on-demand transportation services such as Lyft and Uber have revolutionized the way in which people travel; and
Whereas, these services have made it possible to foster growth in our economy; and
Whereas, these services have had an extremely positive impact on the capacity of people who are blind or have low vision across the country to travel independently; and
Whereas, the use of these services requires effective, direct, and clear communication between driver and passenger; and
Whereas, A passenger who is blind or has low vision is negatively impacted by language barriers and absence of verbal communication ; and
Whereas, the lack of effective, direct, and clear communication has resulted in the following:
1. Unmet requests for a driver to communicate verbally to the passenger of their presence and identify their location;
2. Failure of a driver to follow passenger instructions;
3. Passengers being dropped off in incorrect and often unsafe locations;
,now therefore be it
Resolved, by the California Council of the Blind, in hybrid convention assembled this 2nd day of April, 2023, that this organization seek to enter into discussion with said service providers, to seek changes in the platform to allow for passengers who are blind or have low vision to communicate their preferred language and to ensure that drivers who may take their requests are limited to those who speak their preferred language; be it further
Resolved, that this organization submit a copy of this resolution to the American Council of the Blind for action at is 2023 convention.
Resolution 2023-08 Accessible Pedestrian Signals
Author: San Francisco Chapter
Whereas, freedom of movement is a basic human right; and
whereas, an accessible pedestrian signal (APS) provides essential safety and equal civil rights for all disabled pedestrians; and
Whereas, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), mandates that state and local governments provide programmatic access for people with disabilities; and
Whereas, the maintenance of roads and pedestrian pathways is a program of state and local government within the jurisdiction of the ADA; and
Whereas, the recent court case involving ACB of New York vs. New York City, reaffirmed the applicability of the ADA to APS installations; and
Whereas, more than three decades after the passage of the ADA, the vast majority of signalized intersections in California still lack APS functionality; and
Whereas, with the exception of the city and county of San Francisco and a few other localities, the vast majority of communities in California appear to have no plans to bring their signalized intersections into substantial compliance with the ADA through the installation of APS, now, therefore, be it
Resolved, by the California Council of the Blind in hybrid convention assembled this second day of April, 2023 that this organization demands that all signalized intersections in California must be brought into substantial compliance with the requirements of the ADA through the installation of APS functionality within a reasonable period of time, and be it further
Resolved, that this organization calls on each of its chapters to advocate with city and county governments to revise their ADA implementation plans to include specific procedures and timetables for upgrading their signalized intersections with APS functionality in order to achieve substantial compliance with the requirements of the ADA within a reasonable period of time, and be it further
Resolved, that this advocacy may include such activities as, sending copies of this resolution to appropriate local officials, testifying at local government meetings, forming coalitions with other local disability rights and pedestrian safety advocacy groups, or using litigation or structured negotiations, and be it further
Resolved, that this organization shall assist the advocacy efforts of its chapters, to the extent possible, and be it further
Resolved, that this organization continue to advocate with CALTRANS for installation of APS functionality at all signalized intersections within the state’s jurisdiction.
Resolution 2023-09 Hotel Appreciation
Whereas, the staff and management of the Arden West Hilton Sacramento Hotel have gone above and beyond to make this 2023 Convention of the California Council of the Blind a successful and memorable one, now, therefore, be it
Resolved, by the California Council of the Blind, in hybrid convention assembled this 2nd day of April, 2023, that this organization thanks and commends the staff and management of Arden West Hilton Sacramento Hotel for the outstanding efforts in hosting this convention.
Resolution 2023-10 Volunteer Appreciation
Whereas, the first hybrid convention of the California Council of the Blind would not have been anywhere near as successful as it has been without the outstanding efforts of each and every volunteer, now, therefore, be it
Resolved, by the California Council of the Blind, in hybrid convention assembled this 2nd day of April, 2023, that this organization expresses its profound appreciation to each and every volunteer for their assistance at the 2023 California Council of the Blind Convention, and be it further
Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent to every volunteer.
Resolution 2023-11 Coverage of needles for Insulin Injections
Author: California Diabetics in Action
Whereas, in order to avoid significant health problems, such as vision loss, loss of limbs and organ failure, insulin dependent diabetics must inject insulin in the prescribed dosage and at the times required; and
Whereas, such injections must often be made several times a day; and
Whereas, many insulin dependent diabetics have limited or no income; and
Whereas, in order for insulin injections to work in the body effectively, they must be injected with a needle or pen which may not be covered by insurance ; and
whereas, because of the cost of needles, many diabetics re-use needles, thus placing themselves at risk of additional disease, or skip necessary dosages altogether; and
WHEREAS, several municipalities throughout the United States provide needles free of charge to other populations to control the spread of HIV and other diseases, now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the California Council of the Blind, in hybrid convention assembled this 2nd day of April, 2023, that this organization support legislation that would require all California health care insurers to cover the cost of needles and other mediums of injecting insulin, and be it further
Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be submitted to the American Council of the Blind for action at its 2023 Convention.
Resolution 2023-12 State Employee Disability Awareness Training
Whereas, state employees, both non-supervisory and management, are required to take various types of training courses, most of which are now online; and
Whereas, these courses include such topics as sexual harassment and discrimination; and
Whereas, no such course has ever been required or provided that generally covers disability awareness; and
Whereas, such a course would go far to remedy the absence of state employee awareness about the negative impact on all Californians, and state employees, with disabilities, including people who are blind or have low vision, caused by the inaccessibility of state programs, now, therefore, be it
Resolved, by the California Council of the Blind, in hybrid convention assembled this 2nd day of April, 2023, that this organization seek regulations or legislation requiring state employees, both non-supervisory and management, to take a course at prescribed intervals in disability awareness that would cover all aspects of disability access for state facilities, programs, services, and activities.
