March Bulletin

Greetings Fellow Federationists,

The National Federation of the Blind Applauds Senate Introduction of TEACH Act
Senator Warren, Hatch and Elizabeth Warren,Introduced the Technology, Education, Accessibility in Colleges and Education.

As we all know, the National Federation of the Blind is The oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans. On Friday, February 28, 2014, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced TEACH) Act (S. 2060). The TEACH Act, which is the result of collaboration between the NFB and the Association of American Publishers, and which has been endorsed by eleven other organizations of and for people with disabilities, will create accessibility guidelines for electronic instructional materials and related information technologies used by institutions of higher education. The introduction of the bill was announced during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing focusing on college access and success for students with disabilities.

A companion bill, H.R. 3505, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Tom Petri (R-WI) on November 15, 2013. The bills have the same text, making it easier for Congress to pass this simple solution to an outrageous problem.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Every day, blind college students face frustration and despair in the pursuit of their education because of inaccessible technology. E-readers, Web content, mobile applications, and learning management systems are integral to the twenty-first-century college experience, and students with disabilities are being needlessly left behind. No student can be expected to succeed in college if he or she is denied access to critical course material. Schools and manufacturers must embrace readily available accessibility solutions so that all students can benefit from educational technology, and the guidelines established by the TEACH Act will make it clear how manufacturers and institutions of higher education can best serve students with disabilities. These guidelines are long overdue, and we applaud Senators Warren and Hatch for introducing this critical bill.”

Senator Warren said in a statement: “It’s critically important that university services and course materials remain accessible to students with disabilities as technology advances and changes the way we communicate and learn. I’m pleased to join Senator Hatch to introduce the TEACH Act, which would help promote the use of educational technologies that meet the needs of all students.”

Senator Hatch said: “Technological advances have increased educational opportunities for everyone but especially for students with disabilities. However, in order to benefit from these new technologies students need to be able to access them. The TEACH Act promotes the development of guidelines to assist educational institutions in selecting and offering course materials and services that students of all abilities can benefit from, and as someone who helped write the Americans with Disabilities Act, I’m proud to support it.”

Taxi Magic Testers Needed in San Francisco and Los Angeles

Contact Tim Elder, Member, Board of Directors, National Federation of the Blind of California, if you want to help give feedback and names of users to help us with testing. Would you be interested in helping out in the next few months? If you’re interested in providing feedback or participating in user testing, please fill out this survey:

Taxi Magic VoiceOver Testing Survey

Ideally, we’re looking for users to download and use development versions of our app and take a few rides to provide feedback to us. We would provide you Magic Credits for the test rides and this could be done on your own time.

Let me know if this would be of interest to you. We really appreciate the help in improving our apps! And feel free to pass this survey along to anyone else you know who may be interested! Feel free to contact at jen@taximagic.com with any questions.

Action in Congress-
I am happy to report that Congressman Vargas has signed onto HR 164 Space Available. Also Congressman McNerney has co sponsored HR 831 Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities. Way to go gang!

Dance with Me for!
The National Federation of the Blind
Riverside/San Bernardino Chapter “Fund Raiser”

 When: Sunday June 8, 2014 (Adults only)
Where: Elks Riverside Lodge #643 6166 Brockton Ave., Riverside, CA 92506
Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Donation: $12.00 per ticket if purchased before event and $15.00 at the door day of the event.
Contact Person: Pamela Chase
Cell 951-532-6525
Email pschase@ca.rr.com
About the Event: The afternoon promises to be fun! Swing dance to THE JIMMY DRAPER BAND. Drawings throughout the afternoon. Gifts included surprise baskets, Assistive Technology, Vendor OVAC Inc. 50/50, and a $25.00 Best Buy gift card and much more. Don’t miss out! Come and have some fun!!!

DIRECTIONS: Please complete form below. Make donations payable to the -NFB Riverside/San Bernardino Chapter. Please give form and donation to a Chapter Member or you can mail the form and donation to:

NFB Riverside San Bernardino Chapter
ATT. Pamela Chase
1865 Taylor Ave.
Corona, CA 92882
**********************************************

PLEASE PRINT

Full Name: _____________________________________________________________

Address:  ______________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________________

Phone: _______________________________________

Email Address:__________________________________________________________

Name of person who told you about the event: ________________________________

 

Mary Willows, President
3934 Kern Court
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 462-8575
mwillows@sbcglobal.net

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