HUD’s investigation found that CRM denied a reasonable accommodation request to allow the man to keep his dog in the shelter, in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

The Fair Housing Act requires housing providers to make reasonable accommodations in their rules, policies, practices, or services when needed to provide persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to use or enjoy a dwelling.

“For many people with disabilities, guide dogs and other assistance animals are necessities, not options,” stated John Trasviña, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “HUD will enforce Fair Housing Act protections to ensure that housing providers grant reasonable accommodation requests.”

According to HUD’s charge, a blind, homeless individual contacted CRM in order to seek shelter. HUD’s charge alleges that a CRM employee informed the man that he could not move into the shelter with his guide dog even after the man said that he could not be without his service animal.

When a caseworker from Lawrence County Community Action, an organization that assists low-income people, contacted the shelter and explained that the man needed the guide dog because of his disability, the CRM employee again refused, saying that the dog would have to go elsewhere.

HUD’s charge will be heard by a United States Administrative Law Judge unless any party to the charge elects to have the case heard in federal district court. If an administrative law judge finds after a hearing that discrimination has occurred, he may award damages to aggrieved persons for the damages caused them by the discrimination.

The judge may also order injunctive relief and other equitable relief to deter further discrimination, as well as payment of attorney fees.

In addition, the judge may impose fines in order to vindicate the public interest. If the matter is decided in federal court, the judge may also award punitive damages to aggrieved persons.

Persons who believe they have been denied a reasonable accommodation request may file a complaint by contacting HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at

(800) 669-9777 (voice)

or (800) 927-9275 (TTY).

Housing discrimination complaints may also be filed by going to www.hud.gov/fairhousing or by downloading HUD’s free housing discrimination mobile application, which can be accessed through Apple devices, such as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

ARLINGTON, Va. – Delegate Bob Brink (D-48), who led the advocacy  to increase funding for teachers of blind students, will be recognized today with the Commonwealth Award by the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia (NFBV)-the Commonwealth’s largest and oldest organization of blind people and the leading advocate for braille literacy.

For years, the Virginia Department of Education has published Standards of Quality (SOQ), which define minimum student-teacher ratios and provide partial salary support to school divisions to fund special education teachers who work within Virginia’s schools. Unfortunately, unlike all other disabilities, teachers for the blind were excluded from the SOQ, leading to enormous case loads in many school divisions. Through Delegate Brink’s advocacy-supported by the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia-Governor McDonnell committed to fully fund the state share for staffing standards for blind and low vision students. The amended 2012-2014 budget addresses this inequality and funds teachers for Virginia’s blind and low vision students.

“Parents of blind children are frustrated that their children are not learning the blindness skills necessary to compete with their sighted peers,” said NFBV President Dr. Fredric Schroeder. “We cannot expect students to learn braille and independent travel when teachers for the blind are forced to limit instruction to 30 minutes a week. Because reading and writing is a fundamental skill for all students, we are excited that blind students will now receive the quality education that they deserve.”

Brink, who represents north Arlington and most of McLean, said, “This is a long overdue step for the 1,000-plus blind and low-vision students across Virginia who are blind or have low vision.

The budget will provide $4.9 million funding to local school districts.”

The award ceremony is open to members of the media, and will feature remarks from Brink, a member of the Arlington County School Board, and advocates. It will be held May 9 at Tutto Bene Restaurant (501 N. Randolph St; Arlington) at 7 p.m.

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF VIRGINIA Dr. Fredric K. Schroeder, President
9522 Lagersfield Circle . Vienna, VA 22181
(703) 319-9226 . fschroeder@sks.com
www.nfbv.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Tracy Soforenko, (202) 285-4595, tracy.soforenko@verizon.net

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “The National Federation of the Blind congratulates the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for obtaining this important verdict, and we commend the jury for recognizing the equal dignity and value of workers with disabilities.  The jury in this case has sent a strong message that the exploitation of Americans with disabilities is morally reprehensible and those responsible must be punished.”

Among other forms of exploitation and abuse, the Henry’s Turkey Service employees were paid only forty-one cents per hour.  Over four hundred thousand other American workers with disabilities are paid less than the federal minimum wage.  Under current law, subminimum wage payments to workers with disabilities are legal under an exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act.  The National Federation of the Blind and over fifty other organizations of people with disabilities are seeking to phase out this discriminatory practice by supporting the Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act of 2013, H.R. 831.

