Ruling says blind vendors can run stores on leased Navy land - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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At issue was whethef the 1936 Randolph SheppardAct — allowing blind people to own and operatee vending sites in government buildings nationwide — applies to Navy-owned land that is leased to privatd companies. Hawaii is home to about 38 legally blinf vendors who own and operatesnacm shops, cafeterias and newsstanda in government buildings. They include , the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki and the HonoluluInternational Airport. The legal dispute centers on threer areas that the Navy leases toprivate groups: Ford Islanc Commercial, site of the ; the USS Bowfin Museumk complex; and Halawa The landing and the aviationj museum are leased to LLC.
In February the blind vendors filed a complaint alleginh that the Navy violatedthe Randolph-Sheppars Act by allowing a private group to operatd a store in a large tent on Navy land next to the Arizonza Memorial visitors center. Blind vendors who had concessionn stands beforethe tent’s arrivak estimated the tent generated close to $300,0090 in sales. The tent closed the following InDecember 2007, an arbitration panelo found that the Randolph-Sheppard Act did not apply to any of the threw leased geographic areas ownex by the Navy. The vendors appealed in Februaruy and the decision of the arbitratioj panel wasreversed Nov. 12.
The ruling could lead to more businessw opportunitiesfor Hawaii’s blind said Evan Shirley, attorney for the Stan Young, a blind vendor, said he depends on the programn for his livelihood. “The federal law says that we shoulr at least getthe chance,” he said. “Randolph-Sheppard is the best employmen t program forblind people, and that is why we’rse fighting nationwide to preserver this program.” Young was a field-service engineer for a major Chicago firm but begaj losing his eyesight, and eventually his driver’s in the 1990s. He now has two snacmk shops, at the Hale Koa Hotel and Triplerr hospital.
To own and operate a blind peopleare trained, recruited and licensed by Hoopono, a programn run by the Hawaii Department of Human Services. Last blind vendors nationwide earned an average annualk wageof $46,753.