The following are brief summaries of the resolutions adopted by the ACB membership at the 2018 conference and convention held at the Union Station Hotel in July. One resolution was referred to ACB’s advocacy services committee. It is not included in this compilation. 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/resolutions2018.
Resolution 2018-01 directs ACB to strongly urge all developers of antivirus and anti-malware programs to ensure that their software is designed to be fully accessible to and usable by people who are blind or visually impaired.
Resolution 2018-02 instructs members of ACB’s state affiliates to request their state to immediately take all necessary steps to ensure equal access to absentee and vote by mail balloting in every state.
Resolution 2018-03 directs ACB to take all steps necessary to obtain the recognition that electronic polling books or voter verification systems should be accessible to persons who are blind or have low vision and for the adoption of a requirement that every jurisdiction must implement an accessible voter verification system.
Resolution 2018-04 tells ACB to encourage all teachers of the visually impaired to pursue continuing education and/or professional development opportunities and training to keep abreast of the ever-changing body of knowledge and practices concerning neurological visual impairment in order to effectively meet the unique needs of children with CVI. It instructs ACB to urge the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, and state and local educational agencies to protect the integrity of assessments conducted by TVIs. It also urges Congress to enact the Cogswell Macy Act.
Resolution 2018-05 directs ACB to review the 2018-2019 Common College Application for accessibility after its next release on Aug. 1, 2018 and, if the application remains inaccessible after that date, ACB shall use all appropriate resources and influence to pursue full accessibility of the Common College Application for the release scheduled for Aug. 1, 2019.
Resolution 2018-06 congratulates The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc., Seattle, Wash., on providing 100 years of successful and innovative job opportunities for people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf-blind, and who may have additional disabilities.
Resolution 2018-08 directs ACB to advocate for the full accessibility of commercial and other advertising to ensure that on-screen information is communicated effectively to viewers with vision loss.
Resolution 2018-09 expresses the belief that Publix must do significantly more to create a standard of service in stores that is consistently appropriate; expresses ACB’s deep disappointment with the disregard to online accessibility demonstrated by Publix both on its website and through apps; directs ACB to urge Publix to develop and implement policies and procedures that will result in the deployment of accessible prescription labels; and instructs ACB to continue to work with Publix but expect a significant and substantial improvement in their attitude and approach to online, in-store, and prescription label access.
Resolution 2018-10 instructs the ACB national office to expand and further its relationships with U.S. air carriers, calling upon airlines to: ensure that development of any such policies is done in consultation with ACB, Guide Dog Users, Inc., and other service animal advocates to assure that the long-standing commitment to full and equal inclusion of passengers with guide dogs is not compromised; and that the airlines commit to implement ongoing training with airline personnel in order to assure that the letter of the law protecting the rights of passengers with service animals not be impeded. It also directs ACB to work with the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure that that the rights of passengers with legitimate, well-trained service animals not be negatively impacted by any changes to the service animal definition and subsequent relevant policies.
Resolution 2018-11 directs ACB to immediately call upon President Donald J. Trump to promptly deposit the Senate-approved Marrakesh Treaty with the World Intellectual Property Organization, and to urge the leadership and members of the U.S. House of Representatives to take up and pass S. 2559, the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act, so that the legislation can be transmitted as soon as possible to the White House for the President’s signature.
Resolution 2018-12 congratulates RSVA on its 50th birthday and reaffirms ACB’s commitment to support the right of blind vendors to receive priority to bid on military dining facilities.
Resolution 2018-13 directs ACB to encourage its state chapters to consider advocating for the establishment of a state legislative task force on paratransit services, and instructs the task force to identify and disseminate best practices on paratransit issues.
Resolution 2018-14 instructs ACB to call upon the Department of Transportation to enforce laws and rules which prevent accidents from occurring and encourages local and state affiliates to work with transit districts to assure compliance with appropriate safety standards.
Resolution 2018-15 directs ACB to work with the FCC to require all broadcast and non-broadcast networks providing video description to establish a clear point of contact to address issues of quality and standards for video description.
Resolution 2018-16 instructs ACB, LUA and BRL to strongly urge NLS to consider producing electronic braille books in greater numbers than those produced in hard copy, and commends NLS for beginning to work on creating different elements of braille output using document flow. It also urges NLS to consider developing a format for electronic braille not tied to the specifications that apply to hard-copy braille books.
Resolution 2018-17 directs ACB, and LUA, to ask the Information Access Committee to join Library Users of America in reaching out to standard-setting bodies of the American Library Association and other entities deemed appropriate to advocate that these standards include accessibility components.
Resolution 2018-18 instructs ACB to strongly urge the FCC to exercise all appropriate authority to require the broadcast and non-broadcast networks to establish and/or join an automated digital listing of all available audio-described programming, and directs that the FCC monitor such listings on an ongoing basis for quality assurance and to ensure that such listings provide consumers of audio-described programming with a level of service equal to that provided today to consumers of closed-captioned television.
Resolution 2018-19 reiterates ACB’s ongoing assertion that an experience that is carefully and effectively described includes more information than can possibly be provided by an in-person guide, and directs ACB to urge the White House to take steps to reinstate the described tour as soon as possible.
Resolution 2018-20 directs ACB to continue its advocacy in support of net neutrality.
Resolution 2018-21 thanks the management and staff of the Union Station Hotel.
Resolution 2018-22 thanks this year’s convention host committee and the women and men of the Missouri Council of the Blind.
Resolution 2018-23 thanks all the convention volunteers.