For more information on this issue, please visit http://www.nfb.org/fair-wages.

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About the National Federation of the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the oldest, largest, and most influential nationwide membership organization of blind people in the United States.  Founded in 1940, the NFB advocates for the civil rights and equality of blind Americans, and develops innovative education, technology, and training programs to provide the blind and those who are losing vision with the tools they need to become independent and successful.  We need your support.  To make a donation, please go to www.nfb.org.

Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “We are pleased that Amazon has taken advantage of the inherent accessibility of Apple products and Apple’s clear guidelines for creating accessible applications by finally releasing a version of its Kindle app that allows blind readers to access Kindle content on Apple devices. Continued improvement of this app is needed, however, in order to make it appropriate for use in educational settings, and Amazon must also make its Kindle devices fully accessible. Amazon should also make its future software, devices, and content available to the blind when these products are released to the general public rather than implementing accessibility at an unspecified later time. Today’s app release is a significant step on the journey to full access to Kindle content by the blind, but that journey is not over, and the National Federation of the Blind will not rest until its completion.”

The National Federation of the Blind has advocated for full access to Kindle devices and Kindle e-books since Amazon introduced the Kindle. Most recently, NFB members staged an informational protest in front of Amazon’s Seattle headquarters to explain why Kindle e-books should not be used in schools because they do not provide equal access to all of the same information and features by both blind and sighted students. For more information on this issue, please visit http://www.nfb.org/kindle-books.

###

About the National Federation of the Blind

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the oldest, largest, and most influential nationwide membership organization of blind people in the United States. Founded in 1940, the NFB advocates for the civil rights and equality of blind Americans, and develops innovative education, technology, and training programs to provide the blind and those who are losing vision with the tools they need to become independent and successful. We need your support. To make a donation, please go to www.nfb.org.

Last week, one of our Braille instructors was out for three days.  She had some of our students substitute for her.  This gave several of our students an opportunity to teach Braille and to learn how rewarding it is when someone makes progress.  One of our students from Oregon is working on an internship.  She is proficient in the area of technology and is teaching others in this area.  She loves this and is a natural teacher with creativity and zeal. Last week I had the pleasure of spending time with our seniors.  I observed a conversation and was proud to see how one of our seniors was so encouraging of another.  Just a couple of minutes ago I walked into the meeting room to discover that one of our students was teaching another about how to fold table cloths.  Yesterday, I met with Debby who is from Washington state to discuss what it means to be a student mentor.  She is chairing this committee and is excited about matching up mentors with new students so that they will feel welcome and have a connection even prior to their arrival.  Students travel to and from the Center each day taking a city bus and walking a couple of blocks each way.  Our students are always happy to work with each other and exhibit caring and kindness when teaching their peers the route to and from the Center.

Our students have Braille study groups in the evenings, get together for dinner, go shopping with each other and simply spend time learning, growing and having fun.  Whenever I ask a student to give a tour, work at the front desk, set up tables or clean, the answer is “Yes, I will be happy to help”.  Our culture of caring, unity and understanding is what creates our Center.  I never take this for granted and know how privileged I am to be a part of this.  

Program Notes

Youth Program

On April 12^th, the Center hosted a science fair.  We were pleased to have eighteen students in attendance along with ten students from our Independence Training Program. Too often, blind people come to the conclusion that they are not capable of working in the area of science.  They only see that this is visual and are not aware of alternative techniques that can be used to place a blind person on equal ground with their sighted peers.  Many times, the blind student sits on the sidelines during science class, or works with a lab partner who ends up doing the work.  We are changing this misperception by holding workshops in all of the STEM areas (science, technology, engineering, and math).  Not only are we dedicated to working with blind students, but we are also passionate about working with educators so that they will have the ability to fully integrate their blind students into all classes.  Blindness is not a barrier when determining what career to enter.

“Success in College” Program

We have hired Dan Burke to coordinate our new program which will pair blindness skills development and confidence with college classes.  Dan has over twenty years of experience working with disabled students at the University of Montana.  He also has a rehabilitation counseling background and feels strongly that with training, opportunity and confidence, we as blind people can compete equally with our sighted peers.   He is looking forward to jumping into this new program.

Independence Training Program

When our students enter the Independence Training Program, they make a commitment to fully participate in all aspects of training.  Usually, students are enrolled for six to nine months.  A major part of their work with us is to determine what they will do when they graduate.  Employment class is a key component.  On April 11^th students had an opportunity to network with over twenty employers.  They shared their resumes and business cards.  Employers from the Veteran’s Administration and Wells Fargo bank were particularly interested in several of our students.  Employers who attended this event learned that blind people are just like anyone else.

