NFBCO SECURING THE
LIVES WE WANT
A Presidential Report
Presented by Scott C. LaBarre
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Denver Marriott South
INTRODUCTION
Together with love, hope, and determination, we, the National Federation
of the Blind of Colorado, transform our dreams into reality. We know that
blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day
we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create
obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.
These words represent our new message, our new promise to
one another and to all who come to know us.
Although it has been cast in different words, our fundamental message
has not changed since our founding nationally in 1940 and 1955 here in
Colorado. We are determined to live the
lives we want and our work in the last year has been focused solely on this
objective. It is my pleasure, privilege,
and honor to report our substantial achievements. Nevertheless, significant barriers to living
the life we want, a life of first class citizenship, still remain, and we must,
therefore, remain true to our cause and strengthen our effort.
CCB
For as long as I have taken this podium and reported to you, I have said
in many different ways that the single most important program that we operate
is our Colorado Center for the Blind. As
you heard vividly demonstrated earlier today, the Center’s programs are the
dramatic, daily application of our philosophy.
We teach our students and all who come in touch with us that blindness
does not prevent you from living the life you want. Members of our Federation are undoubtedly
familiar with the central programs that we run and have run since 1988 such as
our adult, independence training program and our various summer programs for
blind teenagers and college students.
For the last several years, we have operated Confidence camp for
elementary students and this past year we expanded that program from two to
three weeks. We are significantly
expanding our programs for blind seniors and providing sessions for family and
friends on how to help their loved ones adjust to blindness in a positive
manner. We are training other service
providers who offer programs for blind seniors.
We serve blind youth year round through our FAST Program, Fun Activities
and Skills Training. In the coming year,
we plan to take many of our training programs on the road and spread our
philosophy and skills all throughout Colorado while recruiting new members to
our affiliate. The Center is part of our
family and we can always count on students and staff participating in our
chapters and divisions and showing up at our various affiliate events. We may have different corporate bodies but we
are of one mind and soul. The heart of
the Federation beats strongly at the CCB and this only occurs because of the
tremendous leadership we have. Diane
McGeorge had the vision and guts to get us started on the right path over
twenty-six years ago. As our Executive
Director since 1999, Julie Deden has led the Center to greater heights and
accomplishments through her creative and dynamic leadership. And, of course, we could not do any of this
without our tremendous staff and students.
Let’s hear one giant Federation roar for our, Colorado Center for the
Blind!
RINGING
THE BELL IN COLORADO
For the fourth year
now, we operated a BELL Camp. BELL
stands for Braille Enrichment through Literacy and Learning. In fact, we ran two programs, one here in the
metro area and the other in Colorado Springs.
This two week summer camp offers blind children, ages five through
twelve, an emersion into braille instruction and several other independence
skills such as cane travel and daily living, not to mention a bunch of fun
activities like horseback riding, swimming, going out for pizza, and scavenger
hunts. Once again, Diane McGeorge and
Michelle Chacon led a wonderful team who gave our BELL kids a tremendous summer
education. At the beginning of camp,
many of the children let their parents do just about everything for them. By the end, the kids are insisting that their
parents let them take care of themselves.
As we announced earlier today, next year, we plan to combine the
confidence and BELL camps which will allow us to reach even more blind youth
throughout the state. The BELL rings
loudly and sweetly in Colorado.
KAREN NORTON
Last year, I reported
to you that in late 2012, Karen Norton from Fort Collins had to visit Walden,
Colorado for her work and she had reserved an upgraded room at the North Park
Inn. Karen happens to use a guide dog to
aid her independent travel. When she
entered the hotel, the owner challenged her by saying “didn’t you see the
sign? It says no pets.” The owner refused to give her the upgraded
room because of the “pet policy” and tried to assign her to another, less desirable
room which also happened to be a smoking room, something which she very much
did not want. Karen tried to explain
that it is the law of this state that blind persons are allowed to bring their
guide dogs anywhere they go. The owner
told her to leave and when she refused, he called the Jackson County
Sherriff. Instead of enforcing Colorado
Law, the officer who responded ordered Karen to leave or she would be arrested
and her dog impounded. On Karen’s
behalf, we filed a charge of discrimination with the Colorado Civil Rights
Division for violations of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act and the
Americans With Disabilities Act. On
December 17, 2013, the Director of the Civil Rights Division issued a ruling
that probable cause existed to establish a denial of full and equal enjoyment
of a place of public accommodation based on disability. After this finding, North Park Inn and Suites
was keen to settle the case and settle we did.
