From: Andy Baracco 
Subject: ACB Washington Connection (fwd)
Hi listers. I am posting this because I feel that it contains information
that is of value to all blind persons.  Andy Baracco
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 11:00:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: Julie Carroll 
To: juliec@access.digex.net
Subject: ACB Washington Connection
Washington Connection
September 23, 1997
Please note that each item is separated by asterisks to improve
ease of searching.
1.  Senate Names Conferees for Labor-Health, and Human Services-
Education appropriations bill
Fax numbers have been listed if public fax numbers have been made
available.                                                        
Act right away to contact these conferees to object to the gorton
amendment remaining in the Labor-HHS-Ed Appropriations bill.
The Senate conferees are Arlen Specter (R-Pa), Thad Cochran (R-
Miss), Slade Gorton (R-Wash) fax # (202) 224-9393, Christopher
Bond (R-MO) fax: 202 224-8149, Judd Gregg (R-N.H) fax # 202-224-4952
  Lauch Faircloth (R-N.C.) state office fax# 919-856-4161,
Larry Craig (R-Idaho) fax # 202-228-1067, Kay Bailey Hutchinson
(R-Tx) fax # 202-224-0776, Ted Stevens (R-AK) fax # 202-224-2354,
Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) fax # 202-224-9369, Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.),
Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Dale Bumpers (D-Ark), Harry Reid (D-
Nev) fax # 202-224-7327, Herb Kohl (D-Wisc), Patti Murray (D-
Wash) fax # 202-224-0238, Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) fax # 202-224-
8070.  You can reach the Senate conferees through the Senate
switchboard at:  202-224-3121.
House conferees are expected to be named late today.
     *****
2.  IDEA regional meetings
The Department of Education has announced that it will hold 7
regional meetings across the country on the implementation of
IDEA, specifically relating to the up-coming NPRM implementing
the statutory requirements of the 1997 IDEA Act Amendments.  The
regional meetings will be held in Boston, on Oct. 23, Atlanta on
Oct. 27th, Dallas on Oct. 28th, Washington, D.C. on Nov. 4th,
Denver on Nov. 18th, San Francisco on Nov. 24th, and Chicago on
Nov. 24th.  For more information on the regional meetings, call
Laura Black Price at (202) 205-8969. 
*****
3.  Legislative Branch Appropriations for Talking books
The conference committee for the Legislative Branch
Appropriations bill agreed to recommend appropriations in the
amount of $46,561,000 for the production of books for the blind
and physically handicapped instead of $45,936,000 as proposed by
the House and $47,870,000 as proposed by the Senate.  The
conferees have provided $1,250,000 to begin a program to replace
an additional 10,000 playback machines.
*****
4.  Negative Ads Jeopardize Guide dog Travel
Jenine Stanley, president of ACB's affiliate, guide Dog Users
Inc., sends this message:   
The following information has been brought to the attention of
GDUI, and we believe that all of you as concerned advocates for
the rights and proper understanding of the role of the guide
dog/human team will want to send letters of concern to the Levi
Strauss Company for their advertisement which inappropriately
shows a guide dog and its handler.  The ad has been described as
follows:
A young woman wearing Levi Strauss jeans is walking along and
buys a hot dog from a sidewalk vendor. She walks away down the
street with her hot dog, when she sees a blind man with his guide
dog. She proceeds to remove the hot dog from the bun, and when
she passes the man and his dog, she feeds the hot dog to the
guide dog.  The blind man is completely oblivious that anything
has happened. The guide dog looks very content.
 
Please send letters asking Levi Strauss to remove this commercial
from the market because it is sending an extremely negative
message about the proper treatment of guide dogs working out in
the community by the general public. People believe that what
they see on television is true and acceptable behavior, therefore
it is extremely important that this negative message regarding
guide dogs and the capabilities of blind people not continue to
be broadcast.
It would have been so much better if a positive image of a blind
person and their guide dog could have been used in the
commercial.  There are other ways to sell a product without
misinforming people other than the message that feeding guide
dogs is acceptable.
 Please send your letters to:
 Levi Strauss Associates Inc.
ATTN: Brad Williams, Product Publicity Manager
1155 Battery St.
San Francisco, CA 94111
 
Please cc a copy of your letter to Mr. Robert Haa, Chief
Executive Officer, Levi Strauss Associates, Inc. at the same
address.
 
Thank you for your help in convincing one of America's major
companies that advertising must not contain misinformation and
should not portray people who are blind as unaware of what is
happening around them, when quite the opposite is the case.
 *****
Job announcement
The PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES is seeking the right candidate to work with them for
the next 14 months on the President's Committee's Access to
Technology and telecommunications project.  This is a GS-13 level
position, which has a salary range of $54,629-$71,017.
     Position Duties and Responsibilities:
   Develops and manages a new project designed to promote the
     development, procurement and utilization of universally
designed information technologies and telecommunications in the
work place.
     Helps establish and works with a task force of high level
business,
     government, technology and disability leaders to develop
project goals and objectives to insure the accessibility of
emerging technologies.
     Evaluation Factors (The "Best Qualified" candidate must be
rated High in all factors):
     1.  Demonstrated understanding of telecommunications
industry and laws,
     2.  Demonstrated background in universal design techniques
and requirements,
     3.  Demonstrated background in emerging work place
technologies,
     4.  Demonstrated communication skills, especially written
and,
5.  Demonstrated ability to manage a project in the developmental
         stage.
     CLOSING DATE:  WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1997
     For more information or to secure forms or mail application:
     U.S. Department of Labor
     200 Constitution Avenue, NW
     Room C-5516
     Washington, DC  20210
     (202)219-8180
******
For additional listings of available jobs, contact the ACB Job
Bank, a free service provided by ACB's Advocacy Services staff. 
The Job Bank can be accessed through our web site at
HTTP://WWW.ACB.ORG
The Washington Connection is also available via the Internet's
World Wide Web at HTTP://WWW.ACB.ORG.  This message is
also available via phone by calling 800-424-8666 between 6:00
p.m. and 9:00 am eastern time Monday through Friday and all day
on weekends.
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