If you watch one #NoKIngsDay video, go for Lawrence O'donell.
A new channel, all President #StableGenius all the time, but clear, sincere, not ranty.
Posted without further comment
A bunch of stuff about the SAVE act...AND the 16th Amendment. MUST learn more.
Neighbor, Thank you for taking the time to complete our recent town hall survey and for expressing interest in participating in the upcoming deliberative town hall hosted by Rep. Smith and Civic Genius. . Rep. Smith will continue to hold events in our district to hear from constituents and we look forward to hearing from you on any issue. Please don't hesitate to reach out here any time. |
Sincerely,
Adam Smith |
P.S. What did you think of this email update?
RantWoman comments: 1. THANK YOU so much for asking people's opinions and for having great forms that work well for RantWoman and her screen reader. 2. The email RantWoman received said Sunday August 3 in the text but the link above takes people to a blurb and to the correct date MONDAY AUGUST 4 3. RantWoman STRONGLY endorses online town halls, not only to save herself travel burden but also because it cuts down on ways for disagreements to exceed all constraints of decorum. (Looking at you, any Republican who can't find ways to meet with constituents. Thank you for your attention. RantWoman. |
The Washington Council of the Blind (WCB) on behalf of its member, fully supports the following statement from the Washington State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind:
The Washington State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind (SRCB) is an advisory group of volunteers, appointed by the Governor, who provide counsel and guidance to Department of the Services for the Blind (DSB). The committee reviews, evaluates, and recommends plans, policies, and activities to ensure that blind or visually disabled people in our state receive the most effective and efficient rehabilitation services possible.
We are sending you this letter regarding our concerns about the effect of the current Vocational Rehab (VR) funding cuts and how those cuts will affect Washington state residents who are served and supported by the DSB.
While the proposal includes $4.5 billion in mandatory funding for the Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants Program, the proposal also includes a Change in Mandatory Program (CHIMP) to reduce the post-sequester funding to $3.7 billion, aligning it with the FY 2024 enacted level. This would result in a significant cut to vocational rehabilitation grant programs.
Washington state will not have adequate state resources to make up for any lost federal funds. Our analysis of the impacts of this funding reduction is that we will have to place some or all applicants for vocational rehabilitation services on a waitlist to avoid overspending the budget.
In addition, the Department of Education budget proposal provides no funding for the following programs in FY 2026, and indicates that these services can be funded out of the already reduced Vocational Rehabilitation grant:
• Client Assistance State Grants
• Supported Employment State Grants
• Training Program
• Demonstration and Training Programs
• Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights Program
Because of the proposed budget cuts, the DSB will need to implement a waitlist. This is a devastating decrease in support and services especially since applications to DSB for services have increased by 20% in the past year.
Having to wait for Vocational Rehab services can truly be detrimental to those who are ready for training. The programs listed above as being affected by funding cuts are truly essential to someone who needs a complete rehabilitation experience.
The bottom line is that these programs need to be fully funded. Blind and low-vision residents of Washington state deserve these services to continue to be independent, fully functioning employed citizens.
Respectfully,
Andy Arvidson SRCB Chair and Washington Council of the Blind President
Above is the gentle version. Please allow RantWoman to weigh in.
1. Need for Rehabilitation services is BIPARTISAN.and the big supposedly wonderful bill passed very narrowly but Congress still has to finalize the FY 2026 budget. So Congressional representatives need to hear from the public NOW. It might or might not make a difference, but speaking up still matters. Speaking up any way one can matters especially for representatives who are avoiding town meetings and creating lots of burdens in order to contact them electronically.
2. Full disclosure: RantWoman definitely benefited from vocational rehabilitation services decades ago when midlife DNA lotto hit. RantWoman can tell from others accounts of their rehabilitation experience, that vocational rehabilitation services make enormouse contributions to blind people's ability to thrive in the US economy and to help others thrive.
Enough said?
Vote at a King County voting center or get your ballot turned in by 8 pm today. Mail it in time to have it postmarked today if you go the mail route.
Here are some topical RantWoman comments, slightly adapted from suggestions to a pretty new voter.
RantMom now lives in unincorporated King County and therefore does not get to vote on Seattle levies. RantMom would say ALWAYS vote for the school levy.
Quaker Voice Legislative Fellowship
The Quaker Voice Legislative Fellowship Program encourages the active engagement of fellowship holders in the state legislative process through mentorship, skill development, and partnering with legislative advocates in their work. Participants do not need to be Quakers.
The program provides a $500 stipend. Applications are due November 15, with decisions by November 20.
