A Call for Washington Seminar for the NFB
By Christina Clift
At 5:00 PM on Monday January 30, 2017 members of the Memphis chapter of the National Federation of the Blind along with more than 500 of their fellow Federationists will once again come together for the Great Gathering-In at the Capitol Holiday Inn in Washington D.C. The Great Gathering-In serves as the opening session for the NFB’s Washington Seminar.
The Washington Seminar is an annual event of the National Federation of the Blind which introduces the agenda of blind Americans, as well as the priority issues requiring congressional attention over the coming year. The issues are selected from official positions of the Federation and may address concerns in the following areas: relevant civil rights issues; educational programs and services; rehabilitation of people who are blind for competitive employment; the operation of vending facilities by people who are blind on public property; specialized library services for the blind; the organization and funding of federal programs; Social Security and Supplemental Income programs; and other timely topics. Approximately three legislative initiatives are chosen for priority attention during the Washington Seminar.
During this three day period members of the Tennessee delegation will learn about and advocate for initiatives that will improve the lives of blind Americans. Participants will learn how to talk with their local Congressman and Senators about issues on the NFB’s legislative agenda and about bad public policies that attempt to relegate the Blind to second-class citizenship.
NFB members will swarm Capitol Hill to speak with Tennessee legislators about their concerns and demand the Congress member sponsor legislation that will benefit the Blind. Some of the issues addressed during previous Washington Seminars included the Quiet Car Initiative, Technology, Education and Accessibility in College and Higher Education Act, and the Space Available Act. So far, the priority legislative issues for 2017 have not been released but more information can be found by visiting http://www.nfb.org.
“Washington Seminar demonstrates the power of the Blind as a collective voice for change,” said NFB of Tennessee President James Brown. “It’s a powerful sound hearing hundreds of white canes tapping their way around Capitol Hill.” We invite anyone who is interested in advancing the cause of Americans who are blind, to join us from January 30th to February 2, 2017 in D.C. We hope to see you at our Great Gathering-In, so you can become a part of creating change in the lives of the Blind.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Memphis Center for Independent Living believes the in using “people first” language. Often you will note in this article “the Blind” and "Blind people" are used in an apparent contradiction to the strict person-first ideal. MCIL recognizes cultural exceptions to the people first guide. You may be familiar with "Deaf" with a capital D used by most people who are deaf. The capital “D” denotes a cultural identity surrounding a signed language and a set of cultural norms separate from the mainstream local culture. People who are deaf who capitalize the D see their deafness as more than just a physiological state, also as an identity. The same applies for people who are deaf-blind and for some people who are blind who, while sharing a language in common with the mainstream, may feel necessary assert a specific community identity.
By Christina Clift
November, 2016
Here are some of the highlights on what the committees of the Memphis Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities have been doing during the past two months.
The MACCD Housing, Accessibility, and Recreation committee is busy working to amend the city of Memphis ordinance that was passed two years ago that ensures all newly built housing must have: one no-step entrance and that all doorways must be 32 inches wide. This ordinance is often refereed to as the Visitability Ordinance. The ordinance would be amended to include a usable bathroom as defined by the Fair Housing Act. To get more information on how you can become involved with this committee please contact chairperson: Louis Patrick via e-mail at lpat@aol.com.
The Memphis Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities Employment and Education Committee was proud to partner with Shelby County Schools to make this year's Disability Mentoring Day a success. This has been the best year since the beginning of observing Disability Mentoring Day with 500 high school students and 39 companies participating in the event.
DMD was held on Wednesday October 26, 2016 and students from across Shelby County were given the opportunity to get a glimpse at possible jobs. Companies that participated in this year's Disability Mentoring Day included: Marshall's, Gordon’s Body Shop, Goodwill Industries, Memphis Humane Society, Palazola Produce, Deaf Connect, At Home, Incredible Pizza, FedEx Ground, Lit Restaurant Supply Co., Hicks Convention Service, Spring Creek Ranch, Medtronic, Memphis Zoo, Marriot Hotel, Ave' Maria House, Hilton Hotel Memphis, Sam’s Club, Well Child, WalMart, Workforce Investment Network, Shelby County Schools Telecommunications, WMC TV, Sweet Potato Baby Cafe, 6 Home Depot locations, 5 Lowe’s locations, 2 Nike locations, and 2 Memphis Redbirds areas.
