by Mitch Pomerantz

[Editor's Note: One of the things I desperately needed as a community college English teacher was a braille printer. My district wasn't about to fund such
a reasonable accommodation in those days, but luckily, the revolving loan fund was in place and thanks to this wonderful resource, I purchased my Romeo
Braille printer with an interest-free loan which I paid back over several years. We last printed an article describing this fund in the Winter BC, 2011
and we thought it was high time to remind our members of its existence.]

In 1983, several members of CCB's Committee on Employment Assistance (CEA)--including myself as Chairperson--were musing about the cost of assistive technology
and the difficulty blind and visually impaired people were having in getting loans to purchase such equipment. We decided to try doing something about
it so shortly after this discussion, I became a grant writer.

Having reviewed grants in a previous job assignment with the City of Los Angeles, but never having written one, I was gratified and a little surprised
when our proposal to establish a low-interest revolving loan fund received grants from three foundations. (Since then, policies were amended so that interest
is not charged on a loan.)

Since establishment of the program, CCB has loaned tens of thousands of dollars to well in excess of a score of persons in need of assistive technology
to obtain or retain paid employment. In that time, we have had only one default on a loan. Requests for loans however, have slowed to a Los Angeles River
trickle, even before I reassumed the CEA chair in 2013. It seems appropriate therefore, to publicize the Revolving Loan Fund in order to bring this valuable
resource to the attention of those in our community who could benefit from knowing about it.

Purpose

The Revolving Loan Fund Program was established to assist blind and/or visually impaired persons to purchase necessary assistive technology or other work-related
equipment. It is designed for persons needing such equipment to retain their present job in light of the use of more advanced technology in the work place;
to facilitate a promotional opportunity; to accept an offer of employment where technology is required to perform job duties or to a person volunteering
in a structured, supervised work place in the public or private sector which may lead to employment.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be considered eligible by the Committee on Employment Assistance, you must meet the following criteria:

1.
a. Be currently employed in the public/private sectors, or in your own business;

b. Have a confirmed offer of employment, or--if you own a business--have a written "business plan";

c. Have a confirmed offer of a volunteer position in the public or private sector.

2. Show sufficient verifiable income (from earnings, SSI, SSDI, a cosigner or some combination thereof) to demonstrate your ability to repay this loan
in the stipulated time.

3. Have no significant problem areas on your credit history (you may apply if you have little or no established credit)

What May Be Requested

You may request any work-related and blindness-related equipment such as Braille writers; talking calculators; speech output, large screen, or Braille
computer systems; other materials, etc. The Committee will consider equipment which is not specifically blindness-related if the applicant can demonstrate
a need.

The Process

Once the application has been completed, it is submitted to the CCB Office along with all required documentation. The application may be completed in Braille
or print, on cassette, or via electronic file. Failure to provide any of the required documents will result in a delay in processing. Once the completed
application is received in the CCB Office, it will be forwarded to the CEA chairperson for review and consideration by the full Committee. Once preliminary
approval has been given, a credit check will follow. If credit information is verified, the application will be given final approval.

Terms and Conditions

Funds to pay for all requested equipment will be disbursed directly to the vendor(s) by check. This is a "revolving" fund, meaning that only if loans are
repaid in full will the fund be perpetuated, and therefore available for others to use in the future. Most loans will be repaid within a one to three year
period. This determination is made solely by the committee. The loan recipient will be expected to sign a loan agreement and promissory note.

Please feel free to pass this information along to anyone you know who might be interested and able to take advantage of this opportunity. An applicant
need not be a CCB member for consideration.

While employers are required under both state and federal statutes to provide reasonable accommodations to employees or applicants with disabilities (who
have received an offer of employment), we know from experience that this doesn't always happen; particularly when the business is small. As such, CCB's
Revolving Loan Fund may be an option if/when such an employer is unwilling or unable to do what the law requires. CCB's Revolving Loan Fund is, after all,
a "working" resource.