[acbny-l] Fw: News notes from the national office
- From: "Frank Casey" <frcasey@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "acbny acbny" <acbny-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 31 May 2003 11:14:15 -0400
Greetings,
Below, please find the most recent edition of News Notes from the CAB
National Office in Washington, DC.
Enjoy,
Frank Casey
frcasey@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> NEWS NOTES FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE
>
> For the week ending May 30, 2003.
>
> * Trouble in the pines?
>
> Sorry to those who got all set to hear some saucy story
> about two Sierra Club members in the forest, but yep, we've been
> hearing some concerns raised by Randolph-sheppard vendors int the
> pine tree state of maine. We've talked with more than a couple
> of vendors about issues of state appropriations and resource
> distribution and are encouraging them at this point to work it
> out with the state agency since we are inclined to believe
> everyone is trying to do the right thing in the context of
> diminished state revenues. While we are optimistic that the
> situation will iron itself out, we are staying in touch with the
> vendors to be sure that they are supported in their efforts to
> earn a living and we will be putting them in touch with our
> affiliate, the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America (RSVA) for
> the national perspective.
>
> In a related vending story the beat goes on in Washington
> with a conference committee to be appointed to deal with the
> differences between the House of Representatives and Senate
> passed versions of Armed Forces appropriations and the issue of
> the Randolph-Sheppard selection priority for food services on
> military bases. We remain optimistic that this situation where
> the priority has been threatened can be worked out, but it takes
> a real effort on the part of advocates to insure that decisions
> are made from a truly educated point of view.
>
> * Melanie Brunson back in the newspapers.
>
> Well now here we go again. Smile. ACB governmental and
> Affairs and Advocacy director Melanie Brunson got her picture in
> the papers again in a story concerning the development of new
> training rules for security folks at airports on working with
> people with disabilities. Thanks Melanie for helping out with
> making sure that blind folks are properly treated by security
> staff. P.S. Melanie promises that her next picture will not be
> at the post office.
>
> * Where are the convention preregistration forms? Inquiring
> minds want to know.
>
> After getting our preregistration forms to the printer over
> two weeks ago, they finally got them to the post office and in
> the mail on Thursday evening. We have certainly made our
> opinions pretty clear over this length of time with them and ask
> that folks respond quickly to the preregistration once you get it
> in the mail. There is some good news in all of this and that is
> that we have figured out a way to shave about two weeks off the
> process next year and hopefully this will get the forms to folks
> two weeks earlier than the past. We all owe a big thanks to
> Terry Pacheco, Patricia Moreira, Peny Reeder and Sharon Lovering
> for all they have done and are doing to get this massive volume
> of work accomplished. It has not been unusual for Terry to put
> in 12 hour days over the last 6 to 8 weeks in working with the
> solid efforts by Cynthia, Carla, and Mike to get this convention
> up and running. Thanks to all and to Jim Olsen as well for his
> work will skyrocket once those preregistration forms start
> flooding in.
>
> * Take one tablet and call us in a month?
>
> ACB Exec Director Charlie Crawford will be testing the new
> tablet pc for performance and accessibility over the next 6
> months. The machine serves as a dual keyboard and writing tablet
> and is supposed to actually interpret script written on it as
> well. Heh heh, no way anything can read Charlie's chicken
> scratchings. The reports will be made monthly and who knows,
> this could be a really good thing to use. Will let you know.
>
> * Hope for folks with macular degeneration increases.
>
> Everyone has probably already seen the press release on the
> settlement reach with the government on making sure we get a fair
> and objective process for evaluation of Visudyne as a drug for
> the most aggressive form of macular degeneration. We are very
> optimistic that a fair process will result in Medicare payments
> for the treatment of the disease and we will provide testimony
> for the hearing when it comes up in September. Thanks to the
> attorneys at Arnold and Porter for all your help and thanks to
> all our partners who have stayed the course throughout the long
> battle. while we still are not at the finnish line, there is no
> question that the settlement will give the drug a test on it's
> merits and nothing else.
>
> * A new voice on the phone?
>
> Next week when you call the national office, don't be
> surprised to hear the voice of Rebecca Hodson who is our summer
> intern this year. She'll be doing a fair amount of work with
> Penny and Sharon this summer and so please be sure to give her a
> big ACB howdy if you get her on the phone.
>
>
>
> ***
>
> News notes is a compilation of the highlights of the events
> of the preceding week and is not intended to provide a
> comprehensive listing of all activities, or treatment of the
> topics mentioned. For information and more detailed treatment of
> especially legislative concerns, call the Washington Connection
> at 800-424-8666 nights and weekends eastern time. Be sure to
> read the Braille Forum each month and check in with the ACB web
> site and radio at WWW.ACB.ORG and WWW.ACBRADIO.ORG respectively.
>
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