Thank you!
Lillian

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Candela" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 9:36 AM
Subject: Re: Visually Impaired And Disabled Tags In Georgia


> Dear Listers,
>
> Not to rain on the Georgia parade (kudos for activism and advocacy), but
> I hope we can end this thread now.  It is a bit outside the bounds for
> this particular list (computer users...).
>
> Thanks.
>
> Tony
>
>
>
> Anthony R. Candela
> National Program Associate
> American Foundation for the Blind
> 44 Montgomery Street, Suite 1305
> San Francisco, CA 94104
> (415) 392-4845=20
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: VICUG-L: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mary Blanton
> Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 5:56 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Visually Impaired And Disabled Tags In Georgia
>
>
> Well, sometimes it DOES pay to have a "big mouth", the willingness to
> use it and to know the "right people".  It seems that in the 1999
> Session of the Georgia Legislature redid the procedures to obtain a
> Disabled tag.  (Until then, all it required was a letter from the
> doctor, in-state or out-of-state, treating the disability.)  A form had
> to be filled out by the owner(s) of the vehicle.  Then the treating
> doctor, who HAD to be licensed in GA had to check a box that
> appropriately covered the disability, sign it and GET IT NOTARIZED!!!
> That form then had to be presented at the Tag Office.  Oh and the
> Visually Impaired was NOT on the form.  (it took a while but I FINALLY
> got my in-state eye doctor to check a somewhat ambiguous line.  He had
> to keep the forms because the Notary Public was in his other office.  So
> he was out the postage for this STUPID new piece of red tape/)
>
> I did not find out about this until late last year.  (We have not bought
> a vehicle since 1999.  However, every 10 years, GA changes its tags and
> EVERYONE has to get new ones.)  I got the forms for our 2 vehicles and I
> immediately got ticked off.  (Because of my Bilateral Coloboma, cataract
> in my right eye and Nystagmus, I am VERY light sensitive.  I also know
> alot of other conditions that can result in a person being light
> sedative or night blind.)  I called my State House of Representatives
> person.  She got back with me the NEXT day.  I faxed her a copy of the
> form and she took it from there.
>
> She thought that having the Hearing Impaired but NOT the Visually
> Impaired listed was absurd.  (Heck, even her teen aged kids thought the
> same thing!!!)  BEFORE the 2004 Session even started, she had already
> lined up a co-signer and had the bill ready to go into "the hopper" on
> the first day.  (All but 2 HR reps voted in favor of the addition of the
> Visually Impaired.)  It took most of the rest of the Session for the
> State Senate to read it and vote in favor of it.
>
> I got home tonight to find a message from my Rep.. (Jan Jones for anyone
> in GA that wants to thank her.)  Friday morning at 11:00 I am invited to
> be present in Gov. Perdue's office to witness him sign the Mary Blanton
> Bill into law.   I am pretty excited about this.  (Oh, "my" bill caused
> a couple of others to be drafted for some other deserving groups.)
>
> Just HAD to share this one.
>
> MaryB.
>
>
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
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>
>
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> To join or leave the list, send a message to
> [log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
> "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
>  VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>
>


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html