The North Park Inn and Suites has changed its policy to admit fully
anyone using a guide dog and has proclaimed that policy publicly through its
website; has written a letter of apology; paid Karen Norton monetary damages;
and has paid all our attorney fees. Our
founder, Dr. tenBroek stated long ago that we have a right to live in the
world. Part of that right includes our
right to travel freely through the land whether using cane or dog. We protected this right for Karen Norton and
we will enforce it for all!
NFBCO ON THE LEGISLATIVE FRONT
Speaking of laws, we
have been active on the legislative front in the last year. Since 2004, we have been successful in
securing an appropriation from the Colorado General Assembly to help fund NFB-Newsline®. This wonderful service allows us to access
daily and other periodicals with essentially the same ease of use as the
sighted. By using the computer, email,
iPhone, and yes, even the old fashion telephone; we can access nearly 400
newspapers and magazines, weather alerts, Federation literature, and more. During the 2014 legislative session, we asked
for and received an increase to NFB-Newsline® funding of $10,000.00 which will
help us reach even more blind and low vision Coloradans so that they can take
advantage of the vast amount of information available on Newsline®.
We also played a
critical role in two other pieces of legislation. We helped the Colorado Cross Disability Coalition
pass Senate Bill 118 that strengthens the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act by aligning
Colorado’s disability discrimination standards with the Americans with
Disabilities Act, increased civil penalties for violation of the act from $50
per incident to $3500.00, and assuring that successful claimants can recover
their attorney fees. Additionally, we
participated in legislation addressing transportation network companies,
companies like Uber and Lift. The
legislation officially permits these companies to operate in Colorado and
brings them under the regulatory umbrella of the Public Utilities
Commission. We made certain that this
legislation included provisions making it clear that these companies cannot
discriminate against passengers based on their disability.
On the national level,
we have been advocating for a number of new laws before Congress. Earlier today, you heard about our efforts
with regard to TEACH, the Technology,
Education and Accessibility in College and Higher Education Act. If passed, this new law would authorize the
creation of guidelines that higher education institutions could use to guaranty
that all electronic educational materials were accessible in a nonvisual
manner. From the Colorado Congressional
delegation, we have been successful in persuading Senator Michael Bennet to
become one of the early cosponsors of TEACH in the U.S. Senate and
Representative Michael Coffman has signed on in the House of Representatives. We will not rest until we pass TEACH and
thereby afford blind college and university students to access course materials
with the same ease as their sighted peers.
We remain staunch advocates of fair wages for workers with disabilities. As most of you know, it is still legal for
employers to pay workers with disabilities below the minimum wage. We are the only class of people for which
this is legal. The Federation, with the
help of Congressman Greg Harper of Mississippi, has introduced House Bill 831
which would eliminate the law that allows this hideous practice to exist. From Colorado, Congresswoman Dianna DeGette
and Congressmen Ed Perlmutter have cosponsored H.R. 831 but we need to get our
entire delegation on the bill. We simply
cannot stand by and permit such blatant discrimination. People with disabilities will have the right
to earn the same wage as those who are not disabled. This will be so because of the National
Federation of the Blind.
DVR
A year ago, I talked to you about the Colorado Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation (DVR) which is under the Colorado Department of Human
Services. Long ago, Congress passed the
Rehabilitation Act which provides 80 percent of the funding to help blind and
other individuals with disabilities to achieve competitive employment, with
states being responsible for coming up with the remaining twenty percent. You can think of the relationship between DVR
and the client as a contract. In fact,
the relationship is governed by something called the individual plan for
employment. If you, the client, do what
you are supposed to do, then DVR is supposed to provide the funding and
assistance necessary to acquire education and the assistive technology with the
ultimate goal of securing a job. With
respect to the disabled of Colorado, DVR has been flagrantly breaching its
contract with us. I told you last year
that hundreds of individuals were on a waiting list and could not even open
their cases with DVR. That number is now
several thousand. I also told you that
part of DVR’s lack of efficacy stemmed from the fact that it is so low in the
Department of Human Services food chain that priority is not attached to its
mission of helping us escape unemployment and therefore poverty. This remains true. The only shimmer of hope that I was able to
reference a year ago was that DVR had just hired a new director, Joelle Brouner,
a woman with a disability, commitment, and energy with ambitious goals. Well, the Department has shoved her aside and
demoted her. Without further adieux, I think it is fair to say that this system
is irreparably and completely broken and must be jettisoned! In the coming year, we will work with other
concerned organizations, like the Colorado Cross Disability Coalition, to
affect major reform. We will go to the
Colorado General Assembly and demand a complete restructure of the
rehabilitation system here in Colorado.
