The UCB Flier

December 2002

A publication of the

Utah Council of the Blind

 

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

 

I have a friend who has mastered the art of gift giving.  For my birthday and for Christmas she would give me a box or a gift bag with several smaller presents inside.  She would watch and giggle as I opened each one saying, “It’s just a silly little thing, but I thought it was something you could use.”  They were practical things like a package of safety pins, or a box of paper clips, a pair of scissors, or a hair net.  Half the fun was opening each little gift and listening to her explain why she chose that particular item.  Together, the little gifts made a substantial present.

I see UCB as a large package full of individual gifts.  Each member has a practical, useful purpose.  Each person helping in a small way creates a synergy that becomes a strong and valuable organization.  Each tiny contribution:  a phone call or letter to a legislator, helping with an activity, mentoring a person new to vision loss, strengthens both the individual and the organization. 

During this season of gift giving, remember others who may be struggling with their blindness.  At this time the Low Vision Services at the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired is being threatened by some competitors.  They are not content just to start their own Low Vision Clinic, but are bent on destroying the one at D.S.B.V.I.  They provide a viable service, but charge plenty for it.  They have even gone so far as to contact legislators in an attempt to close down the State service.  It is important that ALL blind and visually impaired people understand that the Low Vision service offered at D.S.B.V.I. is FREE of charge with low vision aids and adaptive appliances sold at cost.  As far as I know, it is the only FREE Low Vision Service in the state.  Please warn anyone you know.  If you have any questions or want to be involved in the effort to maintain the Low Vision Service at the Division, please call the Utah Connection.

May I wish each of you a wonderful holiday season.  This coming year is going to be a great one for U.C.B.  Remember to check the Utah Connection every week to keep abreast of the current information.  This newsletter is also a forum for our members to address the entire organization.  You may send articles to our editor Kent McGregor at wkentmcg@cs.com.  May each tiny gift you receive, and each you give, be a source of joy.

 

JOIN THE UCB AND SEE HOW THE SULTANS LIVED

 

The Utah Council of the Blind is sponsoring a trip to the BYU Museum of Arts to view the Sultan’s Empire Exhibit on January 4, 2003.  We’ll travel by bus to Provo.  The bus will stop at the West Gate of Temple Square at 9:15 A.M.  It will also be stopping at the Center for the Blind, 250 North 1950 West, where cars can be left for the day.  Cost for the bus is $5.00 per person.  The cost to visit the exhibit, since the UCB is traveling as a group, is $5.00 per person. 

We’ll enter the museum at 10:30 A.M. with the event scheduled to wrap up around noon, at which time we’ll be headed back to Salt Lake City. 

        If you’re interested in the bus and the tour, send $10.00 per person, along with the list of names of persons who will be attending with you to the UCB at 1301 W. 500 S. Woods Cross, UT  84087 by December 15, 2002.  If you choose to arrange your own transportation to Provo, send $5.00 per person, along with a list of the names of people who will be attending with you.  We’ll make sure you get the tickets on time.  We need to get your money in advance, since the UCB has to buy the tickets early to take advantage of the outstanding offer being made to us.

        The festivities begin with a short movie giving a background of what you’ll see.  In addition, everyone attending is entitled to a headset on which a recorded account of what is presented is available.  It’s been our experience that replicas are available in the gift shop, which will allow you to get an even better idea of what’s presented. 

        We will not be stopping for lunch.  So, it’s recommended that if you have special dietary needs, you should bring a lunch to eat on the way home.  We expect to arrive in Salt Lake City between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m.  We look forward to seeing you!

 

UCB Credit Union

 

Some of you may not be aware that there is a Credit Union especially established for the blind of Utah.  The UCB Credit Union is located at the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 250 N. 1950 W. Salt Lake City, UT 84116.  The Credit Union employs the blind and visually impaired when possible.  Blind and visually impaired people direct it, for the most part.  Several of its programs are designed to assist the blind and visually impaired with their finances.  Besides a terrific savings program which paid a 3% dividend the last two quarters, there are affordable rates on loans, as well as special loans for adaptive equipment for the blind for a low 3%.  One of the best programs is the bill paying service, which makes the chore of getting the bills read and the checks written easy. 