A big thanks to those companies who've partnered for this event since the beginning and welcome aboard to those companies who participated for the first time. To become a part of this committee please contact chairperson: Veronica MacKinney via e-mail at vmac@utk.edu.
The Disability Awareness Committee is currently awaiting official approval of a new brochure that will inform individuals about who and what the Memphis Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities is and does. They are also currently developing a town hall listening tour to provide information about existing policies that impact people with disabilities and to gather feedback from the community about problems they encounter in their everyday lives. The town hall meetings will be held at locations around the city to ensure maximum participation and input by the disability community. For more information contact chairperson: Christina Clift via e-mail at christina@mcil.org.
The Transportation committee is working with MATA to begin gathering information and reports on how MATA is doing. They will look at performance indicators such as on-time performance, hold times, late trips, etc. This partnership is new but exciting to watch. To become involved with this committee contact Chairperson: Louis Patrick via e-mail at lpat@aol.com.
Christina Clift reports regularly about the Memphis Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities for the Memphis Center for Independent Living.
Walkability is a synonym for accessibility
By Tim Wheat
The sidewalk repair program downtown does not seem to use the Americans with Disabilities Act to justify spending money to make the city more accessible. The draft submitted to the Downtown Memphis Commission last night mentions safety, appearance and property values but does not talk about access or the ADA.
No-interest loans for sidewalk repair are available from the Downtown Memphis Commission board with a non-refundable seventy-five dollar fee. Downtown Memphis approved a $50,000 revolving loan fund to repair sidewalks from A.W. Willis on the north to M.L. King Boulevard on the south, west of Danny Thomas. The loans are limited to $5,000, but are expected to average about $1,000 and will be available through June 30, 2019.
A recent blight survey found more than 90 parcels that appear to violate city standards for sidewalks. The City of Memphis Ordinance makes property owners responsible for maintaining the sidewalk on their property. Memphis officials believe an incentive would entice owners to do the right thing and improve the walkability of downtown.
Following is a link to the Board Review Draft of the proposal with the application and map.
http://www.downtownmemphiscommission.com/sites/526/uploaded/files/SRL_Program_Board_Review_Draft_111616.pdf
By Timothy Redd
At MCIL it’s all about Advocacy in Action. Ned Solomon, director of TN Partners in Policy making, led a training at the center today about effective meetings. Partners in Policymaking is the Council’s leadership and advocacy training program for adults with disabilities and family members of persons with disabilities. The Council established the Partners in Policymaking™ program in TN in 1992. Since that time, more than 500 adults with disabilities and family members with disabilities have completed the intensive program; these graduates have gone on to advocate for themselves, their family members and the disability community at large, and to influence policies on the local, state and national level.
If you are like me I’m sure you have attended a meeting where nothing was accomplished and it was a total waste of times. Did you know that everyone in a meeting has role to play and to be empowered.? When conducting a meeting its best to strive for an effective meeting. Effective meetings have to the following components:
- More work is accomplished
- All are heard
- All parties needed for meeting are present
- The agenda is followed.
Some things can throw off a meeting and prevent it from being effective would the agenda not being followed, time limit is ignored, ineffectual facilitation, and not enough information provided for those present to make a decisions. Some things that can help ensure and effective meeting would be an agenda presented before the meeting, having ground rules set in place, not speaking over each other. As a participant if the meeting is off track speak up, speak to the facilitator about future meetings if you feel comfortable and when possible ask for an email to avoid the meeting all together. Hopefully these tips have empowered you with some things you should know and that can help you when it comes to effectual meetings.
For more information, contact Ned Andrew Solomon at ned.solomon@tn.gov or by phone at 615.532.6556.
By Christina Clift
