2012 Legislative Seminar Agenda

Sunday, February 26, 2012
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

2:00 - 2:30 p.m. Opening remarks and introduction of attendees
Mitch Pomerantz, President, American Council of the Blind (ACB)

2:30 - 3:00 p.m. ACB/Google Survey to Find Computer Usage and Assistive Technology Patterns Among Blind and Visually Impaired People
Pratik Patel, Chair, Information Access Committee, ACB

3:00 – 3:30 Update on Treaty for the Visually Impaired at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Michele Woods, Associate Register for Policy and International Affairs, United States Copyright Office
3:30 – 3:45 p.m. Break

3:45 – 4:30 p.m. Looking at the Future of Special Education Policy
Mark Richert, Director, Public Policy, American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)

4:30 - 5:00 p.m. ACB’s Legal Advocacy Efforts
Melanie Brunson, Executive Director, ACB

Monday, February 27, 2012
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

9:00 - 9:30 a.m. The How To’s in Having an Effective Meeting with Your Member of Congress Eric Bridges, Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, ACB

9:30 - 10:15 a.m. Legislative Imperative I: The Need for Reliable and Independent Access to Information Contained on Prescription Drug Labels
Sara Schaumburg, Health Legislative Assistant, Office of U.S. Representative Ed Markey (D-MA)

10:15 - 10:30 a.m. Break

10:30 - 11:15 a.m. Legislative Imperative II: The Detrimental Impact That IRS Regulations Have Had on Charities Through Their Vehicle Donation Programs
Steven C. Schwadron, Sankofa Consulting Strategies

11:15 - Noon Implementation of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act
Karen Peltz Strauss, Deputy Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Luncheon Speaker
Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy, The White House (Invited)

1:30 - 2:15 p.m. The Air Carrier Access Act and What it Means for Blind Travelers
Blane Workie, Deputy Assistant General Counsel, Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

2:15 – 2:30 Break

2:30 - 3:15 p.m. What You Need to Know About Going Through Airport Security
Jeremy Buzzell, Senior Policy Advisor - Office of Disability Policy and Outreach, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security

3:15 - 4:00 p.m. Logistics and Wrap Up
Eric Bridges, Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, ACB; Melanie Brunson, Executive Director, ACB