The Credit Union is also an easy way to purchase your cab coupons. Simply place money in an account and each month, as long as the money lasts, your cab coupons will be sent directly to you without you having to send in a monthly check.

Interest rates on loans are subject to change, but currently, auto loans are available for 5.9%, signature loans for 10% and Share secured loans for 7%. 

Although the hours of the Credit Union are short - 2:30 to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, All of your business can be handled over the phone or by appointment.  Teresa, our office manager, will make it as easy as possible to serve you.  This means that folks who live in the rural areas can still take advantage of these services.  Theo is the teller you will most often reach during office hours, but there is an answering service, which is available for you to leave a message about your business.  The Credit Union is growing

by leaps and bounds.  Come and be a part of the membership and take advantage of its many services.

        PLEASE NOTE:  Christmas and New Years fall on Wednesdays this year.  The credit union will be open on Friday, December 27, 2002, and Friday, January 3, 2003 to accommodate your needs. 

 

TIDBITS

 

The UCB still has a couple of Happenings books left.  If you still need one, call Leslie at (801) 292-1156.  The cost is $25.00.  Generally, it takes two dinners out to pay for it, or maybe just one stay in a hotel.

Jim has several 8 gigahertz Pentium III computers for only $300.00.  Call him for more information at (801) 973-4251.

Many of you may remember the wonderful little hammers with the screwdrivers in the handle the UCB sold years ago.  We are pleased to announce that they are once again available for just $7.00.  They make wonderful Christmas gifts and will be available at the Christmas party or at the UCB office on Wednesdays, from 3:00 until 6:00 p.m.

 

NOTE:  The information below is included in this issue to help members understand Utah’s legislative process and increase their confidence in advocating for themselves and others.  It is a follow-up from our training in September. 

 

Legislative Process & Efficiency

17 October 2002

 

  This is a basic overview of the legislative process in Utah, emphasizing the system of checks and balances and how it works, communication within state government, and streamlining efforts that have worked for the Legislature.

 

State Organization - Three Branches of Government

    The Federal Constitution and Utah State Constitution require that the powers of government be divided into three distinct departments. These three departments are known as the Judicial, Executive, and Legislative branches of government.

 

A.    Legislative (House & Senate): Creates the Laws

    Basic functions of the Legislative Branch include law‑making, investigative, appointive, and fiscal powers. Members of the Utah State Legislature are elected from house and senatorial districts. Three staff offices provide year round services for the 104 legislators who meet in a general session for 45 calendar days each year. The Legislature maintains a web site that offers current and historical information regarding legislative activity.

 

B.    Executive (Governor/State Agencies): Carries out and enforces the Laws

 

C.    Judicial (Courts): Interprets and Applies the Laws

 

Unique Characteristics of Utah=s Legislative Process

 

1. Citizen legislature:

    In Utah we have a citizen legislature rather than a full-time legislature, meaning legislators have full- or part-time occupations, are homemakers, or are retired. There are 75 Representatives and 29 Senators. In the House of Representatives, each legislator represents approximately 30,000 people while in the Senate; each senator represents over 70,000 people. Every 10 years, the districts are reevaluated and restructured according to census changes in populationBto ensure equal representation.

    We have a two-party systemBRepublicans and Democrats. In the Senate we currently have 20 Republicans and 9 Democrats; and in the House we have 52 Republicans and 23 Democrats.

 

2. Short Session:

    Our annual legislative session lasts only 45 calendar days starting on the third Monday in January. This is an open legislative process. A gallery is available in each chamber for public and media observation. All committee action on bills and amendments is conducted in open session, which enables citizens to attend any of these meetings and obtain records of the proceedings. Each committee addresses different interest areas, e.g., Education, Revenue and Taxation, or Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. Legislators work closely with the people they represent answering questions, responding to concerns, and accepting ideas for new laws. They accomplish this by relying on input from state agencies, their constituents, and special interest groups.