On April 19^th we were pleased to have over twenty-five volunteers from Ignite join us for a tour of the Center and lunch.  The Ignite organization provides ski guides for all of us when we go skiing at Eldora.  Several students gave thorough tours of the Center.  They made bourbon chicken, rice, stir fried vegetables and banana pudding cake for dessert.  Seventy of us enjoyed the meal.  The ski guides learned that we are proud to be blind people and that we can easily handle all aspects of our lives.

Senior Program

April was a busy month for us in all programs.  We had a Seniors in Charge program where students received intensive training for four days.  They loved spending time in the woodshop learning how to use a click rule to measure within one 16^th of an inch.  They also used the table saw and other woodworking equipment.  The seniors prepared lunch each day, worked on technology including the iPad, practiced their Braille, and increased their ability to use their cane effectively.

One of our participants did not realize that he could enjoy fly fishing anymore.  He learned how to string the fly and is eager to go fishing now.  At the completion of the program he expressed his feelings of accepting his blindness and said that he is excited to reinvent his life now.  

Senior groups are available weekly.  For more information, please call Duncan Larsen at 303-778-1130 extension 226.

Upcoming Events:

May 4:  Colorado Association of Blind Students College Seminar.  Contact Antonio Rozier arozier@cocenter.org for more information.
May 6-10:  “Seniors in Charge”.  Contact Duncan Larsen dlarsen@cocenter.org for more information.
May 10:  CCB student Talent Show from 6:00 to 7:30 pm
May 18:  Youth Track from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.  Contact Brent Batron bbatron@cocenter.org for more information.
May 18:  NFB of Denver chapter meeting from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
June 7:  Start of Summer Program for high school and college prep students
June 10-21:  “Confidence Camp for Kids” Elementary Program
June 18:  Braille Carnival.  Contact Brent Batron bbatron@cocenter.org for more information. 

To refer someone who is interested in training, please call Robert Dyson at 303-778-1130 extension 249. 

If you have items for the newsletter, please send them to ccb@cocenter.org

Carol Sprague
Administrative Coordinator
Colorado Center for the Blind
2233 W. Shepperd Ave.
Littleton, CO  80120
303-778-1130  ext. 211
303-778-1598 fax
www.cocenter.org

Under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, a flawed formula has been used for years to calculate the commensurate “piece rate” wage for workers with disabilities.  This formula, based on average wages and survey data, works mathematically, but fails the common sense test.  My twelve-year-old stepson asked me the following question from his math homework: If Johnny can run one mile in two minutes, how fast can Johnny run two miles?  He knew that the expected answer was four minutes.  However, he also had the common sense to know that Johnny would get tired, and it would take Johnny more time to run each consecutive mile.  I told him to put four minutes as the answer.  He got an “A” on the homework, but he did not understand why he got an “A” for the wrong answer.  I validated his common sense and applauded the fact that at twelve years old, he understood the root of the commensurate wage fallacy.  The commensurate “subminimum” wage formula used by over three thousand employers to determine how much they should pay their workers with disabilities is based on the same flawed logic as the math problem.

Before we get to the real commensurate wage fallacy, we must discuss how the prevailing wage is determined.  A subminimum wage employer must conduct an annual wage survey of private sector jobs in the employer’s geographic area that are similar to the jobs being performed by the workers with disabilities.  Then the employer takes the average of at least three of these industry wage rates to determine the hourly prevailing wage for the job.  For example, if three private sector employees are being paid $8.25, $8.30, and $8.35 respectively, the average wage rate of $8.30 would be the prevailing wage used in the commensurate wage formula.

The math is correct, but common sense tells you that the subminimum wage employer gets to shop around to determine which industry wage rates to use, so if there is a private sector employee being paid $9.00 for a similar job, there is no requirement for the employer to use this higher wage in the calculation.  It is more likely that there are no similar jobs in the community, in which case the employer should use the federal minimum wage of $7.25 (or the higher state minimum wage, if one applies) as the prevailing wage.  Some subminimum wage employers illegally use less than this amount; and with little to no oversight, this exploitation goes unaddressed for years.