DVR probably needs to be moved to a different department and given a
much higher profile. It must have more
specialized services so that it can meet the needs of individuals with varying
disabilities much more effectively, and it goes without saying that this
waiting list must be eliminated. We will
make DVR live up to its end of the bargain.
We will insist upon our right to have a real opportunity to secure
meaningful employment and escape the bonds of poverty. This will happen because of us, the National Federation
of the Blind!
COLORADO
SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF AND BLIND
Unlike the DVR situation, our
relationship with the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind (CSDB) has gotten
much brighter. Last year, I expressed
our dismay with the school and its lack of participation and partnership with
us. This year, I am happy to report that
things between the school and us are much better. Last December, a number of us met with Carol
Hilty, superintendent of the school where we laid out all of our concerns
clearly and with great force. She
responded positively and committed the school to a much higher level of
partnership with us. She has kept her word. Since that time, our mentorship program has
expanded greatly. We now go to the
school and teach a 7th period philosophy class and we stay after working
on assisted daily living skills such as cooking and cleaning. We do so with our
own Marty Rahn who has been hired as the Daily Living Skills instructor for the
school. We have had 12 or more participants each visit. We have also
participated in professional training sessions for the school’s staff. We have also welcomed CSDB’s new principal,
Chris Cockrill, and he has been working with us enthusiastically to expose CSDB
students to Federation philosophy. Our
future partnership with CSDB looks very promising indeed.
THE
BLIND COLORADAN
You all know the old adage. If a
tree falls in the forest but no one is there to observe it, did it really make
any noise. The same is true for us. If we don’t get out the word about the great
work we do, we won’t reach new people and educate the public. To that end, we started publishing the Blind
Coloradan. It took the form of a
traditional newsletter and under Kevan Worley’s leadership; it grew each issue
reaching a point where we put out a fifty page publication each quarter. However, our research led us to the
conclusion that people were not reading it and taking advantage of the
information presented. That is why we
have transformed the Blind Coloradan into a blog, http://theblindcoloradan.blogspot.com. Since its creation in late July, We have published 24 posts
with nearly 2000 views. Not only do we have readers from Colorado and all
across the United States, individuals from France, Russia, Poland, Canada,
Germany, Italy, Norway, Greece, and Indonesia have been enjoying our
posts. In addition to providing written
articles, we have the ability to post videos, audio recordings, and still
pictures. In three short months, we have
spread the Federation’s message to far more people than we had reached before.
BUILDING THE FEDERATION AND CHAPTER
DEVELOPMENT
Over the years, I have
participated in many philosophical discussions where we kick around concepts
such as what is the Federation’s most important mission. These discussions inevitably lead to
everything from more public education, more training centers, more educational
programs for blind youth, and more law suits to protect our rights, and the
like. All of these are important, but
for me, our key mission is to build the Federation We do this through chapter
development, recruiting and strengthening our membership from the grass roots
up. Here in Colorado, we are actively
building the Federation both nationally and locally.
As we near the
celebration of our 75th anniversary as a national organization, we
have organized the 75 Days of Action Committee which is very capably co-chaired
by Kevan Worley with Jessica Beecham and I having the pleasure of serving on
the steering committee. Jeanette Fortin,
Maureen Nietfeld, and Melissa Fishburn have also served on the broader
committee. With significant help from
Colorado, we have created dozens of new chapters and strengthen existing ones
nationwide. As part of this effort,
Kevan and Jessica have spent time in California helping to form a new chapter
in San Diego and organized a “Discover You” Seminar in San Francisco which
attracted over a hundred new people to the Federation. Some have wondered openly why I would
authorize some of Colorado’s prized resources to work so actively in other
states, but I do not view our mission so territorially. We must build the Federation from Key West,
Florida, to Bangor, Maine, to Greeley, Colorado, to Seattle, Washington, and to
San Diego, California. We are one family
with one mission.
There is no doubt that
here in Colorado, our chapters and divisions represent the backbone from which
we build all else. It is impossible for
me to mention everything that we have accomplished in the last year, but the
following snippets will give you some flavor.
