Disabled American Veterans
Blind Veterans
National Chapter
OFFICERS
OF THE BLIND CHAPTER
Commander
Eddie Humphrey
Senior
Vice Commander Floyd Britting
1st
Junior Vice Commander Dan Holden
2nd
Junior Vice Commander Dennis O’Connell
3rd
Junior Vice Commander Paul Kaminsky
4th
Junior Vice Commander Dave May
Judge
Advocate Gerard Boucher
Chaplain
Tony Martino
Comrades
, a short message from your commander. The BVNC is losing members due to their
passing. So folks we need to start to put more effort into getting
more members into our chapter. We are down to only 4 delegates and 4 alternates
and may lose another delegate and alternate if we do not recruit more members
very soon!
Commander
Eddie Humphrey
Blind
Veterans National Chapter
From Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Eric K. Shinseki
WASHINGTON (March 13, 2009)
- Following is an open letter to Veterans
from Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Eric K. Shinseki:
"My name is Ric
Shinseki, and I am a Veteran. For me, serving as
Secretary of Veterans
Affairs is a noble calling. It provides me the
opportunity to give back to
those who served with and for me during my
38 years in uniform and
those on whose shoulders we all stood as we grew
up in the profession of
arms.
"The Department of
Veterans Affairs has a solemn responsibility to all
of you, today and in the
future, as more Veterans join our ranks and
enroll to secure the
benefits and services they have earned. I am fully
committed to fulfilling
President Obama's vision for transforming our
department so that it will
be well-positioned to perform this duty even
better during the 21st
Century. We welcome the assistance and advice of
our Veterans Service
Organizations, other government departments and
agencies, Congress, and all
VA stakeholders as we move forward,
ethically and transparently,
so that Veterans and citizens can
understand our efforts.
"Creating that vision
for transforming the VA into a 21st Century
organization requires a
comprehensive review of our department. We
approach that review
understanding that Veterans are central to
everything VA does. We
know that results count, that the department
will be measured by what we
do, not what we promise, and that our best
days as an organization
supporting Veterans are ahead of us. We will
fulfill President Lincoln's
charge to care for ". . . him, who shall
have borne the battle, and
for his widow, and his orphan . . ." by
redesigning and reengineering
ourselves for the future.
"Transforming any
institution is supremely challenging; I know this from
my own experience in leading
large, proud, complex, and high-performing
organizations through
change. But the best organizations must be
prepared to meet the
challenging times, evolving technology and, most
importantly, evolving needs
of clients. Historically, organizations
that are unwilling or unable
to change soon find themselves irrelevant.
You and your needs are not
irrelevant.
"Veterans are our
clients, and delivering the highest quality care and
services in a timely,
consistent and fair manner is a VA responsibility.
I take that responsibility
seriously and have charged all of the
department's employees for
their best efforts and support every day to
meet our obligations to
you. Our path forward is challenging, but the
President and Congress
support us. They have asked us to do this
well-for you. Veterans
are our sole reason for existence and our number
one priority-bar
none. I look forward to working together with all VA
employees to transform our
department into an organization that reflects
the change and commitment
our country expects and our Veterans deserve.
"Thank you, and God
bless our military, our Veterans, and our Nation."
Signed: Eric K.
Shinseki
DAV
Mid-Winter Conference of the Commanders and Adjutants Association
Legislative
Talking Points
VA Health Care Funding
Reform - 111th Congress
Strategy for 2009.
ADVANCE
APPROPRIATIONS
Support for ADVANCE
APPROPRIATIONS by President Obama, VA Secretary Shinseki, HVAC/SVAC, entire VSO/MSO community and AFGE.
H.R.
1016 / S. 423
Veterans Health Care Budget
Reform and Transparency Act of 2009
Beginning in Fiscal Year
2011, funding for VA’s medical care account would be provided one-year in
advance.
Congress
would still be required to conduct oversight on VA. It must debate and approve
(and the President would have to sign) each “ADVANCE APPROPRIATIONS” bill as
with all other discretionary appropriations bills.
Although
the “ADVANCE APPROPRIATION” would be enacted one year before the start of the
fiscal year, the approved funding would not flow to VA until the first day of
that fiscal year.
