SeroSpectives: the Connected Community Perspective!

Strategies and Resources for Effective Advocacy

    In this edition of SeroSpectives, our focus is effective advocacy. We cover advocating for travel and transportation, ATM and banking, effective letter writing and email campaigns, social networking, contacting elected officials and making presentations.

    Three Advocacy specialists

    Based in Toronto Ontario Canada, David Lepofsky is the chair of the

  1. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, the non-partisan volunteer disability coalition campaigning for a barrier-free Ontario.
  2. Learn more about their campaign to make Ontario elections fully accessible
  3. Email David Lepofsky with questions an concerns, an to ask to receive updates via email
  4. Follow David Lepofsky on Twitter
  5. Follow Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance on Twitter
  6. Like their Facebook page, "Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance".

  7. Kelly Pierce, works as an advocate for victims of crime with disabilities at the prosecutor’s office in Chicago. He has been active in helping people get adaptive technology at their college, obtain free talking cell phones and free cell phone screen readers, training and equipment from rehabilitation agencies, high quality audio interfaces for transit bus stop calling systems, voting machines and meaningful and useful ATM access at large banks and forming assistive technology teams for acquiring technology.

  8. Lainey Feingold
  9. Law Office of Lainey Feingold - Disability Rights Legal Advocacy Lainey Feingold graduated law school in 1981 and has been a disability rights lawyer since 1992. Between 1981 and 1992 Lainey represented labor unions, and then represented employees in race and gender discrimination suits. From 1992 - 1996 she was Litigation Director at the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF). In October 1996 she opened the Law Office of Lainey Feingold. Lainey represents persons with disabilities under federal and state law, primarily in matters seeking class-wide relief. Her principle work is with the blind and visually impaired community on technology and information access issues. Along with co-counsel, she has developed
  10. Structured Negotiations an alternative to litigation emphasizing collaboration and focusing on solution. Using this method, she has negotiated more than
  11. 35 settlement agreements without filing a single lawsuit with some of the largest institutions in the United States, including American Express, Bank of America, Wal-Mart, Major League Baseball, and Wells Fargo Bank. Lainey has long represented the blind community nationally in efforts to obtain
  12. Talking ATMs accessible websites, tactile point of sale devices,
  13. accessible audible pedestrian signals and alternative formats including Braille, audio and large print. She has also resolved numerous other cases on behalf of persons with disabilities, including national class actions against Shell and Chevron resulting in ADA implementation at over 5,000 service stations across the country.

  14. Listen to Original Discussion with Kelly Pierce, David Lepofsky and Brian Charlson in 2010

    Current Advocacy News as of October 2011

  15. Comment on Access to Airport Kiosks, Web Site Access and more at www.RegulationRoom.org: Portal for commenting on Proposed Regulations
  16. Court Rules in Favor of JetBlue – Airline Websites and Kiosks Not Covered by State Law
  17. Accessibility issues while banking? Claims Accepted in Wells Fargo Settlement
  18. Fair Housing Report Highlights HUD’s Efforts to End Housing Discrimination
  19. Public Health Emergency Preparedness for Special Needs Populations: A Toolkit for State and Local Planning
  20. FCC Reinstates Rules Requiring Video Description for Television Programming, with Full Compliance Required by July 2012
  21. Video, SMS support coming soon to emergency ’911' services
  22. Ford asks people to choose 1 of 4 sounds hybrids make to warn pedestrians the vehicle is near
  23. NFB Resolution 2011-03 the Lack of Accessibility Requirements in Apple Products
  24. Student E-rent Pilot Project
  25. Possible Cuts to SSI Checks for Children with Disabilities

    SeroSpectives Is Made Possible Through Technology from Serotek Corporation

  26. Visit the SeroTalk.com Blog and Podcast for the Latest Access Technology Information
  27. Email Resources@SeroTalk.com Your Comments, Suggestions, and Ideas for Future Tech Chats and Podcast Segments
  28. Download iBlink Radio, Free App for the iPhone, with Radio Stations and Podcasts Created by the blind, Radio Information Service and audio Tutorials!
  29. DocuScan Plus Afordable and Powerful OCR Solution
  30. Serotek Corporation - System Access Screen reader, SAMNet, docuScan Plus, Remote Incident Manager, iBlink for the iPhone, and Accessible Event
  31. Try a Free Fully Functional Seven Day Trial of System Access and SAMNet Today by going to www.satogo.com
  32. AccessibleEvent Makes Meetings and Webinars Accessible to the blind, Deaf, and Deaf-Blind

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