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Oklahoma Sentencing Reform – Senate Bill 704
Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
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from Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform
Authored by Senator Dave Rader, a Tulsa Republican, Senate Bill 704 is OCJR’s most ambitious legislation this session. S.B. 704 has the potential to help Oklahomans serving excessive sentences for truly non-violent crimes while saving the state over $100 Million dollars over the next ten years.
Oklahoma has one of the highest imprisonment rates in the country, driven by long sentences and time spent behind bars, particularly for drug and property offenses.
A review of sentence enhancements across Oklahoma found that they are frequently used and have the highest impact when applied to non-violent drug and property offenses, resulting in 50-60 percent longer sentences.
Research shows that these long sentences do not protect public safety and simply add extra months and years of incarceration that taxpayers must pay for. By eliminating these enhancements for most non-violent offenses and applying this reform retroactively, Oklahoma can make sentencing fairer, safely reduce its prison population, and save taxpayer dollars. [For summary on this bill’s progress, see: https://ift.tt/3sdtEmL]
SUMMARY
S.B. 704 would prohibit prison sentences longer than the statutory maximum set by the legislature for non-violent offenses (with some exceptions) by eliminating sentence enhancements that increase prison terms dramatically, sometimes up to life in prison, if the person has non-violent prior convictions. S.B. 704 also eliminates many felony pattern enhancements listed in drug statutes. S.B. 704 provides relief to people who have received an excessive sentence under these provisions in the past. The legislature can amend the statute at any time and any crimes later defined as violent would be subject to sentence enhancements.
EXCLUSIONS
Under S.B. 704, people can continue to be sentenced beyond the statutory maximum if the person has any of the following prior or current felony convictions:
• Offenses defined as violent
• Any domestic abuse felony
• Offenses requiring registration as a sex offender
• Animal cruelty
• DUI that causes great bodily injury
The following felony pattern enhancements will remain in place under S.B. 704 and people can continue to receive a longer sentence if they were convicted of the same offense previously:
• DUI
• Drug offenses involving a minor
• Drug offenses that occur within 2,000 feet of a school, park, public housing, or daycare center
RETROACTIVITY
Under S.B. 704, people with an enhanced sentence for many non-violent offenses would be eligible for resentencing or commutation if their current sentence is longer than the statutory maximum. People in prison would be added to an accelerated commutation docket. Anyone with an eligible sentence could apply to their court of origin for resentencing. Victims would be notified if a sentence is being reviewed for commutation or resentencing.
IMPACT
S.B. 704 would help people with excessive sentences for non-violent offenses, like:
• A woman sentenced to 18 years in prison for forging a check. What is usually a two-year maximum sentence was enhanced to four to LIFE because of two low-level property and drug convictions from more than a decade earlier.
• A man sentenced to 20 years in prison for stealing a debit card and a ring. What is a five-year maximum sentence was enhanced to four to LIFE because of two previous DUI convictions.
• A woman sentenced to 15 years in prison for drug possession with intent to distribute. What is a seven-year maximum sentence was enhanced to four to LIFE because of two prior convictions for writing a fraudulent check and drug possession.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Will this reform lower our incarceration rate?
Yes. A review of sentence enhancements across Oklahoma found that they are frequently used (80 percent of cases) and have the highest impact when applied to non-violent drug and property offenses, resulting in 50 to 60 percent longer sentences.
(https://ift.tt/3s6UY6k)
Will this reform allow people with many convictions to get off easy?
No. People with prior non-violent convictions can still be sentenced up to the maximum sentence set by the legislature for any non-violent offense. If a person has any prior or current convictions excluded from S.B. 704, a sentence enhancement can still be applied.
Will this reform prevent judges and juries from considering a person’s prior history at sentencing?
Judges and juries can still take criminal history into account when deciding an appropriate sentence, and people with prior convictions can still receive the maximum sentence.
Why not focus on first time crimes?