The most convoluted and manipulative step used to determine the commensurate wage is for the employer to conduct a time study.  The employer chooses an experienced nondisabled worker to perform the job for twenty minutes.  Ideally, this is done for at least three cycles by the same person or three different people.  This provides three productivity rates that are then averaged to determine the average “piece rate.”  Therefore, if thirty-eight items are produced in the first cycle, forty items are produced in the second, and forty-two items are produced in the third, the benchmark would be set for the workers with disabilities to produce forty items in twenty minutes, or two items per minute.  This means the expectation is for the workers with disabilities to produce 120 items per hour in order to be paid the $8.30 prevailing wage.

Again, the math is sound, but common sense tells you that the employer can conduct many more time studies and choose the results to manipulate the commensurate wage outcome, ignoring those time studies in which less than thirty-eight items are produced.  Essentially, the employer can conduct as many time studies as necessary to justify the wage that the employer would like to pay for the job.

Common sense also tells you that it is unfair to set a productivity benchmark for an entire work day using only a twenty-minute time study.  Think of it as another version of my stepson’s math problem:  if Johnny can produce 120 items in an hour, how many can he produce in two hours?  My twelve-year-old stepson knew the answer.  He realized that Johnny would get tired, and his productivity would decrease over time.

The commensurate wage professionals state that they take all of this into consideration by providing a 15 percent time allowance for Personal time, Fatigue, and Delay (the PF&D factor).  This is calculated to be nine minutes per hour, which many employers round to ten minutes per hour.  Therefore, the productivity expectation set for the workers with disabilities under the earlier scenario would be for them to produce one hundred items per hour in order to earn $8.30.  This is more commonly stated to be a piece rate, where the workers with disabilities are paid eighty-three cents for each item they produce.

Although the PF&D allowance may bring the productivity expectation in line with the worker’s reasonable ability to produce over time, this cannot be considered an adequate adjustment for personal time, fatigue, and delay inclusively.  Most subminimum wage employers do not encourage the PF&D allowance to be used for breaks.  Although most employers are required to provide nondisabled employees a ten-minute paid rest period for every four hours worked, the sheltered subminimum wage workshops are excluded from this requirement.  In fact, the ability to work without a break is presented by the subminimum wage employer as a benefit to the workers with disabilities, who are encouraged to work as much as possible in order to earn as much as possible.  This type of pressure produces stress; the stress results in mistakes; and mistakes result in defective products that the workers do not get paid for producing.

Delay is also out of the control of the worker.  The workers cannot produce anything if the employer is delayed in providing them materials to produce the item, and unlike the nondisabled workers that get paid an hourly rate, the workers with disabilities do not get paid when they are not producing products.  The legal requirement to pay for down time is at the discretion of the employer, and if an employer does not provide production supplies in a timely manner, the workers with disabilities can be left idle for much more than ten minutes without the supplies to produce anything, thus earning nothing.

The unspoken math is that there are currently over three hundred thousand people with disabilities being paid wages below the federal minimum. Specifically, 50 percent of these workers receive less than half the federal minimum wage, and 25 percent receive less than one dollar per hour, some as low as three cents per hour.  The common sense truth is that most of these individuals are already productive enough to earn the federal minimum wage; they are just victims of the flawed wage formula.  Others could be productive enough to earn the federal minimum wage if provided the proper training and support, but will never receive either the training or support while segregated in a subminimum wage work environment.  Those individuals being paid less than one dollar per hour are truly not ready for work, but the subminimum wage employers assert that these workers are being afforded an opportunity to experience the tangible and intangible benefits of work.  The workers with disabilities get the extremely intangible benefit of subminimum wages.  The executives get the true tangible benefit from the public and private dollars meant to support the workers with disabilities, but used instead to support the six-figure salaries of the executives.  The subminimum wage employers are essentially getting an “A” for the wrong answer.

The fallacy here is that the workers with disabilities are supposedly being paid based on their productivity.  If the employers truly believe that the commensurate wage model is adequate and fair for workers with disabilities, why not use the commensurate wage formula to calculate the wages for all of the sheltered workshop employees, including the executives?  My twelve-year-old stepson would know the answer to this question as well.

Visit www.nfb.org/fair-wages to get more information, and add your name to our online petition to help us stop the perpetuation of the commensurate wage fallacy.

