[glcb] GDUI March, 2012 Affiliate Leaders Meeting Summary

Tue Mar 27 14:45:29 EDT 2012

Joey, thank you so much for this info.  I had thought I was on the GDUKY 
list, but apparently not.  Have just taken care of that lack, thanks to you. 
Also want to take this chance to tel you how much I appreciate all the 
valuable information you share with these lists.  Take care.
Pam
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joey Couch" <ki4vjd at gmail.com>
To: <kentucky-acb at acb.org>; <nkcb at acb.org>; <glcb at acb.org>; 
<kentucky-acb-announce at acb.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 2:37 PM
Subject: [glcb] GDUI March, 2012 Affiliate Leaders Meeting Summary

I thought I wood pass this on to those of you who are not on the gduky list.
To subscribe to the gduky list send a blank email to
gduky-subscribe at yahoogroups.com and reply to the messege you will get
and you should be on board.
 From: Debra Lewis <debbiel09 at insightbb.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:11:26 -0400
Subject: [gduky] Fw: GDUI March, 2012 Affiliate Leaders Meeting Summary

----- Original Message -----
From: Debbie Grubb
To: Debbie Grubb
Sent: Friday, March 23, 2012 1:49 PM
Subject: GDUI March, 2012 Affiliate Leaders Meeting Summary

GDUI Affiliate Leaders’ Meeting Summary

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Participating Affiliates

Guide Dog users of Arizona
Guide Dog Users of California
Guide Dog users of Florida
Georgia Guide Dog users
Guide Dog Users of Kentucky
Pine Tree Guide Dog Users (Maine)
Maryland Area Guide Dog users
Guide Dog Users of New York
Buckeye State Guide Dog Users (Ohio
Guide Dog users of Oregon
Guide Dog Users of Washington State

The GDUI Affiliates met on Thursday, march 15 via teleconference at
11:00 AM and 9:00 PM Eastern Time.

Debbie Grubb, GDUI Affiliate Liaison updated the affiliate leaders
about the special meeting for Affiliate leaders and members to be held
on Sunday afternoon during the GDUI Convention in Louisville, KY.  She
explained that this meeting is open to everyone and she urged
affiliates to insure that everyone coming to convention from their
affiliates knows about the meeting and is encouraged to attend.  The
meeting program will include a multitude of areas that will be
presented by experts.  The program topics are best practices in
utilizing teleconferencing, techniques to bring presenters to
in-person meetings via telephone, membership retention and outreach,
providing meaningful programming, finding and utilizing volunteers and
fund raising.  Affiliate leaders were encouraged to suggest potential
ppanelists for this meeting by contacting Debbie Grubb whose e-mail
address and telephone number will be placed at the end of this meeting
summary.

Lynn Duplessis, Chair of the GDUI Nominating Committee outlined the
process by which individuals may apply for all of the two-year term
officer positions and the three-year director positions.  She
explained that the criteria for the positions and their job
descriptions as well as the candidate application are located on the
GDUI website.  The deadline for submitting candidate applications is
April 1.  The candidate information will then be made available on the
GDUI website, through the mail in hard copy and in audio format via
telephone.  The Candidates Forums will take place via teleconference
on May 16 and May 19.  Specific times will be publicized.  The
telephonic elections will take place from May 27 through June 3.
Please urge your members to contact Jane Sheehan if they do not know
their unique GDUI identification number and motivate them to pick up
the telephone and cast their telephonic vote.  If anyone would like to
speak with Lynn regarding any aspect of this process, please contact
Jane Sheehan for Lynn’s e-mail address or phone number.

Both Debbie Grubb and Lynn Duplessis explained the great need in GDUI
for leaders to step forward as together we bring GDUI into the 21st
century as a top drawer nonprophet that continues to guard and
advocate for what we have won and seeks to find significant and
innovative ways to serve today’s guide dog users.

Treasurer, Jane Sheehan, reported that GDUI now has 565 members,
(including 291 Affiliate members), giving us 23 affiliate votes during
the 2012 ACB Convention.

Laurie Mehta, Chair of the GDUI Legislative Committee, reported on the
Committee’s recent work.  What follows is a written version of this
report prepared by Laurie for this Meeting Summary.

Hi GDUI Affiliate leaders,
Thank you for all that you do for all of us guide dog handlers.

