by Mark Richert
The following are brief summaries of the resolutions adopted by the ACB membership at the 2015 conference and convention held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel in July. Please note that these summary statements are not the authoritative voice of the ACB membership; they are simply intended to capture the overall scope and intent of the membership as authoritatively embodied in the full text of each of the resolutions. You can find the full text of resolutions at www.acb.org/resolutions2015.
Resolution 2015-01 commemorates the life and work of the late Walter Spillum for his pioneering contributions to the field of international blindness education.
Resolution 2015-02 calls upon the National Endowment for the Arts to require, as appropriate, audio description in its grants, to consider a national registry of described content, and to work with ACB’s Audio Description Project Committee.
Resolution 2015-03 demands that the Federal Communications Commission respond to repeated calls by the vision loss community to immediately implement a plan to hire professionals with expertise in blindness and visual impairment.
Resolution 2015-04 congratulates and thanks Melanie Brunson for her 17 years of devoted service to ACB.
Resolution 2015-05 expresses profound disappointment in Microsoft for its failure to ensure full accessibility of the Windows 10 operating system, calls upon Microsoft to change its practices to ensure accessibility of products at initial release, and demands that complimentary copies of Microsoft Outlook be made available to remediate Microsoft’s latest browser’s inaccessibility.
Resolution 2015-06 calls upon President Obama to direct the Attorney General to complete revisions to the Americans with Disabilities Act implementing regulations within one year, ensuring that online-only public accommodations are covered by the ADA’s Title III non-discrimination obligations.
Resolution 2015-07 urges the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to rescind the requirement that electronic currency identifiers are only distributed to patrons who affirm their U.S. citizenship in writing, and reiterates ACB’s demand for accessible paper currency.
Resolution 2015-08 urges the U.S. Congress and the Rehabilitation Services Administration to address an array of serious failures in sound public policy affecting people who are blind or visually impaired embodied in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and its proposed implementing regulations.
Resolution 2015-09 voices outrage that the National Council on Disability utterly failed to honor its responsibilities to carry out a national public awareness initiative regarding accessible prescription medication labeling.
Resolution 2015-10 acknowledges that the needs of people with low vision are being neglected with respect to the accessibility of mobile apps, and directs the ACB Information Access Committee to work with the Council of Citizens with Low Vision International to develop and disseminate material addressing these unmet needs.
Resolution 2015-11 identifies the lack of a single national credential for assistive technology trainers as a significant barrier to competence and quality, and calls upon the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP) to promptly develop and offer such a credential.
Resolution 2015-12 describes a variety of customer difficulties using Greyhound’s web site, customer services, and affiliated web sites, and calls upon Greyhound to improve its web site accessibility and related issues.
Resolution 2015-13 remembers the availability of a low-cost accessible microwave oven offered by Hamilton Beach and urges the appropriate entities to bring such a low-cost accessible appliance back to market.
Resolution 2015-14 commends Netflix for beginning to offer both original and third-party-produced audio-described content.
Resolution 2015-15 demands that the state of California allow follow-up and after-care services to be provided to guide dog teams in the state without requiring out-of-state instructors who provide such services to be licensed in California.
Resolution 2015-16 urges the Rehabilitation Services Administration to adopt federal regulations implementing the Independent Living Services to Older Individuals who are Blind (OIB) program that would require state agencies to only contract with service provider organizations staffed by professionals possessing expertise in blindness and visual impairment as identified in such regulations.
Resolution 2015-17 reaffirms ACB’s support for a $2 for $1 gradual reduction in Social Security benefits when a beneficiary who is blind or visually impaired enters or returns to the work force.
Resolution 2015-18 thanks the management and staff of the Sheraton Dallas Hotel.
Resolution 2015-19 commends and thanks the convention host committee and the American Council of the Blind of Texas for their hospitality and a successful national conference and convention.
Resolution 2015-20 expresses deep appreciation to convention volunteers for their generous assistance.