Sentences for people without priors aren’t driving the prison population, sentences for people with priors (due to enhancements) are. About 80 percent of Oklahomans with non-violent priors receive enhanced sentences, sometimes up to life in prison. People with prior convictions have already paid their debt to society and deserve a real chance at redemption.
Don’t longer sentences for drug and property crimes make us safer?
Locking people up because of a substance use disorder or for an offense linked to poverty is ineffective and does not address the root cause of the crimes committed. The best way to keep our communities safe and hold people accountable is to make sure resources are shifted to rehabilitation, substance abuse treatment, and job training programs.
Will this reform save taxpayer money?
Yes. This reform is projected to save over $100 million taxpayer dollars within the next 10 years. Those savings can then be used for treatment, education, and to support survivors of crime.
Didn’t Oklahoma voters reject this same reform in State Question 805?
Oklahoma voters support reforms that will safely reduce the prison population and limit excessive sentences. Unlike S.Q. 805, S.B. 704 is not a constitutional amendment and is a compromised solution that excludes many offenses voters were uncomfortable with, including domestic abuse and animal cruelty.
Note: This summary of Senate Bill 704 first appeared on the website of Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform
[https://ift.tt/3uckOHP ]
The mission of Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR), posted on the group’s website, “is to advocate for criminal justice reform in Oklahoma through research-driven policy and reform efforts that improve public safety by reducing the state’s dependence on incarceration. Safe criminal justice reform saves taxpayer dollars and allows for reinvestment in alternatives to incarceration that ultimately benefits the individual, their family and the community.”
Oklahoma Sentencing Reform – Senate Bill 704 Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK
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Association Touts EPA Registration: Copper Surfaces Provide Continuous Protection Against SARS-CoV-22/18/2021 ![]()
Staff Report
MCLEAN, Virginia (Newswire.com) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced recently that certain copper alloys provide effective long-term protection against viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.
The EPA's approval makes these alloys the first and only products to be registered for nationwide use with residual, long-lasting efficacy claims against viruses.
This EPA action granted an amended registration to the Copper Development Association (CDA), allowing CDA to add unprecedented virucidal claims to its existing registration which currently permits claims against bacteria, including the antibiotic-resistant hospital superbug MRSA.
(https://ift.tt/3q56rCK)
"The EPA's action enables the broad-spectrum and enduring public health benefits of copper alloys to be deployed in the fight against COVID-19 and future viral pathogens," said Thom Passek, President of CDA.
"We are grateful for EPA's forethought and proactive support to bring this innovative and scientifically-proven solution to the table."
To earn this registration, CDA provided extensive data on harder-to-kill viruses demonstrating long-lasting virucidal efficacy. Results showed that certain copper alloys continuously kill >99.9 percent of several viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and Rhinovirus, within 2 hours of contact.
Products made from copper alloys can form a wide range of durable surfaces, including doorknobs, handrails, desktops and much more. The alloys are the first and only products to be included on the EPA's List N Appendix (https://ift.tt/3s41fQc), which contains virucidal products with residual, 24/7 effectiveness as opposed to conventional disinfectants that only work upon application.
Copper alloy surfaces are a supplement to, and not a substitute for, standard infection control practices, including the need to follow public health guidelines and critical precautions, such as mask wearing, social distancing and ventilation.
Note: The Copper Development Association Inc. is described as "the not-for-profit, market development, engineering and information services arm of the North American copper industry, chartered to enhance and expand markets for copper and its alloys."
Learn more on their blog (https://www.copper.org/ ). Or, follow them on Twitter (https://twitter.com/thinkcopper).
Association Touts EPA Registration: Copper Surfaces Provide Continuous Protection Against SARS-CoV-2 Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
Pat McGuigan
A new fiscal analysis concludes proposed legislation from state Senator Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, could trim Oklahoma’s prison population by around 1,400 people over the next decade. That projection is based on provisions in the Rader Bill that would eliminate sentence enhancements for non-violent offenses. The analysis projects anticipated savings that could “fund victim support services, and support programs that address the root causes of crime -- helping to make Oklahoma communities safer.”