In January, we formed
the Grand Valley Chapter with Nathan Hecker being elected as its
president. Grand Valley, are you in the
room? The chapter has been growing and
conducted its first fundraiser raising several hundred dollars.
At this convention we
are forming a Sports and Recreation Division which has already put on a great
activity yesterday and will encourage us all to get a lot more physically
active and more healthy. Plans are in
the works to create a diabetic action division and reestablish chapters in
Durango and Canon City.
Under the capable
leadership of Melissa Green, the Colorado Association of Guide Dog Users has
been on the move. In March, this
division sponsored a seminar for guide dog users which attracted over fifty
folks with participants hearing from guide dog programs, veterinarians,
orientation and mobility instructors, and guide dog users themselves. The Division has also started a newsletter
called the Water Dish.
Antonio Rozier has led
the Colorado Association of Blind Students to new heights this year. In March, Colorado put on the second Western
States Student Seminar. With nearly 30 participants from Nevada, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Kansas, Georgia, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma,
Dr. Marc Maurer, our immediate past president nationally, served as our keynote
speaker. Participants had the
opportunity to tour the Colorado Center for the blind, brainstorm accessibility
solutions, participate in hands on activities including chemistry, astronomy,
and art. Students also had the
opportunity to use the light rail and local Colorado transit system to check
out the 16th Street Mall and enjoy a fun night of bowling downtown.
Our Senior Division
with Diane McGeorge at the helm has been growing significantly. The division helps run our senior support
groups and assists with our residential program called Seniors in Charge. The Division now publishes a newsletter which
we also call Seniors in Charge.
Michael Massey,
President of the Pueblo Chapter, reports that we held a chapter building event
in Pueblo as part of the 75 Days of Action Campaign and the chapter helped out
at this year’s Colorado State Fair, spreading our Federation message to the
public at large.
Under Jeanette
Fortin’s outstanding stewardship, our Colorado Springs Chapter continues to
grow by conducting a number of chapter building events. Most recently, the Chapter participated in
the Emma Crawford Memorial Coffin Race which provided a unique opportunity to
spread our word. The Springs Chapter
informs me that the event wasn’t a dead end.
Under Maryann Migliorelli’s
seasoned leadership, our Boulder Valley chapter has started a collaboration
with BDT Stage, formerly Boulders Dinner Theatre to provide audio description
for shows during the past and current seasons. Our chapter members have
started mentoring each other in travel and public transportation and have
started a technology segment at their meetings where they answer questions
about how to use items such as iPhones, Library of Congress players, and other
gadgets of interest to our members.
Under Gary
Van Dorn’s outstanding leadership, the Mile High chapter has been doing
fundraising in conjunction with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. It
has been a great way to enjoy the arts and let people in the community know
that blind people enjoy theatre too! Speaking
of the arts, the Mile High Chapter was all jazzed up at its summer picnic. With burgers, hot dogs, and a live jazz
performance. A great time was had by all
and they made a little money too. The
Mile high chapter has also had a substantial presence at RTD Board meetings and
the chapters meet the blind event involved having a huge presence at the
October 28, RTD board meeting.
Our
newly elected Poudre Valley Chapter President, Valerie Utter, wants us to know
that the Federation is growing in Fort Collins and surrounding areas. The Chapter rocked it out with 7 bands and
raised some money to get their bank account started. The chapter is also
gearing up to take some major action to improve accessibility of public transit
in Ft. Collins.
Tom
Anderson now serves as our Denver Chapter president and assures us that the
Chapter is very active indeed. It
continues to have a great presence in the community as demonstrated by
Littleton’s Western Welcome Week where the chapter ran a booth, spreading our
message to the public. The Denver
Chapter had another fantastic summer picnic featuring a bouncy house for all
the kids, big and small. The Chapter
enjoyed an evening at Lady Luck Casino while raising money for the chapter which
in turn allowed the chapter to sponsor a middle school student to attend the
CCB summer program.
Wayne
Marshall runs our Aurora Chapter and it continue to conduct several public
events where our message about blindness is featured. The Chapter has also established a close
working relationship with the Lions which will help us in the future to expand
the reach of our programs.
Cody Bair effectively leads
our Greeley Chapter and he has noted several significant activities. In the past year the chapter hosted a successful
fund raising luncheon at which numerous members of the general public attended
and learned about the National Federation of the Blind. Additionally, they have
been working closely with Greeley Evans Transit to ensure that various aspects
of their transit system are accessible to blind individuals such as route
guides and newly implemented electronic fare machines.