The Government
Accountability Office (GAO) would study the adequacy and accuracy of the
projected budget and make the report available to Congress and the public.
The GAO reports would also
include recommendations, if any, to improve the accuracy of the Model’s
projections and the integrity of VA’s budget projection process.
Next steps - - - Hearing and Congressional Action
DAV GOAL: Enactment of bill to achieve
SUFFICIENT, TIMELY and PREDICTABLE funding for VA Health Care.
Advocacy
Needed NOW!
Blind
Veterans, Please contact your congressional leaders, your Representatives and
Senators, to support “ADVANCE APPROPRIATIONS” (H.R. 1016 and S. 423). This will
not cost a penny more to do this, “ADVANCE APPROPRIATIONS”.
Remind your Representatives
and Senators of their promise to guarantee VA Health Care funding.
Keep the pressure on
elected officials to REFORM the flawed VA funding process.
Stress the need for a
LONG-TERM, PERMANENT SOLUTION to VA’s funding problem.
COMPENSATION
for LOSS of QUALITY of LIFE
The DAV believes a
realistic increase in VA compensation raise should be made to bring the
standard of living of disabled veterans in line with that which they would have
enjoyed had they not suffered their service-connected disabilities.
The Veterans’ Disability
Benefits Commission (VDBC) issued its report, Honoring the Call to Duty. Veterans’ Disability Benefits in the 21st
Century, which identified eight principles as a guide to the development
and delivery of future benefits for veterans and their families. One principle
is that benefits and services should be provided that collectively compensate
for the consequence of service-connected disability on the average impairment
of earnings capacity, the ability to engage in usual life activities, and
quality of life.
The current statutory basis
for disability payments based on the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities is an
average impairment of earning capacity. Yet, service-connected disabilities can
impede veterans from engaging in usual life activities and can impair their
quality of life. Consequently, the VDBC recommended increasing the compensation
rates up to 25 percent as an interim and baseline future benefit for loss of
quality of life pending development and implementation of a quality of life
measure in the VA Rating Schedule. In particular, the measure should take into
account the quality of life and other non-work related effects of severs
disabilities on veterans and family members.
The VDBC consulted with the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Center for Naval Analyses Corporation (CNAC) on
the loss of quality of life for service-connected disabled veterans. A chapter
in the IOM Medical Evaluation Committee report, A 21st Century System for Evaluating Veterans for Disability
Benefits, is entirely dedicated to addressing impairment, disability and
quality of life, and recommended compensating disabled veterans for three
consequences of service-connected injuries and disease: work disability, loss
of ability to engage in usual life activities other than work, and loss in
quality of life. The CNAC analysis of the VA disability compensation system
found that the program does provide for reasonable earnings adjustments for
most disabling conditions.
Additional, recommendations
contained in the report by the President’s Commission on the Care for America’s
Returning Wounded Warriors, includes quality of life payments to compensate for
permanent loses of various kinds , as well as compensation for loss of earning
capacity. While the DAV disagrees with this Commission’s recommendation for a
new compensation structure for the newest generation of disabled veterans that
would eventually eliminate VA earnings loss payments and shift to Social
Security, it is clear that current VA disability compensation does not
adequately provide for the full effects of service-connected disabilities.
Congress
should increase VA disability compensation to include compensation for the loss
of quality of life resulting from service-connected disabilities.
For more information for those who have a computer
please visit www.standup4vets.org and www.dav.org
for up-to-date veterans’ issues.
U.s. Representatives
Edolphus Towns and Cliff Stearns introduce pedestrian safety enhancement act
National Federation of the
Blind applauds measure to protect lives and preserve independence of blind
Americans
Washington, dc (January 28,
2009): Representatives Edolphus "ed"
Towns (D-NY) and Cliff
Stearns (R-FL) today introduced HR 734, a
bill intended to protect the
blind and other pedestrians from injury
or death as a result of
silent vehicle technology. The Pedestrian
Safety Enhancement Act of
2009 requires the Secretary of
Transportation to conduct a
study on how to protect the blind and
others from being injured or
killed by vehicles using hybrid,
electric, and other silent
engine technologies. Thirty-two original
co-sponsors have already
signed on to the bill.