The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) analysis projects savings of $137 million if the tendency of local prosecutors to apply “sentence enhancements for low-level, nonviolent offenses” is effectively curbed. In a press release, OCPA analysts note that prosecutors are applying such enhancements in 80 percent of eligible cases.
According to a sketch of the underlying study, released today (Thursday, February 18) in Oklahoma City, the enhancements for non-violent offenses increase “prison time for people convicted of drug offenses, on average, by 61 percent (from 5.3 to 8.5 years) and for people convicted of property crimes by 47 percent (from 3.9 to 5.7 years). (These comparisons are based on people sent to prison for the same crimes and who had prior convictions, but who did not receive a sentence enhancement.)”
As stated in the press release accompanying circulation of the OCPA study, “The overuse of sentence enhancements is a significant cause of Oklahoma’s unusually long prison sentences, which research has shown do not make communities safer.”
Rader’s legislation is Senate Bill 704. A member of the state Legislature’s upper chamber since his election in 2016, Rader’s Tulsa roots run deep. He is a Will Rogers High School graduate and a 1978 graduate of the University of Tulsa, where he later served as head football coach.
Jonathan Small, president of OCPA, said in a statement sent to CapitolBeatOK, The City Sentinel and other news organizations, “Limiting sentence enhancements does not limit the baseline maximum sentence someone can receive. It just stops district attorneys from enhancing a sentencing to 18 years in prison for forging a check, which is usually a two year maximum sentence, because of prior offenses that occurred almost a decade prior.”
OCPA is a public policy research group generally designated as conservative in underlying philosophy. The group’s studies support limited government and a free-market economy. The group has for many years pressed for what are characterized as “right on crime” reforms for sentencing strictures.
Small said in the February 18 press release, “We know there are better, evidence-based ways to spend taxpayer dollars more effectively and efficiently, and the state needs to be a better steward of those funds.”
Trent England, a policy policy specialist at OCPA, reflected, “The Department of Corrections spends more than half a billion dollars every year. That’s more than the state spends on public safety and mental health combined, but if we continue on our present course, it’s not enough.
“Either Oklahoma taxpayers are going to spend a lot more on prisons, or we’re going to change course -- and that starts by limiting our overuse of sentence enhancements.”
England is the David and Ann Brown Distinguished Fellow for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.
Concerning analysis in the detailed study, Thursday’s press release continued:
“If sentence enhancement reforms are not passed, Oklahoma’s prison population will grow to more than 25,428 in the next 10 years. This is not due to more Oklahomans committing crimes, but because of policies that allow Oklahomans to be incarcerated for longer sentences. S.B. 704 will reduce the prison population by 1,400 while still keeping communities safe.
The projected savings of $137 million from S.B. 704 could relieve budget pressure at the Department of Corrections, fund victim support services, and support programs that address the root causes of crime -- helping to make Oklahoma communities safer.
The OCPA analysis of Sen. Rader’s bill is entitled “Fiscal Analysis of Senate Bill 704: Oklahoma Taxpayers Could Save $137 million.”
The study is detailed (several thousand words and 12 pages in length). The analysis seems carefully crafted to provide context and restraint in its conclusions.
In the document, OCPA shared methodological assumptions and gives a range of possible outcomes from the hoped-for reforms in the Rader Bill.
On the final page of the analysis the issue of taxpayer-savings is presented:
“The minimum savings estimate uses only the marginal cost savings for the entire period. This is likely far too low because of the significant reduction below capacity. The maximum savings estimate uses the average cost savings for the entire period. This is likely too high because in the first year or two of SB 704 being in effect, it would not be possible to close a facility or otherwise cut fixed costs enough to achieve this level of savings. The expected savings estimate combines these two approaches by using the marginal cost savings for the first several years of the SB 704 projection but assuming that prison closures or other major adjustments based on the lower prison population would kick in during 2025, resulting in average cost savings being a more appropriate measure.”