Everett Romero has presided over
the Colorado Parents of Blind Children.
It continues to publish the E-connector offering important information
about blindness to parents. The division
has also participated in a number of events to spread the Federation’s message.
The Colorado Association of
Blind Merchants, led by Brad Basta, has worked with the Colorado Business
Enterprises Program to improve economic opportunity for blind business
owners. The Division has also sponsored
a number of events where blind vendors can network and share tips.
Michelle Chacon serves as the
dynamic president of our North Metro Chapter and her chapter has been very
busy. They have conducted several
fundraisers including a terrific wine tasting at Spero Winery and shared half
the proceeds with the affiliate. The
Chapter sent several people to national convention and assisted twenty-two
people to be with us here this weekend.
Penn Street has been leading
the at Large Chapter. That chapter has
helped us reach areas of the state which would otherwise be hard to touch. It has also helped us create new in person
chapters, the Poudre Valley Chapter being a prime example.
There is no doubt that our
chapters and divisions are extremely active and helping to build and grow our
Federation. You will hear more from them
directly tomorrow but for now, let’s give our chapters and divisions a huge
round of applause!
IMPACT OF NFBCO NATIONALLY, MEMBERS
HONORED
As you can tell from
this weekend’s agenda and this report, our affiliate has a large footprint on
the national organization. Our
leadership is deep and our involvement substantial. There are just too many individuals involved
at a national level to list. However, I
wish to point out a significant honor achieved by one of our outstanding
leaders. At this year’s national
convention, the Federation bestowed the Blind Educator of the Year Award on Michelle
Chacon for her outstanding service to the community, her profession, and to the
Federation. While presenting the award
to her, David Tikki from Boston who chaired the award committee collected some
quotes about Michelle’s impact. They
are: “consummate professional, natural teacher, builds positive and effective
relationships, believes in blind people, has expectations for blind people,
will work closely with families, and she will always take the extra step.” Michelle, you are one of our stars; we love
you; and we congratulate you on this honor!
It is always difficult
to talk about oneself but I do so now because it is only with your love and
support that I have been able to accomplish anything. Our Federation family granted me a great
honor when I received the Jacob Bolotin Award at convention for my work in
establishing the Marrakech Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for
Individuals Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, and Otherwise Print Disabled, an
international agreement that should put many more accessible books into the
hands of blind people worldwide. Dr.
Bolotin, as far as we know, was the first blind medical doctor in the United
States and he practiced medicine and demonstrated that the blind can live the
lives they want in the early part of the last century, about two decades before
the Federation was even born. When I
received the award, I quoted from Dr. Bolotin’s very own words as reported from
a Chicago newspaper in the 1920’s and you will see how he would have fit right in with our Federation
family and our message. When talking
about being a blind doctor, he said, "Well, is there anything so
remarkable about it? Because a man has no eyes is it any sign that he hasn't
any brains? That is the trouble with the world and the blind man. All the blind
man asks is fair play. Give him an equal chance without prejudice, and he
generally manages to hold his own with his more fortunate colleagues."
THANK YOU’S AND CONCLUSION
For the award and for
my life, I am so incredibly thankful. I
could not live the life I want and serve as your president without my
family. As I have said before, there are
two major parts to my family the LaBarre’s and all of you. Without the love and support of Anahit,
Alexander, and Emily, there is no way I could serve in this role. It is my honor to privilege to serve with our
outstanding officers and board of directors and I salute and thank you for your
terrific service. Without our staff,
Lisa Bonderson, Lorinda Riddle, and Jessica Beecham, we could not manage this
amazing organization. Finally, I thank
all of you for your love and support. It
is our membership who truly helps us achieve our dreams.
In
closing, I reflect upon the words of our brand value proposition because I
believe them to be true for all of us. I am filled with hope, energy, and love by participating in
the National Federation of the Blind because my expectations are raised, my contributions
make a difference to me and to others, and I can celebrate the realization of
my dreams with my Federation family. In
Colorado and elsewhere, you and I are truly changing what it means to be blind
by living the lives we want. We
know that a life with blindness need not be one of tragedy. First-class citizenship is no longer just a
fanciful dream. It shall become our reality. We have touched the flame of
freedom and it has ignited our hearts and minds. Let us join those hearts,
minds, and our collective action together and march the rest of the way to true
freedom. This is our mission. This is our Federation and this is my report
to you!
