Happy Anniversary BPI: Fifteen Years at the Forefront

Since its inception, Blind LGBT Pride International, or Blind Friends of lesbians and Gays, as this organization was originally named, has been at the forefront in setting an example for inclusion and equality! Like any group, the growth of this affiliate is marked by fantastic successes as well as growing pains. The main focus of BPI has never shifted, however. We strive to support and embrace every aspect of what it means to be individuals who happen to be blind or vision impaired as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

 

In 1996, a group of members within the American Council of the Blind believed a voice was missing in the organized blind movement – that of individuals who were lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. This small group held the first of four annual informal meetings to begin discussion of the needs of the vision impaired glbtq population; these gatherings also began to ponder what it would mean to build a path forward to getting their voices heard by the broader community. During the ACB convention in Los Angeles in 1999, a decision was made to apply for formal status as a special interest affiliate.

 

On February 20, 2000, the ACB Board of Directors approved the request for affiliation of the members of Blind Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or BFLAG. The affiliation certificate was presented during the first general session of the ACB convention that year in Louisville, Kentucky. . Rob Hill became the first president of the new organization.

 

BFLAG continued its growth in Houston, Texas in 2002, and Connie David was elected as president. Many of the local Houston LGBT volunteers became members, and the week was very successful.

 

The next year saw a great deal of hard work pay off for the members as BFLAG earned its 501c(3) status, and a new logo was created. These two events made it much easier to promote the work and objectives of BFLAG, and this lent the organization strength in pursuing donations. Our organization also received the Growth Award by ACB for having the highest percentage of new members for 2003.

 

2008 saw even more growth as BFLAG reported its 200th member as well as the formation of four affiliates – BFLAG Washington, D.C., BFLAG Texas, BFLAG Tulsa and BFLAG Mid Atlantic.

 

2009 saw more growth for BFLAG, as our name was changed to Blind LGBT Pride International or BPI. This was also the year that board meetings became open to the public, providing more transparency to members, allowing them to have firsthand knowledge of how organizational business was conducted.

 

As we enter into our 15th year of existence as a special-interest affiliate, we can be proud of the work that has been done to further the advancement and inclusion of people who are blind or visually impaired and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. We must also continue to ask ourselves, what we can do to further our goals and reach more individuals with our powerful message.

 

As members of BPI, we are part of the only organization in the world dedicated to the issues experienced by those that are LGBTQ and blind and vision impaired. We can continue to be the leading special interest affiliate as LGBT baby boomers begin to age into vision loss.

 

According to a study released by the American Foundation for the Blind in 2008, by 2030, rates of vision loss will have doubled along with the country’s aging population. Blind and Vision Impaired individuals who are LGBT face a number of particular concerns as they age. Several studies document they are less likely than their straight sighted counterparts to access adequate health care, affordable housing or other social services that they may need; this due to attitudinal barriers, institutionalized discrimination, and a lack of access to safety net programs. As an active member and advocate dedicated to social justice and equality, you will have the opportunity to collaborate in a joint effort that works to reverse this pervasive trend.

 

You belong to a unique organization that strives to make a difference. I invite you to more fully support our continual efforts to eliminate societal barriers while increasing opportunities for those members of the LGBT community who happen to be blind or vision impaired. I look forward to working with you as we head into the next 15 years at the forefront…

 

FCC to Host Free Event on Making Social Media Accessible for People with Disabilities

FCC to Host Free Event on Making Social Media Accessible for People with Disabilities – July 17

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Accessibility and Innovation Initiative is hosting an event called “Accessing Social Media” on July 17, 2014 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the FCC Headquarters in Washington, DC. The event is free and open to the public. Representatives from government agencies, disability advocacy groups, technology companies and members of the public will discuss tools and best practices for making social media accessible. RSVP to AccSocMedia@fcc.gov, or watch the event live via webcast on July 17. After the event there will be demonstrations of accessible technology solutions in the FCC’s Technology Experience Center.

BPI Announces 1st Convention scholarship Winner

It is with great pleasure that the Blind LGBT Pride International scholarship committee announces the winner of the first ever BPI convention scholarship!