The full analysis can be viewed online. To read it, cut-and-paste this link:
https://ift.tt/3ucdSKM
NOTE: A member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, Pat McGuigan is the author of three books and editor of seven, including ‘Crime and Punishment in Modern America’ (1985).
Sentencing Reform legislation, aimed at non-violent offenses, would protect safety, reduce prison population in Oklahoma: new analysis Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]() OKLAHOMA CITY - State Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, won committee passage of a bill to amend the Oklahoma Constitution and allow more money to be saved in the state’s Rainy Day Fund. House Joint Resolution 1001 passed the House Rules Committee in a unanimous vote of 9-0 this week. It changes the Rainy Day maximum savings calculation to include all state spending when determining the savings “cap.” “Currently, we base our Rainy Day savings on a small fraction of our overall state spending. We wouldn’t do that in our home finances and we shouldn’t do it with the people’s money,” said Fugate. “Today’s vote puts our state one step closer to having a real savings account.” The Constitutional change, once signed by the Governor, would be voted on by the people through a state question. The Constitutional Reserve Fund, better known as the Rainy Day Fund, was created in 1985 to prepare Oklahoma for downturns in the economy. However, recent downturns have shown that basing our savings plan on a portion of the state’s budget is a recipe for failure. Oklahoma needs to account for all state spending in our savings decisions. “It’s reassuring to see broad bipartisan support for this common-sense measure,” Fugate said. “I believe the people need a say on this issue, and we should give it to them. We need a solid plan for economic downturns and the best way to accomplish that is to change the formula.” H.J.R. 1001 is now eligible to be considered on the House floor. Oklahoma City Rep. Andy Fugate’s State Question Proposal Unanimously Passes Committee Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, issued the following statement after the Oklahoma State Board of Equalization (BOE) met to certify revenues available for appropriation for the Fiscal Year 2022 budget.
The amount initially certified by the board in December was $8.46 billion. The amount certified Tuesday (February 15) was $9.64 billion.
“I am encouraged by the new numbers certified ... during the Board of Equalization meeting. This speaks well of the economy in Oklahoma. Small business owners have been innovative, diligent, and persistent despite all of the challenges during this pandemic.
“Oklahoma has benefitted from federal dollars, which helped these numbers. I am very optimistic for FY [Fiscal Year] 2022, but cautiously optimistic about FY 2023.
“This is not the year to spend every dollar. We need to have funds easily accessible if we have another surge in COVID cases — money that can be used to pay for more testing, vaccines, and other critical needs.”
Oklahoma Senate Appropriations Chair comments on this week’s revenue certification Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, last week released a statement after the Oklahoma State Medical Association (OSMA) and other health organizations asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to issue an injunction against Medicaid managed care contracts.
“The Oklahoma State Medical Association contends the Oklahoma Health Care Authority went outside its authority and circumvented the legislature in implementing $2 billion in managed care contracts. I completely agree and fully support the OSMA’s efforts.
“We’ve been told that these managed care companies would somehow improve care in our state. However, a Dec. 16, 2020, study from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that there are likely very serious, widespread problems with managed care plans throughout the nation, and these problems are leading to ‘injury and neglect’ of patients on Medicaid.
“It is absolutely irresponsible for our state to implement such a potentially dangerous and massive change to our Medicaid system. It disregarded the legislative branch, and blatantly circumvented the constitutionally mandated appropriation process of the Senate, House and Governor.”
Sen. Standridge backs Oklahoma State Medical Association’s court challenge to state’s managed care contracts Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
The Oklahoma State Medical Association (OSMA) and the Oklahoma Hospital Association (OHA) have been vocal critics of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s proposal to use managed care services in Oklahoma’s Medicaid system, which Stitt says could improve patient treatment and outcomes, reducing the growth of Medicaid’s taxpayer expense.