Quaker Voice Legislative Fellows are young adults ages 16-35 who live or study in the state of Washington. Each Fellow joins a group working to support action in the state legislature on issues in environment, police and prisons, healthcare, affordable housing, and other justice concerns. Within the scope of the working group, the Fellow develops background materials and tracks legislation, in partnership with an experienced Quaker Voice citizen advocate. Each fellow has an opportunity to see in depth how a lobbyist works by shadowing Paul Benz, our Senior Legislative Advocate, for a day. Travel costs to Olympia for Quaker Lobby Day and the shadow day are covered by the program.
For more information about what to expect of this opportunity and how to apply check out 2024-25 Legislative Fellowship Program — Quaker Voice
RantWoman comments: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A QUAKER to participate. There will be some modest Quaker practice such as moments of silence at the beginning and end of meetings and a bit of jargon, but it is a HUGE opportunity to learn details of the legislative process with very experienced and focused advocates.
With less than a week to go before election day, a couple important notes:
TRANSPORTATION
TO A VOTING CENTER
BREAKING NEWS!!!
Thanks to
Common Cause, a non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to
pro-democracy reforms, the Washington Council of the Blind has been given a
grant to help ALL blind and low-vision voters in Washington state who need to
travel to a voting center.
You read
that correctly. ALL blind and low-vision voters in Washington state will be
eligible to apply for a travel voucher or travel reimbursement if they need to
pay for transportation to a voting center.
If you need
to take a taxi to a voting center-you can get reimbursed.
If you need
to pay a friend gas money to get to a voting center – you can get reimbursed. If
the friend who used to drive you around can no longer drive because of vision
issues, both of you now qualify for help.
If you need
to take a Lyft to a voting center – you can get a Lyft voucher or be
reimbursed. Sorry, Uber is not participating in this program.
The
Washington Council of the Blind (WCB) is proud to be the recipient of this
grant to help voters in the Blind Community this election cycle. This is the
first of this kind of program in Washington state. The Government Affairs
committee along with the WCB treasurer are tasked to administer and track the
distribution of these funds.
There are three
options to access this program.
1.
You
can email wcb.voting.issues@gmail.com
2.
You
can call the Buzzline: 800-255-1147
3.
You
can use the contact form on the WCB website.
Email wcb.voting.issues@gmail.com or Call
800-255-1147
We need your
name, address, phone number. Please indicate whether you need to be reimbursed
or need a Lyft voucher. Please leave a good date/time to be contacted. You will
be contacted by a member of the Government Affairs committee. All
reimbursements will require a receipt proving your trip.
RantWoman
will post detailed information for accessing a form through https://wcbinfo.org at the bottom of this post.
RantWoman apologizes for all the steps needed to use the web form but it does
work.
WCB is
honored to be able to offer this program to all blind and low-vision voters who
need to go to a voting center to use an Accessible Voting Unit, to register to
vote or to just get help with your ballot.
As part of
the guidelines for this grant, we need to find ways to spread the word to the
Blind Community. That’s where you come in. Share this info everywhere. Call
your friends and let them know about this program. Print off this post to hand
out to others.
Please
everyone: #EveryVoteMatters
Website
Contact Form Option: https://wcbinfo.org/wcb-contact-form/
How to use
the webform:
1.
Click
the link above or enter it into a web browser. Note: if you having trouble
using a mobile device when accessing the webform, ask your device to request
the desktop site.
2.
You
should land on the page labeled WCB Contact Form. On this page enter your first
name, last name, phone number, email address (email needs to be entered twice),
choose your preferred contact method and choose Yes or No when asked if you are
a WCB member. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER TO USE THIS PROGRAM. All of the
above information is for tracking usage of the program only. We do not share or
sell your data. All questions on this page must be answered prior to going to
the next page. Click NEXT.
3.
The
next page is entitled Define Contact Type and Area. There are three
questions: Contact type: REQUEST. Who would you like to contact? COMMITTEE.
Select a committee to contact: GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS. Click NEXT
4.
The
Final page is entitled 2024 VOTING TRANSPORTATION OPPORTUNITY. The first and
only radio button choice is YES. The next choice gives you the option to choose
Lyft Voucher or Reimbursement. If you choose reimbursement, another box will
open. That is your opportunity to upload a jpg, gif, png, pdf, doc or docx copy
of your receipt. You must upload your receipt when prompted or you will not be
able to submit your form. After uploading your file, click SUBMIT. The info
will go to the Government Affairs Committee for further outreach.