Mr. Anil Lewis, M.P.A.
Director of Advocacy and Policy
“Eliminating Subminimum Wages for People with Disabilities”
http://www.nfb.org/fairwages

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland   21230
(410) 659-9314 ext. 2374 (Voice)
(410) 685-5653 (FAX)
Email: alewis@nfb.org
Web: www.nfb.org
twitter: @anillife 

New Requirements for Equipment. The FCC also adopted rules to ensure that certain equipment used to receive, play back, or record television programs is able to make secondary audio streams available. Secondary audio streams will convey emergency information, as well as the video description that makes programs accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. These rules also go into effect two years after they are published in the Federal Register.

Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM). In addition to adopting the new rules, the FCC is asking the public to comment on three issues:

(1) whether the FCC should require companies covered by the new rules to provide contact information and customer support services to help consumers who are blind or visually impaired navigate between the main and secondary audio streams;

(2) whether new services that deliver certain types of television programming over tablets, laptops, personal computers, smartphones, or similar devices should be covered by the FCC’s requirements for video description and accessible emergency information; and

(3) whether the FCC should require accessibility content on the secondary audio stream to be tagged in a manner that enables equipment to detect this content when it is present – this will make it easier for consumers who are blind or visually impaired to find the secondary audio stream.

FNPRM Comment Date: (60 days after date of publication in the Federal Register)

FNPRM Reply Comment Date: (90 days after date of publication in the Federal Register)

Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-13-45A1.docx

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-13-45A1.pdf

Statement issued by Commissioner Clyburn:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-13-45A2.docx

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-13-45A2.pdf

Statement issued by Commissioner Rosenworcel:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-13-45A3.docx

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-13-45A3.pdf

Statement issued by Commissioner Pai:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-13-45A4.docx

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-13-45A4.pdf

For more information, contact Diana Sokolow, Diana.Sokolow@fcc.gov, or Maria Mullarkey, Maria.Mullarkey@fcc.gov, of the Media Bureau, Policy Division, (202) 418-2120.

Blind people access computers and Web sites through screen access software that converts what is on the screen into spoken words or Braille, but improperly coded Web sites and applications can prevent this software from working properly, denying the blind user equal access. Both Mr. Pyyhkala and Ms. Yazzolino unsuccessfully attempted to file their 2012 tax returns using HRBlock.com. The plaintiffs are requesting the court to certify the suit as a class action.

Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “As millions of Americans rush to prepare and file their taxes online using H&R Block’s popular Web sites, blind people are unable to do so because the company has refused to make its Web site accessible to us. For most blind people, this means that they must obtain assistance filing their tax returns, rather than having the option to do so privately and independently. The laws of the United States and the state of Massachusetts require, and blind Americans demand, that H&R Block make all of its online services accessible to blind taxpayers.”

The National Federation of the Blind and the individual plaintiffs are represented in this matter by Christine M. Netski of the Boston firm Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C., and Daniel F. Goldstein and Gregory P. Care of the Baltimore firm Brown, Goldstein & Levy LLP.

The National Federation of the Blind needs your support to ensure that blind children get an equal education, to connect blind veterans with the training and services they need, and to help seniors who are losing vision continue to live independent and fulfilling lives. To make a donation, please go to www.nfb.org

###

About the National Federation of the Blind

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the oldest, largest, and most influential nationwide membership organization of blind people in the United States. Founded in 1940, the NFB advocates for the civil rights and equality of blind Americans, and develops innovative education, technology, and training programs to provide the blind and those who are losing vision with the tools they need to become independent and successful. We need your support. To make a donation, please go to www.nfb.org

The National Federation of the Blind is, at its core, a grassroots civil rights movement consisting of blind people, our family members, and friends. Our movement is founded on the principles of equality and full participation of blind people in every aspect of society. Although we have made significant strides toward achieving equality of opportunity, many barriers to our full participation as American citizens continue to exist. Most notable are the barriers that blind people face in our efforts to obtain competitive, integrated employment. Although laws prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in employment are in place, ignorance about the true employment capacity of the blind, lack of awareness about assistive work technologies among employers, the deficiency of proper educational and training opportunities for blind workers, and the overwhelmingly low vocational expectations for the blind held by society all contribute to an unemployment rate of over 70 percent for working age blind adults. Members of the NFB accept the responsibility and welcome the opportunity to play a part in developing strategies to address all of these issues effectively, but our ability to be successful is significantly hindered when we are denied the same fundamental rights as every other American citizen.