 

After reviewing all applications, and conducting subsequent phone interviews, we are excited to announce that Tiffany Taylor of Farmington Hills Michigan is the recipient of this first ever award!

 

Tiffany currently serves as Legislative and Advocacy Co—Chair. She also volunteers as a proofreader, speaker and fundraiser for Seedlings Braille Books. She has also served as President of the Disabilities Awareness Group on the Campus of Adrian College. Tiffany holds a Bachellor’s degree in Theater. In the past, she has worked with blind and visually impaired youth in various capacities. It is Tiffany’s hope to empower and educate both blind and LGBT individuals and help bring them to their fullest potential. In doing so, she hopes to bring down stereotypes facing both Blind and LGBT individuals.

 

As a recipient of this award, Tiffany will receive round trip airfare to and from Las Vegas, lodging at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, BPI’s convention package, which includes tickets to all BPI sponsored activities, workshops, and a ticket to the ACB banquet. The scholarship committee extends their congratulations and best wishes to Tiffany in her future endeavors.

The committee thanks those who applied and encourages those applicants to apply next year.

 

With Pride,

 

2014 Scholarship Committee

 

Andrea Damitio, Chair

Leah Gardner

Geno Stone

Gabriel Lopez

Guillermo Robles, President

Blind Pride Walks in Las Vegas…Say What?!

BPI is walking in Las Vegas to raise money for the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and BPI!  Yes, we’re taking advantage of this year’s innovation to the ACB Walk fundraising, and donating half of our donations to Blind LGBT Pride International!  Both of these organizations are doing great work, and could very well use more funds to do even more great work!

 

Recently, at the national level, we’ve finally gotten the Treasury to make the next generation of paper currency tactilely identifiable for us, we’ve made some kind of noise mandatory so we all can hear a “quiet car” coming, and we’ve got the government working on medication labels that will allow us to know what and when a prescription drug should be taken.  Things we are still working on:  getting Medicare to pay for some of the expensive equipment we need to be able to live independently such as “reading machines”, making sure multi disabled kids are getting the skills needed to be educated and prepared for living and working independently to the extent possible, and working to reduce the 70 percent unemployment rate among blind and visually impaired people.  Believe it or not, there’s still a lot to do.

 

Here’s how you can participate:

1.  Sign up with the Blind Pride team, walk in Las Vegas or “virtually” anywhere on July 13, and raise money from your friends and family.  (Go to acb.org and follow the link to the Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk to register under the Blind Pride team.

or

2.  Donate to ACB and BPI by credit card online by going to https://walk.acb.org/donation#main-content, or by sending a check payable to ACB to :

American Council of the Blind

6300 Shingle Creek Parkway, Suite 195

Brooklyn Center, MN 55430

(please be sure to indicate that the check is for the Walk, and that President Guillermo Robles is the solicitor on the Blind Pride team)

 

For further questions, please visit our contact page at http://blindlgbtpride.org/contact and choose to write the President.

2014 BPI Convention schedule

Need info regarding this year’s BPI convention schedule?  The website has lots of information you will need for the week – hotel, transportation and schedule info.  Visit http://blindlgbtpride.org /convention for details.

 

Don’t forget to share that page with your social media networks by clicking the share buttons at the bottom of the page!

Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act

Legislative Imperative

 

The Issue

 

Since 1975, Public Law 94-142, now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), has revolutionized educational opportunity for all children and youth with disabilities. However, without key improvements, our national special education system cannot fully keep IDEA’s promise of a truly appropriate education for students who are blind or visually impaired. H.R. 4040, The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act, is intended to do just that, to improve the delivery of appropriate special education and related services to all students who are blind or visually impaired and deaf or hard of hearing, including students who may have additional disabilities. Once enacted, the legislation will ensure that properly designed and individually tailored services are in fact provided, meeting the unique learning needs of students who are blind or visually impaired, and that the educators who serve them are prepared and supported to do their jobs well, based on evidence-driven best practice.