I appreciated the opportunity to update you on the activities of your
Legislative Committee at the March 15 meetings.

Here is a brief recap of the points I discussed. I hope that you will
share this with your affiliate members.

1. As I have previously reported to you, GDUI is now an active
participant in the US Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation
Security Administration Disability Coalition.
Our efforts in this regard led directly to the TSA’s mid-2011
publication of guidance for all airports which states that there is no
security impediment to constructing service dog relief areas within
the sterile zone of airports and there is no security impediment to
establishing procedures that would allow badged personnel to escort a
service dog handler outside in a restricted area for the purpose of
offering relief to that individual’s service dog.
This TSA guidance led to the US Department of Transportation beginning
the process of rule-making to require service dog relief areas at all
airport terminals—including provisions for the relief of service dogs
within the sterile zone of each terminal.
We now await the rule publication following the comment period that
closed on November 30, 2011. Thanks to the nearly 400 guide dog
handlers who submitted comment on this important topic!

2. We have established some contacts within the US Department of
Transportation and were able to arrange a face to face meeting between
DOT officials and two of our committee members in DC in February.
Debbie Grubb and Jenine Stanley met with three DOT officials and they
had a very positive discussion. Twow important matters that were
brought to DOT for their action were: appropriate meet and assist
services, and the safeguarding of reasonable accommodation seating in
airline coach seating in spite of the advent of economy plus seating
charges.
DOT was unaware that disabled passengers had been experiencing
inadequate or inappropriate meet and assist procedures and they
offered assurance that they would be working to remedy the problem.

They emphasized the importance of travelers filing formal complaints
whenever a problem does occur.

The issue of airlines selling the coach seats that actually represent
reasonable accommodation at a higher price than regular coach prices
is now a concern that is recognized by DOT and they plan to open
rule-making action to address this.

3. The TSA is encouraging use of their TSA Cares program and their
PreCheck program. Information about TSA Cares is available on gdui.org
and information about the PreCheck program will be shared with you as
details become available.
TSA says that they are taking steps to improve the training of their
officers and they encourage travelers with disabilities to let them
know of problems that they may be experiencing, including specific
details of place and time. It is important that complaints are filed
as soon as possible after a problem occurs.

4. There may be enhancements to the screening process for service dog
handlers (anyone traveling with any type of animal) and we will share
this information as soon as the details are released.

5. Our committee is attempting to work with the US Department of
Education through one of our members, Rebecca Floyd. She is in contact
with this department seeking to gain their action in clarifying to all
school jurisdictions nationwide that the ADA must be complied
with—including that guide dog handlers’ rights must be protected in
all US schools. We will share any information on the progress of this
work as it becomes available.

6. Please be sure to encourage guide dog handlers to file complaints
with the appropriate agency as soon after a problem occurs as is
possible. These agencies need numbers of complaints to justify action
or changes to the rules. Here is information on filing complaints or
submitting feedback regarding air travel related issues:

Travelers with disabilities may alert TSA of any problems had with
airport screening by sending an e-mail to:

TSA.ODPO at tsa.dhs.gov

Formal (specific) complaints may be filed with the US Department of
Transportation via the form found at:

http://www.airconsumer.dot.gov

In either case (DOT or TSA) if there is a problem with reporting a
complaint, or if there is no response, please feel free to share the
specific information with me so that I can forward it directly to our
contact in either department. This is the procedure that they have
requested.

Thank you,
- Laurie Mehta, GDUI Legislative Committee Chairperson
- lauriemehta at yahoo.com

The next meeting of the GDUI affiliate leaders will take place via
teleconference on Thursday, May 17 at 11:00 AM and 9:00 PM Eastern
Time.  Please call (712) 432-0800.  The access code is 1054127.

If you don’t see your affiliate listed among those that participated
in this meeting, please insure that your affiliate is represented in
our next meeting.  Remember that presidents are encouraged to delegate
someone to represent the affiliate if they are unable to join the
meeting.  Remember too, that affiliates are invited to participate in
one or both of the meetings.  GDUI needs all of our affiliates to
participate in these meetings and to join in the ongoing work of this
organization.

Respectfully submitted,

Debbie Grubb, GDUI Affiliate Liaison

(941) 749-6178

debbiecg at verizon.net

Joey Couch
phone 606-216-8033.
email ki4vjd at gmail.com
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