But, while the OSMA and OHA have both opposed managed care, neither group has identified any other way to control the spiraling costs of Medicaid, which has been consuming an ever-larger share of state tax dollars and may now see explosive growth due to expansion of Medicaid to include able-bodied adults.
The OSMA and OHA are not alone in ducking the question. Of more than 30 lawmakers who have publicly criticized use of managed care, none have offered an alternative means of cost control.
For this article, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs reached out to the OSMA, OHA, and lawmakers who have criticized Stitt’s proposal and asked them how they propose to control costs without managed care.
[These links suggested for background: https://ift.tt/3u3o0pn
and https://ift.tt/3quMiX7] .
A week later, neither the OSMA nor the OHA had offered any solutions, and only two lawmakers had responded to the question. Only one of those two lawmakers discussed how costs might be controlled.
Stitt has argued that using private contractors to manage oversight of Medicaid patients will ensure those patients obtain routine checkups and other forms of care that identify medical problems before they become severe. In the current Medicaid system, patients often wait until a medical problem has progressed before seeking care — potentially requiring hospitalization — or they use expensive emergency room services for routine care.
Officials at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority have estimated that managed care could reduce hospitalization among Medicaid patients by 40 percent and reduce mental-health care costs by 20 percent if preventative care, including drug treatment, is employed earlier in the process.
In his State of the State address earlier this month, Stitt said, “With Medicaid expansion now in our Constitution, this is the perfect opportunity to reimagine health care delivery in Oklahoma. It’s time to focus on outcomes and not just paying invoices. Forty states have found managed care is the best way forward: Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Tennessee, Florida, even California and Illinois. It’s not a red state or blue state thing. It’s the smart thing to do. In fact, every other state with Medicaid expansion also uses managed care. Every other state.”
Policymakers have long struggled with controlling the cost of Medicaid. From 1999 to 2019, total expenditures on Medicaid in Oklahoma — adjusted for inflation and including both state-and-federal dollars — surged from $2.33 billion to $5.6 billion.
The program’s growing cost has diverted funds from other programs, as noted (https://ift.tt/3ppebhO ) recently by the chancellor of the State Regents for Higher Education, who pointed out that money was being taken away from education to support Medicaid.
Oklahoma is not alone in facing that problem. In October 2020, officials with the Galen Institute and the Foundation for Government Accountability noted (https://ift.tt/37oMr6S), states spent more than three times more on education than on Medicaid. Now the numbers are roughly equivalent.”
The cost of Oklahoma’s Medicaid program is now poised to increase by an even-larger share each year following passage of an initiative measure that expanded Medicaid to include up to 628,000 able-bodied Oklahomans.
While supporters of expansion claimed it would require $164 million in new state spending, the budget chairman in the Oklahoma Senate has warned that estimate is a “best-case scenario” and the state cost could surge to $246 million this year. (https://www.ocpathink.org/post/medicaid-expansion-costs-soaring?utm_source=OCPA+Master&utm_campaign=31c55421cd-Freedom+Flash+April+18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1acebeac5c-31c55421cd-137278429).
Even that estimate may be optimistic. Based on current Medicaid expenses and a previous study commissioned by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority that predicted up to 628,000 Oklahomans would become eligible under expansion, the state cost of Medicaid expansion could be as much as $374 million annually. The $164 million estimate is based on only 200,000 people enrolling in Medicaid as the result of expansion.
Other states that have expanded Medicaid to include able-bodied adults have consistently underestimated both enrollment and the associated costs of the expansion population. In 2018, the Foundation for Government Accountability found (https://thefga.org/research/budget-crisis-three-parts-obamacare-bankrupting-taxpayers/)
states that expanded Medicaid signed up more than twice as many able-bodied adults as predicted and experienced cost overruns of 157 percent.
The possibility that managed care may reduce non-emergency use of hospital emergency rooms may partly explain why the membership of the Oklahoma Hospital Association opposes managed care and offers no alternatives.