 

3. Non-Partisan Legislative Staff:

    Staff represents Republicans and Democrats, Senators and Representatives, and veers away from any political or partisan involvement.

 

How a Bill Becomes Law

    A legislator submits a Request for Legislation form to our office. The idea for legislation may originate from the governor, legislative leadership, special interest group, or individual constituent. It may be given a protected status. If it is not, the request (sponsor / subject / short title) will be public information after it is reviewed by General Counsel, filed, and given a short title. The request is assigned to the appropriate Associate General Counsel for constitutional and statutory review and drafting and is placed on our website, searchable by sponsor and subject.

    The attorney consults with the sponsor and follows the guidelines provided in the Legislative Drafting Manual in drafting bills and resolutions. Only the legislative staff attorney drafting the legislation may provide draft legislation to the sponsoring legislator for approval. Once approved, with or without changes, the request becomes a bill and is numbered. The number and text of the bill are then available on our web site.

    Every bill must be read 3 times by bill number and short title in the House and the Senate. This provides the checks and balances needed even within the legislative branch. A passed bill is sent back to the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel for enrolling, which entails a final proofing process and preparation of the bill in its final form with all amendments included.  The enrolled bill is an exact, accurate, and official copy of the enacted bill. That is reviewed by the governor. He may sign it into law, allow it to become law without his signature, or veto the bill. If he vetoes the bill, the Legislature may call itself into veto override session to ensure safe passage of the bill.

 

Efficiency Techniques Implemented by the Legislature

    Three efficiency techniques the Legislature adopted in 1997-98 are: prioritization of bills; moving the deadline for requesting legislation; and mandating that important funding bills appear on legislators= desks by specific dates. These changes have successfully decreased the number of bills introduced and increased the passage rate of legislation in recent years. All these changes have resulted in a more unified and responsive system. Legislators work closely with others in state government to provide information to the peopleBe.g., via the InternetBand obtain their input. The communication that circulates throughout the legislative process is imperative to the well being of our state.

BLINDNESS COALITION VOWS COURT DECISION

WON'T END DESCRIBED VIDEO

 

WASHINGTON - Leaders of advocacy organizations working on behalf of millions of blind and low vision children and adults reacted strongly to the Federal Appeals Court decision on Friday, November 8,2002, which vacated the Federal Communications Commission's July 1, 2000 rule and order mandating the major television networks to provide limited amounts of described video programs for visually impaired people. While expressing disappointment, the 17-member National Television and Video Access Coalition, which includes AARP; the American Council of the Blind (ACB); the American Foundation for the Blind  (AFB); and the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), expressed its resolve to keep video description alive on prime-time and children's television programs, and to expand the service which makes visual information contained in televised programs accessible, via verbal description, to people who cannot see their TV screens.

Coalition Chair Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl of Silver Spring, MD, President of the Metropolitan Washington Ear, said, "Described television is, for people who are blind or visually impaired, what closed captioning is for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.  We have worked for a dozen years to make this service available, and we are not about to have it disappear from commercial television networks just when blind people are beginning to discover the pleasure of television in the same way that other people take the medium for granted. Many people of good faith have supported us in our efforts to obtain and expand this essential service.  Our supporters within the industry and within the disability community will continue to promote this access."

Charlie Crawford of Silver Spring, MD, Executive Director of the American Council of the Blind, added, "The ACB has worked too long and too hard to achieve the kind of inclusion that video described television was beginning to offer us to allow it to be taken away from us now."  Crawford said that the technique of describing visual information verbally via the Secondary Audio Programming channel has been embraced enthusiastically by members of his organization, which includes blind and visually impaired people of all ages, all over the USA.

