American Council of the Blind
2015 Legislative Seminar
Agenda
Monday, February 23, 2015
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
9:00 – 9:45 a.m. Introductions and Teeing Up the Day’s
Events
Kim Charlson, President, American Council of the Blind
(ACB)
Eric Bridges, Director of External Relations and Policy,
ACB
9:45 – 10:45 a.m. Legislative Imperatives I and II:
Imperative I: H.R. 729, Medicare Demonstration of
Coverage for Low Vision Devices Act of 2015
Imperative II: The Reintroduction of the Alice Cogswell
and Anne Sullivan Macy Act
Eric Bridges, Director of External Relations and Policy,
ACB
Mark Richert, Director of Public Policy, American
Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
10:45 – 11:00 a.m. Break
11:00 – 11:30 a.m. Imperative III: What the Marrakesh
Treaty for the Blind is and the need for the U.S. Senate
to Ratify It
Melanie Brunson, Executive Director, ACB
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. What’s New in the Land of
Video Description and Accessible Emergency Alerts
Compliance
Karen Peltz Strauss, Deputy Chief, Consumer and
Governmental Affairs Bureau, Federal Communications
Commission (FCC)
12:00 – 1:15 p.m. Luncheon
Speaker: David Capozzi, Executive Director, U.S.
Access Board
1:15 – 2:00 p.m. The Good, the Grief, and the
Regulatory Agenda for 2015 at the U.S. Department of
Transportation
Livaughn Chapman (Chief, Aviation Civil Rights
Compliance Branch) U.S. Department of Transportation
Anne Hammond (team lead) U.S. Department of
Transportation
2:00 – 2:15 p.m. Break
2:15 – 2:45 p.m. The Do’s and Don’ts of Meeting with
Members of Congress and Their Staff
Emily Shetty, Governmental Affairs, Stanton Park Group
2:45 – 3:15 p.m. The Universe of Policy Issues that
Employers of People Who are Blind are Working on
Kevin Lynch, President and CEO, National Industries for
the Blind (NIB)
Tony Stephens, Public Policy and Advocacy Manager,
National Industries for the Blind
3:15 – 4:00 p.m. Logistics for Hill Visits and Wrap-Up
Melanie Brunson, Executive Director, ACB
Eric Bridges, Director of External Relations and Policy,
ACB
4:00 – 4:30 p.m. OPTIONAL: Getting Your Questions or
Comments Answered in an Informal Setting
Eric Bridges, Director of External Relations and Policy,
ACB