The 2025 Budget: One little-known Way To Survive The Storm
The beginning of the year is a time for many things to happen, such as goal setting, transitions, and so much more. This year is no different. Once again, it's time for budget season in Ohio, where we will be transitioning to the 2026-2027 fiscal year. This means writing and/or submitting testimony, attending many calls and meetings, and really ramping up advocacy efforts. It can also mean being volnerable, and sharing personal experiences and stories. On top of that, each budget cycle is different. Things such as self-care, and seeking support when needed are great tools to have in your advocacy toolbox. However, there is another way you can save your sanity, and, it's one of those lifehacks in advocacy that either isn't talked about, or, if it is, this particular aspect of it isn't.
That life hack is called ADA Accommodations , more specifically , getting a copy of the budget in a format that's accessible to you. Yes, you read that right. You have the right to make a request for ADA. accommodations for the budget bill... or, any piece of legislation for that matter, as well as any documents or materials such as written testimony. Don't worry, it's not as painful as you might think it will be. We'll cover the process, the response, and my experience. But, first, I'll give you a crash course on why you may need to ask for accommodations for the budget bill or any other bill, and any associated material such as documents, and written testimony.
But, before we get into that, here's some things to keep in mind. First, the main operating budget bill has been introduced this week, which leads to the second thing. The sooner you request the accommodation(s) you need, the better, because they need time to process your request, get it into an alternative format, among other things. This way, you can be up-to-date with everything that's going on, and take action, whether that means submitting testimony, reaching out to legislators and representatives and senators, or something else. Also, everyone has different needs, abilities, and use-cases and daily set-ups, and, that's ok! That just means that we'll all need different accommodations, and, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to this. Now, let's get into the ADA Accommodations request process.
Let's start out with the reason(s) why I asked for accommodations, and why you might want to as well. For starters, the bills are posted on the My Ohio Legislature web site, which is not accessible for screenreaders users such as myself. Then, if you do manage to find the bill you want, for instance, the budget bill, guess what format it will be in? If you guessed PDF. then, you are correct. While the PDF. file extension stands for portable digital format, or picture digital format, for people with disabilities, especially screenreader users, such as myself, PDF. can and does stand for a myriad of other things. Some of which may not be appropriate to put in a blog post. For me, PDF. stands for picture digital frustration, among other things.
But, all kidding and jokes aside, PDF. files in my experience, do not play nice with screenreaders or braille devices. Or, if they were made to be accessible, typically, people didn't do it correctly, or, there were other elements in it such as images that either made it inaccessible, or the elements themselves were inaccessible, or, it wouldn't work on the device someone uses. I could tell you many horror stories about dealing with PDF. documents, and, I'm sure a lot of you have your own bad experiences. Then, there's the file size. To give you a baseline, HB. 33, the last budget bill was 9200 pages, or, 8 megabytes. The bigger the bill, the ligger the file size. Which could mean that you could have a hard time converting it into an alternative format, whether you do it yourself, or have someone else do it for you. Especially because a lot of conversion software and web sites have file size limitations. You may even have a hard time opening it on certain devices, or in certain apps, even with large storage thresholds. Or, if you have a device that has file size limits, and that's the only device you have, not to mention is part of your daily set-up, things could get dicey.
This is what happened in my case. When I tried opening the budget bill for last year, I ran up against file size limitations on my braille display that I use, and the application I normally use. Even opening it on my Ipad and Iphone which have more resources, it was still a struggle if not impossible. While I could've had it in hardcopy braille, that would take a long time, and they may have had to ship it here on a semi truck, not to mention it would take up a whole lot of space. Because braille is thicker than print.
There may be other reasons why you might want to ask for accommodations. Let's get into the request process.
Before you submit the request, think about what your needs are. While I know what I need, and do an ok job of expressing those nethes, I realize that might not be the same for everyone, especially if you've never went through this process before. Some people may know what they need but, don't know how to express it. Some people may not necisarily know what they need. I recommend writing your needs down on a piece of paper, or on your computer, tablet or phone. For instance, if you know what file formats work on your braille display, write that down. Then, go through those formats, and think about what's worked in the past, and what hasn't, then, jot that down too. Then, think about what other needs you have, such as if you need it in plain language, or, if you make notes to yourself on things you need to follow up on or watch closely, for instance. Then, think about what format(s) you prefer, and write them down in the order of preference. For me, I prefer: BRF. (braille reading/ready file/format) TXT. or, DOCX. I can read RTF. files, however, I only use this as a last resort.
Then, find who you need to contact. In this case, since we're requesting a copy of the budget bill in an accessible format, we'll go to the Ohio Legislative Services Commission web site. Then, you'll need to find a link that says "Key Contacts" and click on it. When requesting ADA. accommodations, a good general rule is to look for an ADA. cordinator, or Equal Opportunity Employment Coordinator, or something similar. The next best thing, is to find the director or head of whatever office, agency, commission, etc that are making the request to. In this case, you'd reach out to the director of the Ohio Legislative Services Commission, Wendy Zhan. Here is a link to the Key Contact page on the Ohio Legislative Services Commission's web site:
https://www.lsc.ohio.gov/about/key-contacts
Here is Director Wendy zhan's email:
Wendy.Zhan@lsc.ohio.gov
This page is accessible for screenreader users, you can navigate by heading to reach the contents of the page, by link to access the contact informan, and staff directors. For that, I want to give a lot of kudos to them, because their site is one of the very few government web sites both in the state, and nationally that are accessible.