Officials with the Galen Institute and the Foundation for Government Accountability have noted there is “robust evidence that Medicaid expansion significantly increases emergency room utilization for non-emergent conditions” and that hospitals in expansion states “have reported ER visit increases are twice the rate in non-expansion states.”
The fact that non-emergent use of emergency rooms is a revenue generator for many providers has raised moral questions even within the medical community.
A March 2019 article (https://ift.tt/2OCjWMj) in the AMA Journal of Ethics considered the question, “Should hospitals engage in proactive population health initiatives if they result in decreased revenue from their emergency departments?” The authors concluded that “treating emergency departments purely as revenue streams violates both legal and moral standards.”
Officials with the Stitt administration have stressed that managed care will not reduce overall costs, but only slow the rate of growth. Opponents of managed care, however, have not offered any measures that would even slow the rate of growth.
Of the state lawmakers who have publicly criticized Stitt’s plan to use managed care in Medicaid, Rep. Wendi Stearman, R-Collinsville, was one of only two who responded when asked for comment.
Stearman noted that the press release she signed her name to asked Stitt to “work cooperatively with the state House of Representatives and the state Senate to ensure Oklahomans receive the health care management program that best meets their needs.”
Rep. Stearman said she has concerns about a hurried process, but favors finding “the method that will least affect the taxpayers of Oklahoma.” Based on current data, she said the least-expensive way to handle Medicaid expansion may ultimately involve use of managed care.
Note: Ray Carter is director of the Center for Independent Journalism, where this report was first posted: https://ift.tt/2ZEbbUx. It is re-posted with permission.
A long-time reporter and analyst of state events, Carter offices at the headquarters of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) office near the Oklahoma State Capitol.
Medicaid managed care opponents silent on alternatives Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
from the website: Women of the Bible, Landscapes of the Soul (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
Celebrate Esther’s courage and faith. She will re-awaken us to the Esther we carry within ourselves.
It is the time of the year to celebrate Queen Esther. Sara M. Novenson, an artist with many Oklahoma fans, promised in a recent reflection: “I will guide you deep into Esther’s world through the painting and her story. While I studied and focused on the story of Esther she began to appear in my life in mysterious and synchronistic ways.”
Novenson continued, “The power of women of the Bible comes alive in our lives when we focus on them. Through active meditation we will embody Esther using the Sacred Women Guidance Cards. Queen Esther awakens us to our great feminine archetype of Courage and her attributes of Inner Radiant Beauty, Power from the Ancestors and Fearlessness. Esther’s story lives within us all.”
Join Novenson for a 60 minute Zoom celebration:
Thursday, February 25, 7pm ET • 6pm CT • 5pm MT • 4pm PT • 3pm AK time
Order tickets to register for the celebration. Click and paste to follow this link:
https://ift.tt/37pVCDU
Add an extra ticket and invite your friend! Makes a wonderful gift for friends and family.
Pat McGuigan, founder of CapitolBeatOK and publisher of The City Sentinel newspaper in Oklahoma City, owns a beautiful print of one of Sara Novenson’s works, and is among advocates for her creations:
“Novenson’s paintings reside at the top of my listing for favorites among contemporary American artists. I learn something useful for spirit and gain hope every time I read something by or about her.”
To purchase tickets for the Zoom Celebration, go to Sara Novenson’s original link, here:
https://ift.tt/37pVCDU
Queen Esther Celebration, hosted by artist Sara M. Novenson Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
OKLAHOMA CITY – Three Oklahoma City residents have earned medals at Oklahoma School for the Blind’s (OSB) eighth annual Oklahoma Regional Cane Quest competition, held in Muskogee.
Two sophomores, Elbin Carillo and Julio Valdez, earned medals in the Trailblazers category for competitors in grades 10-12. Carrillo won a gold medal and Valdez was awarded the silver medal.