"ACB and other members of the Coalition are weighing our options and considering a number of next steps," said Christopher Gray, of San Francisco, President of the ACB.  "The population of blind and visually impaired people continues to expand as the baby boom generation enters senior citizenship. People who lose their vision later in life have grown up watching TV, and they aren't going to like the idea of having to do without access to this mainstream medium, just when it began to appear that described video would allow them to continue to enjoy it."

         Video description, developed for television in the late '80s by Boston public broadcaster WGBH, provides viewers who are blind or visually impaired with narration of key visual elements, actions, scene changes, and facial expressions during natural pauses in dialogue.  Narrated description is delivered via the second audio program, a standard feature on stereo televisions and SAP-equipped VCRs since 1990.  PBS has provided description of programming for over a decade, and the Narrative Television Network and Turner Classic Movies cable network also provide this program feature on a regular basis.

In July 2000, the FCC adopted rules designed to increase the accessibility of television and emergency information for viewers with visual disabilities. The rules took effect between April and June 2002, and required that the top commercial networks and the major cable networks provide 50 hours per calendar quarter of described programming to the nation's top 25 television markets.   (More information on the FCC's description rules can be found at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/videodescription.html.)

The Motion Picture Association of America and the networks attempted to vacate the Federal Communications Commission's rule under a contention that the FCC did not have the Congressional mandate to make such a rule.  On Friday, November 8, the Federal Court of Appeals in a three-to-zero decision sided with the industry.

        "The Access Coalition welcomes the early indicators that the television industry will continue to provide video description on broadcast and cable television on a voluntary basis," said Coalition Chair Pfanstiehl.  "We will continue to advocate for this essential access.  The nation's 12 million citizens with visual impairment are eager to see that the industry maintain and expand the number of programs which include description, and we applaud those commercial broadcast and cable networks that began providing description as of the date the FCC's mandate went into effect."

        ACB Executive Director Crawford says, "Future actions of the coalition in regard to legal and legislative initiatives will be informed by the continued resolve of national broadcast and cable networks and local cable companies which pass through (or neglect to pass through) the description content on the SAP channel.  We, at ACB, have appreciated the quality of the descriptions, and the willingness of some to go beyond the requirements of the FCC rules. For example, in July 2002, we gave an 'Access Award' to the Fox television network who began providing description even before the mandate went into effect, and who extended the service to its most popular prime-time programs."

        ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, as well as the top five cable networks:  Lifetime, Nickelodeon, TBS, TNT and USA Network have all joined with PBS and Turner Classic Movies to provide described programming.  Viewers who are blind or visually impaired, their families and friends now enjoy such varied described programs as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on CBS, Law & Order on TNT, Lifetime movies, world television premieres of theatrical films and specials on ABC and USA Network and Rug rats and Blue's Clues on Nickelodeon.

        The American Council of the Blind is a national membership organization whose purpose is to work toward independence, security, equality of opportunity, and improved quality of life for all blind and visually impaired people. Founded in 1961, ACB's members work through more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates to improve the well-being of all blind and visually impaired people by: serving as a representative national organization; elevating the social, economic and cultural levels of blind people; improving educational and rehabilitation facilities and opportunities; cooperating with the public and private institutions and organizations concerned with blind services; encouraging and assisting all people with severely impaired vision to develop their abilities and conducting a public education program to promote greater understanding of blindness and our capabilities. To learn more about the Council's work, visit the web site at http://www.acb.org, or contact the national office in Washington, DC at (202) 467-5081.

 

CONTACT THE UCB

 

Linda Braithwaite, President                                                801-532-5443

UCB Office, Leslie Gertsch                                                      801-292-1156

The Utah Connection                                                                   801-299-0670

          Toll Free                                                                      800-273-4569

UCB web site                                                             www.utahblind.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Utah Council of the Blind                                           Free Matter

1301 West 500 South                                               for the Blind

Woods Cross, UT  84087-2224