Then, once you find the name of the person to contact, you can click on it to open your email program. You are now ready to write your request!
Here are some things to keep in mind and tips for this process.
Be kind, but firm, however, don't back down. As the old saying goes, you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. I do understand the frustration, irritatation, etc that can come with advocacy, not getting your needs met, and all the shananigans we have to go through both in advocacy and as people with disabilities. However, it's always best to start out with kindness, and patience, among other things, but, you can also be firm. If you're coming up against obstacles, or barriers, then it's time to get firm. Also, don't give up! Lean on other people for support, file an ADA. claim if you have to, as a last resort.
Send your request in writing. While you can call the office, it's better to send an email. With emails, there's a paper trail, and, I also suggest making use of the blind carbon copy field as well. This way, you can have a copy of the email that's off-site, which will help in many situations.
I recommend having a few options if you can. While I prefer TXT. I'll also take a DOCX. file if TXT. isn't possible. I can also use RTF. files, however, due to formatting sometimes being iffy, I only use them as a last resort. then, if someone sends me a file in RTF. format, I send it to a friend of mine, who converts it to TXT. format. This way, I can get that converted down to a TXT. format. Another reason is if and when TXT. isn't possible or feasible, DOCX. has worked ok as an alternative in the past. Again, list the formats you want in order of preference. Although as a heads-up, the Ohio LSC. doesn't have the ability to produce files in BRF. format.
Let them know they can reach out and where and how they can contact you with any other questions is also a good idea too. When I was submitting my request, and, trying to figure out the best option that would work for everyone, I offered to set up a phone or Zoom call as well. I'm open to that, because they can give you a list of what resources they have, and, you can tell them what your needs are, and you can find a solution that will work for all parties. Plus, in the case of a bill, they might be able to tell you how things will be laid out, formatted, etc, which can and at times does factor into the equation. Also, it gives them an osportunity to learn about accessibility, and alternative formats, screenreaders and braille displays, and the like.
Keep an eye on your inbox. They may send you emails asking questions about your needs, etc. Be prepared to answer them. Also, if they find another way to convert the bill into an accessible format, that's great! Also, when they respond, they may copy another staff person on the reply. If they do this, I recommend hitting the resly all button. If you do this, it will go to everyone on the to field of the email, including those in the CC. field. Keep in mind it will not get sent to people you put in the blind carbon copy field. Although I recommend blind copying everyone on the replies you send, and forwarding anything that you get.
I will say, that for me, the process is ongoing. We had to work out some stuff related to file size limitations, as I stated earlier. However, I gave a couple schggestions/options, and, even offered to set up a phone or Zoom call to have further discussion if needed. It also doesn't hurt to let them know that these are the only device(s) you have. We were able to find a solution that will hopefully work, by breaking the budget bill into sections, with file sizes being no more than 1-2 MB. in size, and putting them in a zip folder. I should hear something and know more soon, !stce the operating budget bill has been released this week on February. I would like to publicly thank director Wendy Zhan, and her colleague, Megan Cummiskey for their assistance, and going above and beyond. They have been doing an awesome job, and, I'm more than greatful for their help, and willingness to work with me on this.
I know that this might seem overwhelming, especially if you've never had to do this before or very much. With that in mind, I've put together a couple of resources that may help you. One is a template that you can use when writing your email. You can customize it however you like, including what accommodations you need. I've also put together a little worksheet that you can fill out with different questions, such as what your needs are. You can also customize this however you like, and, you can write down your answers, or, type it on your computer, phone or tablet. Both documents will be in TXT. format to make things as accessible as possible.
If you have knowledge, experience, etc regarding this, I highly encourage you to share that with others in the advocacy community. I got my knowledge about this from another fellow advocate, and, I cannot thank her enough! Now, I'm paying it forward, by writing a blog post about this, and, passing on not only what I learned, but, my experience so far. Remember, you have the right to ask for accommodations under the Americans With Disabilities Act, and, there's nothing wrong with asking questions, and, asking for help. Asking for accommodations or help doesn't make you any less of an advocate or person. In fact, it does the opposite. Asking for accommodations, help, etc, is a sign of strength, guts and courage
I want to hear from you! Have you requested ADA Accommodations, and, is if so, what was your experience? Who and/or what agency or organization did you request accommodations from, and what materials did you request accommodations for? Did you get your accommodation(s) you needed? If not, what alternatives if any, did you utilize? Did you run into any barriers, and, if so, how did you overcome them? Do you have any other tips, knowledge, suggestions, etc to share?
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