AB 410 Empowers the Blind and Visually Impaired to Participate in the Adoption of State Regulations
Sacramento, CA - Assemblymember Sandré R. Swanson (D-Alameda) is proud to announce that Governor Brown signed the Equal Access to Public Information for the Blind Act today – a bill that was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger last year. AB 410 gives the state practical guidance on how to translate its regulatory proposals to make them understandable to the blind.
"Blind and visually impaired people have a right to the same information that state agencies are required to provide to the rest of the public," explained Swanson. "AB 410 codifies fundamental democratic principles of equal access by requiring state agencies to provide regulations in a format that is accessible to the blind and visually impaired."
Swanson decided to introduce the first version of the bill last year after learning that blind people are being excluded from the regulatory process because the text format used by state agencies is unreadable by adaptive reading software. Adaptive reading software - the software used by blind people to narrate text – can't distinguish between normal text and strikeout or italicized text.
"Because the state uses stylized text in regulatory proposals, a blind person listening to a transcript of a proposed regulation is unable to understand the meaning of the proposal," said Swanson. "AB 410 fixes this problem by requiring certain state agencies to use a prescribed narrative format when a request for translation is submitted."
Jeff Thom, Chairperson of Governmental Affairs with the California Council of the Blind, says the proposed narrative format will help hundreds of visually impaired and blind men and women participate in state government. "AB 410 gives blind people the same ability as their sighted counterparts to participate in the regulatory process." Swanson's staff worked closely with Thom to develop the narrative format to ensure its accuracy and compatibility with adaptive reading software.
Swanson explained that AB 410 only applies to a handful of departments and regulatory subject areas that uniquely concern blind and visually impaired persons and that he hopes to expand its reach over the next few years if there is agreement that the narrative format works. "I am confident that state agencies want to do the right thing. We all want the blind and visually impaired to have access to public information. This bill gives state agencies some practical guidance on how to make that happen," Swanson concluded.
Contact: Amy Alley, 916-319-2016
