Concerning Fiscal budget for Division of Blind Services 

WHEREAS, The Division of Blind Services (DBS) provides valued services to blind and visually impaired consumers from throughout Florida which include not only vocational training and equipment for those seeking jobs, but special programs such as help for seniors who are newly blind and the Blind Babies program, a program unique to Florida which provides early intervention to blind infants; and  

WHEREAS The Division of Blind Services also contains the Florida Braille and Talking Book Library, which is the largest library of its kind in the world and provides reading material on loan for blind, visually impaired and print-disabled people from throughout Florida; and  

WHEREAS, National Federation of the Blind of Florida�s Newsline� program, which provides free over-the-phone and computer access to blind, visually impaired and print-disabled subscribers from throughout Florida to over 300 newspapers (14 of which are Florida newspapers), a large variety of special-interest magazines, up-to-date television listings, and the latest job listings, is funded by a generous grant from the Division of Blind Services; and  

WHEREAS, the Florida senate and the governor�s version of the proposed budget for the 2011-20112 fiscal year for the Division of Blind Services proposed no decrease; however, a decrease of $800,000 was proposed by the Florida House of Representatives, which would have severely reduced or perhaps eliminated the special programs offered by DBS: Now, therefore,       

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Florida in Convention assembled this thirtieth day of May, 2011, in the City of St. Petersburg, Florida, that the National Federation of the Blind of Florida thanks the Florida legislature who agreed to support the budget as proposed by the Florida senate and the office of the governor of Florida that maintains the budget at its current level with no decreases; and      

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The National Federation of the Blind thanks those agencies and organizations that worked through the legislature to support the present budget of the Division of Blind Services; and        

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the Blind of Florida thanks the Florida Division of Blind Services for its past and continuing support of NFBF Newsline� with particular thanks to the Director of the Florida Division of Blind Services Ms. Joyce Hildreth for pledging her on-going support of our Newsline� program.; and        

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The National Federation of the Blind of Florida will continue to pledge our support to the Division of Blind Services by encouraging the legislature to maintain or increase if necessary the budget of the Division of Blind Services in the future.