2017 Resolutions – National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania

The official policies of the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania are established every year with annual resolutions adopted at the state convention.

The resolutions committee meets early during the convention. Each proposed resolution is read, spoken for by the authoring member, considered, and then ultimately withdrawn or recommended for passage or disapproval by the Convention.

Resolution 2017-01: Regarding Unified English Braille and the Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science Notation

WHEREAS, the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) has voted that as of 2016 the official codes to be used in the United States are Unified English Braille (UEB), the Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, the music Braille code, and the International Phonetic Alphabet code; and

WHEREAS, to reach the implementation goal, BANA announced as follows: “BANA is providing guidance on how to incorporate the Nemeth Code into UEB context with the intent that the Nemeth Code will continue to be integral to Braille in the United States”; and

WHEREAS, each state must create a customized plan for implementation of UEB; and

WHEREAS, in 2015, the Pennsylvania Department of Education published a draft proposal to phase out the use of the Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science Notation and replace it with only UEB symbols over a five-year period; and

WHEREAS, when asked about this draft proposal by the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania and the Governor’s Advisory Committee for the Blind of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Department of Education replied that there was no plan to begin implementing the draft proposal without first gathering input from key stakeholders; and

WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and its Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PATTAN) began distributing Braille textbooks and other materials for the 2016-2017 school year with UEB symbols for mathematics and science, rather than using the Nemeth Code, without having procured any input from the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania or the Governor’s Advisory Committee for the Blind of Pennsylvania, and without having warned schools and parents that a completely different notation was being used for mathematics and science materials for which the students had no training and for which the schools had no certified teachers; and

WHEREAS, all attempts to communicate with and provide input to the PATTAN committee that is directing the transition to use UEB exclusively for mathematics and science materials, the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee on Education of Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired (PACES-BVI), have been met with resistance and misdirection, and attempts to add representation from the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania to the committee have been thwarted: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania in Convention assembled this fourth day of November, 2017, in the City of State College, Pennsylvania, that this organization call upon the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network, and the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee on Education of Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired to adhere to the BANA guidelines for the use of the Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, to discontinue the distribution of mathematics and science materials using only UEB math symbols, and to immediately involve stakeholders from the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania in any further discussions of Braille symbols for mathematics, science, and technical content; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the Pennsylvania legislature, should the Pennsylvania Department of Education, PATTAN, and PACES-BVI continue to neglect the BANA guidelines, to establish a single standard code for Braille technical materials in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to require its Department of Education to eliminate needless confusion and unnecessary cost by unequivocally adopting the Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, with BANA’s guidance for Nemeth in UEB contexts as the standard for math Braille.

Resolution 2017-02: Regarding Support Service Provider Services for Persons who are DeafBlind in Pennsylvania

WHEREAS, many persons with significant vision loss and hearing loss, called deafblindness, have extreme difficulty with communicating, feeling isolated, maintaining independence, accomplishing daily tasks, engaging in community activities, participating in groups, and being aware of what is going on around them in their surroundings; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated by the Federal Communication Commission that there is a total of 500,000 persons in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who could qualify as deafblind; and

WHEREAS, in 2013, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), the Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH), the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (BBVS), and the Statewide Independent Living Counsel (SILC) began working together to implement a plan for providing Support Service Provider (SSP) services to persons who have both vision and hearing loss; and

WHEREAS, OVR set aside Social Security Reimbursement funds totaling $425,000 for a two-year statewide pilot SSP program to run from October 2014 through September 2016; and

WHEREAS, the Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania (CILCP) was awarded the grant and created its DeafBlind Living Well Services (DBLWS) to administer the SSP program; and

WHEREAS, funding totaling $225,000 for a third year was extended by OVR to cover October 2016 through September 2017; and

WHEREAS, the CILCP has been managing the SSP program successfully for the past 3 years, providing 6,121 hours of direct one-on-one services to 76 deafblind consumers during 1,596 requests and training 84 support service providers across the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, attempts to secure sustainable funding for the SSP program from Office of Long Term Living Waivers, the Act 150 program, or through inclusion in the Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) have so far been unsuccessful despite numerous negotiations; and

WHEREAS, DBLWS has been meeting individually with Pennsylvania legislators to educate them about deafblindness, to provide them information about SSP services, to request that they inquire why the Office for Long Term Living has not included SSP services in the waiver program, and to partner with them on possible legislation for sustainable funding of the SSP program; and

WHEREAS, since OVR is providing less than half of the normal funding starting on October 2017 and has announced that no funding will be provided after June 2018, the hours of SSP services each consumer with deafblindness receives will be cut from 14 hours per month to only 5 hours per month starting November 2017; and

WHEREAS, the struggle to secure sustainable funding for the SSP program has been hard-fought, yet the future of the program is in jeopardy: Now, therefore,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization call upon the Pennsylvania legislature to strongly encourage the Office of Long Term Living to add SSP services to an existing waiver or to create a new waiver for SSP services for persons who are deafblind; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization encourages all interested agencies, groups, organizations, and individuals, including but not limited to the Centers for Independent living, the Overbrook school for the Blind, the Pennsylvania affiliate of the Hearing Loss Association of America, the Pennsylvania Associations for the Blind, the Pennsylvania Associations of the Deaf, the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind, the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, the Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf, the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, and persons who are deafblind, deaf, blind, and hard of hearing, to support our efforts as a unified front when demanding legislation to sustainably fund the DBLWS SSP program for the improved quality of life for all deafblind citizens of Pennsylvania.

Resolution 2017-03: Regarding James Antonacci

WHEREAS, James Antonacci became affiliated with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in 1991; and,

WHEREAS, he was elected as President of the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania (NFB of PA) in 1999; and

WHEREAS, President Antonacci was appointed to the NFB National Scholarship Committee in 2001; and

WHEREAS, President Antonacci has always provided financial support to students to bring them to a National or State Convention; and

WHEREAS, for the past 19 years, President Antonacci has been a mentor, advocate, and friend to all students in Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS, at the 2002 NFB of PA State Convention held in State College Pennsylvania, President Antonacci awarded the first two State Scholarships to Harriet Go and Chris Westbrook: Now, therefore,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that from this date forward, a State Scholarship will be named the James J. Antonacci State Scholarship.

[2]: #Resolution 2017-01: Regarding Unified English Braille and the Nemeth Code for Mathematics and Science Notation [3]: #Resolution 2017-02: Regarding Support Service Provider Services for Persons who are DeafBlind in Pennsylvania [4]: #Resolution 2017-09: Regarding James Antonacci