REPORT OF BVA 60TH NATIONAL CONVENTION BYLAWS AND RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE

Resolutions 1-05 through 3-05
Resolutions 4-05 through 6-05
Resolutions 7-05 through 10-05
Resolutions 11-05 through 13-05
Resolutions 14-05 through 17-05
Resolutions 18-05 through 21-05
Resolutions 22-05 through 23-05
Resolutions 24-05 through 27-05
Resolutions 28-05 through 29-05
Resolutions 30-05 through 32-05
Resolutions 33-05 through 35-05
Resolutions 36-05 through 38-05
Resolutions 39-05 through 41-05
Resolutions 42-05 through 43-05
Resolutions 44-05 through 45-05

RESOLUTION 11-05

WHEREAS, new technological improvement in products in the field of Blindness Rehabilitation appear almost daily, AND 

WHEREAS, currently, there is no standardized method for BREWS to systematically evaluate, test and review emerging technology, AND

WHEREAS, it is likely that some of these technological innovations will offer benefit to some portion of the blinded veteran population, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED, that the Blinded Veterans Association in Convention Assembled in Miami Beach, Florida this 20^th day of August, 2005 strongly urge the Veterans Health Administration and Congress to do the following:

Instruct BRS to formulate and implement an organized method of researching and testing new technological innovations in the field of Blindness Rehabilitation using actual blinded veterans as part of the test for the viability of training and issuance of the new devices to blinded veterans.  The testing procedure should include review of usage of new technology by agencies and organizations dealing with sight loss outside the Department of Veterans Affairs, AND FURTHER BE IT 

RESOLVED, the VHA explore Partnering with the American Foundation For The Blind (AFB) Technology Center in Huntington West Virginia to achieve the goals outlined in this resolution.  

RESOLUTION 12-05

WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees the right of access to information to persons with disabilities; AND

WHEREAS, many signalized intersections provide information to pedestrians with sight which is not provided to pedestrians with visual impairments, AND

WHEREAS, it has been demonstrated (Crandall, W. Bentzen, B.L., and Myers, L., 1998) that competent, independent, blind pedestrians at unfamiliar signalized intersections may initiate as many or more than 34% of crossings during the clearance of DON'T WALK intervals if those intersections are not equipped with accessible pedestrian signals, AND

WHEREAS, accessible pedestrian signals have been widely used for more than ten years in countries including Australia, Japan, Sweden and the United Kingdom and are considered by traffic engineers to be widely effective not only in providing information to blind pedestrians but also in decreasing general pedestrian delay and facilitating vehicular flow at signalized intersections, AND

WHEREAS, increasing numbers of quiet vehicles, including electric vehicles and those with quiet internal combustion engines, make acoustic information from vehicles inconsistent, resulting in the inability of pedestrians who are blind to reliably detect the onset of the WALK interval by listening for a surge of vehicles, AND

WHEREAS, inexpensive technologies exist to make Accessible Pedestrian Signals which are automatically responsive to ambient sound, being very quiet at night and in low traffic situations, while still loud enough to be heard above vehicular sound in high traffic situations; AND

WHEREAS, accessible vibrotactile and speech transmission signal systems exist which add no noise to the environment, AND

WHEREAS, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century provides that "Transportation plans and projects ... shall include the installation, where appropriate, and maintenance of audible traffic signals and audible signs at street crossings"; NOW THEREFORE BE IT 

RESOLVED, that the Blinded Veterans Association, in convention assembled in Miami Beach, Florida on this 20th day of August, 2005, urges the U.S. Federal Highway Administration to develop recommended practices for installation of pedestrian signals which make information which is regularly provided to other pedestrians, accessible to pedestrians who are visually impaired, including but not limited to: information specifying WALK and DON'T WALK intervals; information indicating the presence and location of push-buttons; and information unambiguously indicating the street to which the signal applies.

RESOLUTION 13-05

WHEREAS, the loss of hearing in combination with loss of eyesight is very disabling and negatively effects the quality of life of veterans suffering from this combination of disabilities, AND

WHEREAS, current law enables veterans with service-connected loss of vision in one eye to obtain service-connection for both eyes if loss of vision in the other eye should occur, THEREFORE BE IT 

RESOLVED, that the Blinded Veterans Association, in convention assembled in Miami Beach, Florida on this 20th day of August, 2005, urge Congress to amend Title 38 providing the loss of hearing in one or more ears be ruled service-connected if a veteran has service-connected blindness.

Resolutions 14-05 through 17-05 >