Because blind pedestrians
cannot locate and evaluate traffic using
their vision, they must
listen to traffic to discern its speed,
direction, and other
attributes in order to travel safely and
independently. Other
people, including pedestrians who are not
blind, bicyclists, runners,
and small children, also benefit from
hearing the sound of vehicle
engines. New vehicles that employ
hybrid or electric engine
technology can be silent, rendering them
extremely dangerous in
situations where vehicles and pedestrians come
into proximity with each
other.
"The National
Federation of the Blind appreciates the wise and
decisive action taken today
by Congressmen Towns and Stearns to
preserve the right to safe
and independent travel for the blind,"
said Dr. Marc Maurer,
President of the National Federation of the
Blind. "The blind,
like all pedestrians, must be able to travel to
work, to school, to church,
and to other places in our communities
without being injured or
killed. This bill will benefit all
pedestrians for generations
to come as new vehicle technologies
become more prevalent.
The blind of America will do everything in
our power to ensure its
swift passage."
"The beneficial trend
toward more environmentally friendly vehicles
has had the unintended
effect of placing the blind and other
pedestrians in danger,"
said Representative Towns. "As someone who
taught travel with a white
cane to the blind for many years, I
understand that the sound of
traffic is critically important in order
for them to travel safely
and independently. This bill will prevent
many injuries and fatalities
while still allowing more clean vehicles
on our nation's roads."
"I understand the
safety concerns of blind pedestrians with these
quiet automobiles; I have
heard the same concerns from senior
citizens in my district, and
I appreciate the threat to children,
bicyclists, and
runners," said Representative Stearns. "I deeply
appreciate the support of
all parties in supporting this important
safety legislation."
The bill requires the
Secretary of Transportation, within ninety days
of its enactment, to commence
a two-year study to determine the best
means to provide the blind
and other pedestrians with information
about the location, motion,
speed, and direction of vehicles. Upon
completion of the study, the
Secretary will report the findings of
the study to Congress and,
within ninety days, establish a minimum
vehicle safety standard for
all new vehicles sold in the United
States. Automobile
manufacturers will have two years to comply with
the vehicle safety standard.
Caps mailing list
caps@nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/caps_nfbnet.org
Perkins school for the blind: all we see is possibility...
Http://support.perkins.org/site/r?i=2wihsk8iqpib9v9tlcjkzw..
"Let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind
up the
nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and
for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just
and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
President Abraham Lincoln spoke these timeless words at his
second
inauguration in 1865. Lincoln is among the most complex, most revered, and most
studied individuals in United States history. The Braille & Talking Book
Library collection contains a wealth of information about Lincoln, his
Presidency, and his times. In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of his
birth, many books about Abraham Lincoln are available to read in many formats.
Recorded cassette (rc), Braille (br), large print (lt), and
described
DVD (DVD) copies of these materials are available from the Perkins
Braille & Talking Book Library. Please contact the library to
order any of these items.
You can also see the complete list of the Abraham Lincoln
titles available through the BTBL on the website at http://support.perkins.org/site/r?i=4wpvxxh0ctzmkbmpjplwog
A LITTLE ABOUT THE AMERICAN
COUNCIL OF THE BLIND
The American Council of the
Blind (ACB) is the largest consumer-based
organization of blind
and visually impaired Americans advocating for the rights of blind Americans.
Comprised of more than 70 affiliates across the United States, the organization
is dedicated to making it possible for blind and visually impaired Americans to
participate fully in every aspect of American society.
For more information about
the American Council of the Blind, and the
issues it supports,
visit
Www.acb.org
or contact the American Council of the Blind,
2200 Wilson Blvd.,
suite 650, Arlington, VA 22201; phone (202) 467-5081
or toll-free,
1-800-424-8666.
The department of defense
announced today, in collaboration with the department of veterans affairs (VA
), a process designed to expedite a service member Seriously injured in combat
from military to veteran status, by waiving the standard disability evaluation
system (des), resulting in receipt of benefits in three to four months,
compared to a recovery and standard des process that would normally take much
longer.
You can read the entire news
release at
Http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12457.