 

Strategy

 

During the next two years, the U.S. Congress may review and amend IDEA as part of Congress’ periodic reauthorization of the law. The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act can be passed by Congress at any time in advance of IDEA reauthorization, or it can be incorporated, in whole or in part, into reauthorization itself.

 

Legislative Proposal

 

ACB and BPI urge the U.S. House of Representatives to promptly pass H.R. 4040, The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act. This legislation will:

 

  • Ensure that every student with vision loss is properly      identified regardless of formal disability category or classification so      that all students who are blind or visually impaired, including those with      additional disabilities, are counted and properly served.
  • Expand knowledge about the scope and quality of      special education and related services provided to students who are blind      or visually impaired through refined data collection that tracks all      students with vision loss, regardless of formal disability category or      classification.
  • Expect      states to conduct strategic planning, and commit such planning to writing,      to guarantee that all students who are blind or visually impaired within      each state receive all specialized instruction and services needed by      students with vision loss provided by properly trained personnel.

 

  • Clarify that proper evaluation of students who are      blind or visually impaired includes evaluation for students’ needs for      instruction in communication and productivity (including braille      instruction and assistive technology proficiency inclusive of low-vision      devices where appropriate); self-sufficiency and interaction (including      orientation and mobility, self-determination, sensory efficiency,      socialization, recreation and fitness, and independent living skills); and      age-appropriate career education. Such instruction and services constitute      the Expanded Core Curriculum, the body of services which teachers of      students with visual impairments and related professions are expertly      trained to provide.
  • Ramp up U.S. Department of Education responsibilities      to monitor and report on states’ compliance with their obligations with      respect to instruction and services specifically provided to students who      are blind or visually impaired.
  • Assist parents and educators of students who are blind      or visually impaired through regular and up-to-date written policy      guidance from the U.S. Department of Education.
  • Establish      a national collaborative organizational resource, the Anne Sullivan Macy      Center on Vision Loss and Educational Excellence, to proliferate      evidence-based practices in the education of students who are blind or      visually impaired, to keep special educators current with the latest      instructional methods, and to supplement state and local educational      agency provision of the instruction and services constituting the Expanded      Core Curriculum.

 

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

 

Democrats

 

Tom Harkin (D-IA)

Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD)

Patty Murray (D-WA)

Bernard Sanders (I-VT)

Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA)

Kay R. Hagan (D-NC)

Al Franken (D-MN)

Michael F. Bennet (D-CO)

Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT)

Elizabeth Warren (D-MD)

 

Republicans

 

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)

Michael B. Enzi (R-WY)

Richard Burr (R-NC)

Johnny Isakson (R-GA)

Rand Paul (R-KY)

Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT)

Pat Roberts (RKS)

Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Tim Scott (R-SC)

 

House Committee on Education and the Workforce

 

Republicans

 

John Kline (R-MN), Chairman

Thomas E. Petri (R-WI)

Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA)

Joe Wilson (R-SC)

Virginia Foxx (R-NC)

Tom Price (R-GA)

Kenny Marchant (R-TX)

Duncan Hunter (R-CA)

David P. Roe (R-TN)

Glenn Thompson (R-PA)

Tim Walberg (R-MI)

Matt Salmon (R-AZ)

Brett Guthrie (R-KY)

Scott DesJarlais (R-TN)

Todd Rokita (R-IN)

Larry Bucshon (R-IN)

Trey Gowdy (R-SC)

Lou Barletta (R-PA)

Joseph J. Heck (R-NV)

Susan W. Brooks (R-IN)

Richard Hudson (R-NC)

Luke Messer (R-IN)

Democrats

 

George Miller (D-CA), Senior Democratic Member

Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ)

Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA)

Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX)

Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)

John F. Tierney (D-MA)

Rush Holt (D-NJ)

Susan A. Davis (D-CA)

Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ)

Timothy H. Bishop (D-NY)

David Loebsack (D-IA)

Joe Courtney (D-CT)

Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH)

Jared Polis (D-CO)

Gregorio Sablan (D-Northern Mariana Islands)

Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL)

Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)

Mark Pocan (D-WI)