In 1938, policymakers, acting on a laudable but misdirected desire to integrate people with disabilities into the workforce, implemented Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, a provision that authorizes the U.S. Department of Labor to issue Special Wage Certificates to employers, permitting them to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage. As a result of the erroneous belief, commonly held in 1938 but long since disproved, that people with disabilities cannot be productive employees, employers are permitted to pay workers with disabilities subminimum wages that are supposedly based on their productivity. This denial of fundamental wage protections to workers with disabilities, although masked as a compassionate offering of a work opportunity that would otherwise not be available, leaves over 300,000 people with disabilities employed at subminimum wages, some as low as three cents per hour.

Members of the National Federation of the Blind are faced with over seventy years of institutionalized thinking that people with disabilities lack the ability to fully participate in the workplace, and we fight every day to demonstrate to the world that blind people have capacity.  Because we have dared to believe in ourselves, today there are blind lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, members of the clergy, automobile mechanics, computer programmers, farmers, and more. The truth is that there are any number of jobs that match the unique skills, talents, interests and abilities of people with even the most significant disabilities.  Moreover, assistive technology exists that allows people with disabilities to perform job tasks with the quality and efficiency of non-disabled employees.  Although the diversity of jobs and the availability of assistive technology have made it possible for individuals with all disabilities to be productive employees, society’s negative attitudes and low expectations continue to severely limit opportunities for competitive employment. And as long as it remains legal to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage, there will be those who exploit these misconceptions in order to justify employing workers with disabilities at subminimum wages, leaving hundreds of thousands of individuals in segregated work environments that are separate and unequal.

Despite research demonstrating that segregated, subminimum wage work environments teach workers with disabilities obsolete skills and unproductive work habits that must be unlearned in order for them to become competitively employed, along with well-documented cases of subminimum wage employees working in poor conditions that are not acceptable in any modern workplace, advocates of Special Wage Certificates argue that the answer is simply better enforcement of compliance with current federal and state rules. But perpetuation of the current system is acquiescence in the face of discrimination. Slavery, the denial of the right to vote for women, and other forms of discrimination against classes of individuals based solely on a characteristic that the individuals possessed were once lawful. Society eventually realized that the only way to eliminate such discrimination is to make it unlawful. Section 14(c) of the FLSA, enacted out of ignorance about the true capacity of people with disabilities, is fundamentally morally wrong. The only way to correct this injustice is to repeal this discriminatory provision.

In 2012, the National Federation of the Blind made significant progress toward achieving this goal. What started as our single voice calling to have the law changed has grown into a chorus of fifty organizations of people with disabilities making this demand. Eliminating subminimum wages was not part of the conversation about disability rights before we began to speak out, but by the end of 2012 the National Council on Disability, a federal agency that advises Congress and the President on disability issues, had issued a report recommending that subminimum wages be phased out.

We are the voice of the nation’s blind, and we will use our voice to speak out against people, policies, or programs that seek to exploit us or reduce us to a status of second class citizenship. We look forward to a day when all Americans have wage security, real opportunity, and true equality. Add your voice to ours by signing our online petition at: http://www.nfb.org/fair-wages-petition.

For more information on this important issue, please visit www.nfb.org/fair-wages.

Mr. Anil Lewis, M.P.A.
Director of Advocacy and Policy
“Eliminating Subminimum Wages for People with Disabilities”
http://www.nfb.org/fairwages

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland   21230
(410) 659-9314 ext. 2374 (Voice)
(410) 685-5653 (FAX)
Email: alewis@nfb.org
Web: www.nfb.org
twitter: @anillife 

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “The National Federation of the Blind supports efforts to integrate more Americans with disabilities into competitive, integrated employment settings and to ensure that youth who are blind or who have other disabilities are not unnecessarily tracked into sheltered workshops, many of which pay their workers significantly less than federal or state minimum wages.  We therefore applaud the United States Department of Justice for moving to intervene in this potentially groundbreaking litigation.”

The National Federation of the Blind needs your support to ensure that blind children get an equal education, to connect blind veterans with the training and services they need, and to help seniors who are losing vision continue to live independent and fulfilling lives. To make a donation, please go to www.nfb.org.

 ###

 About the National Federation of the Blind

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the oldest, largest, and most influential nationwide membership organization of blind people in the United States.  Founded in 1940, the NFB advocates for the civil rights and equality of blind Americans, and develops innovative education, technology, and training programs to provide the blind and those who are losing vision with the tools they need to become independent and successful.  We need your support.  To make a donation, please go to www.nfb.org