Six-grader Quante Sellers earned a Top Scouts award for grades 3-6.
All the medalists are OSB students. They competed to earn points and win prizes with 31 other cane users from across the state.
Cane Quest contestants each received t-shirts, goodie bags, and certificates.
Effective cane travel is a key to independence and therefore employment, according to OSB, a division of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services.
Traditionally, Cane Quest occurs on a single day in Muskogee. This year OSB organizers adapted to safely hold the event in spite of COVID-19.
Students in Seventh through Twelfth grades are judged on their use of appropriate cane skills and travel techniques on downtown routes. Younger contestants in 3rd through 6th grades compete in a variety of travel tasks on the OSB campus.
“This year was markedly different,” said Faye Miller, OSB certified orientation and mobility instructor (COMS) and Cane Quest regional organizer. “Contestants worked one-on-one with an OSB COMS either in person or virtually.”
“The contest took several weeks to complete instead of just one day of fun, and contestants had to wait to see how they fared against their peers,” Miller said.
Scoring criterion was changed to accommodate the virtual format.
“Instead of outdoor routes in the community, contestants competed indoors and were scored on a variety of specialized cane techniques,” Miller said. “They followed multiple-step directions to demonstrate their understanding of spatial concepts and used lateral and cardinal directions to locate targets as well as techniques for traveling with human guides.”
Lateral directions use is an understanding of the left and right sides of competitors’ bodies.
Contestants must also keep track of their spatial relationship to cardinal directions, which represent north, south, east, and west.
“We made the commitment to continue Cane Quest in 2020 because this important competition helps students demonstrate mobility skills and make the connection between efficient cane travel and independence,” OSB Superintendent Rita Echelle said.
Event sponsors are Oklahoma School for the Blind, Braille Institute of America, Liberty Braille, Frank Dirksen, NanoPac, NewView Oklahoma, Oklahoma Association for Education and Rehabilitation and Oklahoma Council of the Blind.
Additional sponsors include Ruth Kelly Studios, OG&E, Reliant Rehabilitation, Sapulpa Lions Club, SERVPRO and OSU Cooperative Extension Services.
The Oklahoma School for the Blind is a fully accredited public school that offers a complete educational program, tuition free, for blind and visually impaired students from pre-school through high school.
Residential and commuter students meet all state-mandated education requirements and receive specialized instruction in Braille, orientation and mobility, optimum use of low vision, adaptive equipment technology and tactile graphic skills not readily available at other public schools in the state.
As the statewide resource for the education of blind and visually impaired students, OSB also provides thousands of hours of free services each year for students attending local public schools, their families and local school staff.
.
For more information about OSB or Cane Quest, call toll free 877-229-7136 or visit online: osb.k12.ok.us
Oklahoma City residents medal at School for the Blind Cane Quest contest Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK ![]()
CapitolBeatOK Staff Report
February 14, 2021 – The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol have shut down the Turner Turnpike due to multi-vehicle accident.
In a release sent to CapitolBeatOK, The City Sentinel and other news organizations. OTA officials said:
“Westbound traffic is being diverted to the Kickapoo Turnpike. Eastbound traffic is being diverted to I-35. First responders are at the scene treating the injured and expect the westbound lane to be closed at least several hours."
The news bulletin continued: "If you must travel, seek an alternate route. Visibility is extremely poor. Avoid area. If you’re involved in an accident, please call the Oklahoma Highway Patrol at *55, stay in your vehicle and try to clear your vehicle to the side of the roadway."
For more information on road conditions, follow the OTA on Twitter at @okturnpike. (https://ift.tt/2ZfpI8C)
Icy roads causing slick and hazardous travel conditions -- Turner Turnpike is shut down Click on the headline to read the full article at CapitolBeatOK |
Pat McGuiganThe dean of all Oklahoma Journalism, Mr Patrick McGuigan; has a rich history of service in many aspects of both covering the news and producing the information that the public needs to know. Archives
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