Yes, Virginia, Chapters Can Pass Resolutions
by Daniel Garcia
From the Editor: Chapters are the local organizational units of the National Federation of the Blind, and they act not merely as social clubs, but as a means for blind people to engage in collective action on the local level. They can do the same things that affiliate conventions and the national convention can do, including passing resolutions, as long as their activities are in line with the national constitution and do not conflict with affiliate or national policy. In this short article, Daniel Garcia, president of the Kansas City Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, explains how his chapter and a neighboring one engaged in advocacy on local transportation issues with which we can all identify through the passage of a resolution. Here is what he has to say:
In 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Sun newspaper asking a most profoundly important question: “Is there a Santa Claus?” The answer she received was an unequivocal: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” In the same way that many people are unaware of the true existence of Santa Claus, many Federationists may not realize that passing resolutions is not the exclusive purview of national and state conventions. Chapters can (and should) pass resolutions. The Kansas City and Ivanhoe Chapters recently did.
The December 2022 issue of the Blind Missourian featured an article I wrote about how the Kansas City Chapter promoted the goals of Blind Equality Achievement Month. In that article, I explained that I had contacted the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) about the inaccessibility of the application for the complementary paratransit service. I then received a call from Lewis Lowry, Chief Transportation Officer for the KCATA, and he agreed that the KCATA and the NFB would work to resolve this issue. This conversation led to Mr. Lowry attending our November 12 chapter meeting. In January and February 2023, we attempted to contact the KCATA to continue our conversation about issues of concern to blind Kansas City passengers. Our efforts were unsuccessful, so during the March 18 chapter meeting, we passed a resolution calling on the KCATA to meet with representatives of the NFB of Missouri, Kansas City Chapter. The Ivanhoe Chapter passed a similar resolution during its March 25 meeting. The text of the resolution passed by the Kansas City Chapter is below.
As I was writing the draft resolution in February, I was reviewing some old Kansas City Chapter records that have been given to me to sort and upload to our affiliate archive. I was humbled by the realization that what we were about to do on March 18 was nothing novel. The Kansas City Chapter has passed resolutions before. It gives me great satisfaction to know that our chapter is continuing a proud tradition of strong advocacy in Kansas City.
A Resolution Regarding Improving Public Transportation for Kansas City Passengers
WHEREAS the National Federation of the Blind is the oldest and largest nationwide organization defending the rights of blind Americans; and
WHEREAS the Kansas City Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri is one of two chapters in Kansas City, Missouri that advocates for the rights of blind Kansas Citians; and
WHEREAS the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is a bi-state agency responsible for providing public transportation in the Kansas City area; and
WHEREAS blind Kansas Citians have experienced various problems with public transportations recently including: the inaccessibility of the application for the RideKC Freedom complementary paratransit service, paratransit trips being canceled without the passengers’ consent, paratransit passengers being picked up after the agreed upon time window to initiate the trip, RideKC Freedom on-demand trips not being honored, shortage of fixed-route bus drivers causing passengers to have to wait for the next regularly scheduled bus, and fixed-route buses not announcing the bus number and route at the bus stop; and
WHEREAS over the past few months the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, Kansas City Chapter has repeatedly tried to secure a meeting with Kansas City Area Transportation officials to address these issues and share ideas about how to improve transportation for blind Kansas Citians; and
WHEREAS our efforts have so far been unsuccessful: Now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, Kansas City Chapter, assembled this 18th day of March, 2023, that we urge Kansas City Area Transportation Authority officials to meet with representatives of the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, Kansas City Chapter, and reengage the Rider Advisory Board; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon members of the city council and Mayor Quinton Lucas to renew the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, Kansas City Chapter will continue to advocate for improved transportation services in the Kansas City Area by various means such as contacting our elected officials, engaging in public relations to bring media attention, and partnering with other like-minded organizations representing people with disabilities and passengers.