Purpose:
to create a technology bill of rights for the blind that mandates consumer
electronics, home appliances, and office equipment to provide
user
interfaces that are accessible through nonvisual means.
Background:
in recent years rapid advances in microchip and digital technology have led to
increasingly complex user interfaces for everyday
products
like consumer electronics, home appliances, and office equipment. Many
new devices in these categories require user
interaction
with visual displays, on-screen menus, touch screens, and other user interfaces
that are inaccessible to individuals who are
blind
or have low vision. No longer are settings
on
the television, home stereo system, or
dishwasher controlled by knobs, switches, and buttons that can be
readily identified and whose
settings
can be easily discerned, with or without the addition of tactile markings by
the user. Moreover, the use of inaccessible
interfaces
on office equipment such as copiers and fax machines makes these devices
unusable by the blind and therefore a potential threat to a
blind
person's existing job or a barrier to obtaining new employment.
This
growing threat to the independence and productivity of blind people is
unnecessary
since digital devices can function without inaccessible interfaces. Today
text-to-speech technology is inexpensive and more
nearly
ubiquitous than it has ever been; it is used in everything from automated
telephone systems to the weather forecasting service
broadcast
by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Indeed, a few
manufacturers have incorporated this technology into their products to create
talking menus or to articulate what is on the display; there is no reason why
other manufacturers cannot do so as well. And
text-to-speech
technology is not the only mechanism by which consumer electronics, home
appliances, and office equipment can be made accessible to blind people.
Need
for legislation: currently there are no enforceable mandates for
manufacturers of consumer electronics, home appliances, or office
equipment
to make their devices accessible and no accessibility standards to provide
guidance to manufacturers on how to avoid creating barriers
to
access by the blind. Congress should therefore enact a technology bill of
rights for the blind, which clearly establishes that manufacturers must create
accessible user interfaces for their products, provide a means
for
enforcement, and establish standards that will provide meaningful benchmarks
that manufacturers can use to make their products accessible.
Congress
need not mandate a single, one-size-fits-all solution for all consumer
technology. Rather any such legislation should mandate regulations that
set meaningful accessibility standards, while at the same time allowing
manufacturers to select from a menu of potential solutions that, singly or in
combination, will allow blind users to operate
the
technology easily and successfully. This will not only give manufacturers
the freedom and flexibility they desire, but encourage
innovations
that make consumer technology more usable for everyone.
Proposed
legislation: Congress should enact a technology bill of rights for the
blind that:
* mandates that all consumer electronics, home appliances, and office
equipment be designed so that blind people are able to access
the
same functions as sighted people by nonvisual means and with substantially
equivalent ease of use; and creates a commission to establish standards for
nonvisual accessibility of electronic devices
intended
for use in the home or office. Such a commission should represent all
stakeholders, including organizations of the blind;
manufacturers
of consumer electronics, home appliances, and office equipment or associations
representing such manufacturers; and experts on
universal
design, electronic engineering, and related fields. This commission should
have enforcement powers or be housed within a government agency having such
powers (e.g., u.s. Department of Commerce), and should be authorized to
reexamine and rewrite standards periodically, as consumer electronic technology
continues to evolve.
Requested
action: please support blind Americans by introducing legislation to
create a technology bill of rights for the blind (or by cosponsoring
once
legislation has been introduced) so that blind people will be able to
participate fully in all aspects of American society. Increased
access
leads to increased independence, increased employment, and increased tax
revenue.
Contact
information:
James
McCarthy
Government
Programs Specialist
National
Federation of the Blind
Phone:
(410) 659-9314, extension 2240
Email:
EDITOR’S
NOTE:
Gathering
the articles for the BCNC newsletters is not just a one man job. I want to
thank Dave M. & Jerry B. for helping me out with this difficult endeavor.
In the future, if anyone sends me articles please send it normally instead of
all capitals. It would make my life easier. Send them to navy1vet@verizon.net and put in subject line article for BCNC. If
need snail mail, my address is Dennis O’Connell, 303 Carnation Avenue, Floral
Park, NY 11001-3435.
Again,
thanks to Jim F. & Paul K. for sending out the newsletters on tape/print
and on line respectively.
GOD
BLESS AMERICA!