[Blindtlk] Fw: Final CALL-TO-ACTION Package: SEND NOW!

Tue Apr 21 23:16:21 UTC 2009

>I have been asked to circulate the following:


Dave


>----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick Boggs" <rick-b at vitac.com>
>To: "'Rick Boggs'" <rick at rickboggs.com>
>Cc: "'Amber'" <amber at amberboggs.com>; "'Chris Snyder'"
><chris at chris-snyder.com>; "'Jack Patterson'" <onespurinc at yahoo.com>; "'Teri
>Grossman'" <terigrossman at earthlink.net>
>Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 7:15 AM
>Subject: Final CALL-TO-ACTION Package: SEND NOW!
>
>
>>Please spread the word.  All parties interested in supporting equal access
>>to education for blind students and jobs for adults with disabilities
>>ought
>>to receive this call to action letter and should immediately respond by
>>using the "sample demand letter" as a template to contact all of the
>>critical administrators and legislators who can reinstate the grants.
>>
>>Thanks for your help.
>>
>>Rick Boggs
>>www.rickboggs.com
>>
>>Word Doc's Attached
>>
>>Attention Advocate:
>>
>>I am writing to ask you to take action on an important, time sensitive
>>matter concerning education of blind students and employment of people
>>with
>>vision loss and other disabilities. With respect for your time, this
>>summary
>>will be brief and somewhat general.  For more detailed information, please
>>contact me directly.
>>
>>The federal Department of Education, DOEd, normally provides the ONLY
>>funding used to make educational videos for students accessible for
>>students
>>who are blind.  The DOEd annually funds grants which pay audio description
>>producers to add audio description to educational videos, so that students
>>with visual impairments will have equal access to the information.  Under
>>somewhat unusual circumstances, the new grants which were announced for
>>2009
>>have suddenly vanished from the DOEd website.  It is urgent that community
>>leaders such as yourself immediately contact  key Congressional
>>representatives and demand that the audio description grants be
>>reinstated.
>>The unprecedented last minute withdrawal of the grant RFPs announced in
>>December 2008 will negatively impact blind students in K-12 classrooms and
>>will cost people with disabilities their jobs in media production.  In
>>these
>>difficult times, when the Secretary of the Department of Education tells
>>the
>>Washington Post about the new record high funding for education that has
>>been included in the economic stimulus program, why would the DOEd
>>suddenly
>>cut a few million dollars, effectively diminishing the quality of
>>education
>>for blind kids and costing people with disabilities their jobs?  Some
>>inexplicable politics inside the DOEd could possibly be the cause for this
>>sudden, unexpected change of budget priorities, but with enough loud
>>voices
>>speaking up immediately, we can restore the grant program to what Congress
>>intended it to be.
>>
>>In December 2008, the Department of Education announced that an
>>application
>>period for new competition grants to provide audio description for
>>educational videos for blind students would begin in March 2009.  At the
>>last minute, in early March, the announcement suddenly disappeared.
>>Ordinarily, the grant status would be posted as "canceled" if the program
>>were eliminated for some reason.  Whatever the cause for the last minute
>>change in budget priorities, we MUST INSIST that blind students NOT be
>>left
>>out of the benefits realized from the newly doubled DOEd budget, now $100
>>BILLION.  As a totally blind producer of audio description, I will have to
>>cancel my plans to hire several blind or disabled professionals, if the
>>grants are not reinstated soon.  Please join me in calling, emailing, and
>>writing to the legislators who can make a difference and correct this
>>oversight.  Please find the enclosed/attached sample letter demanding
>>reinstatement of the audio description grants and requesting an
>>investigation into the DOEd procedures that lead to this destructive
>>decision.  Contact information for key legislators is also provided for
>>your
>>convenience.  I am asking that you specifically contact the Secretary of
>>Education, Arne Duncan, the Assistant Secretary of Education, Andrew J.
>>Pepin, and the chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, George
>>Miller.  We should also send an email to the Special Assistant to the
>>President on Disability Policy, Kareem Dale (who is also blind).  Please
>>find the enclosed list of House Representatives to facilitate contacting
>>your local Representative as well.  DOEd information about the grants in
>>question is included below, along with contact info for the individuals
>>previously mentioned.
>>
>>Thank you for your immediate action supporting this effort to reinstate
>>new
>>competition grants for audio description of educational materials for
>>students with visual impairments.
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>Rick Boggs
>>Mobile: 818-439-9698
>>www.rickboggs.com
>>www.AccessibleClassroomVideos.org
>>Postal:
>>9250 Reseda Blvd #2b-107
>>Northridge, CA 91324
>>
>>
>>DOEd Grant Details:
>>The following information was listed on the Department of Education's
>>Forecast of
>>Funding Opportunities.
>>Program Office:
>>Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
>>CFDA Number: 84.327
>>Program Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grants, Contracts, Cooperative
>>Agreements
>>Also Known As:
>>Technology and Media Services for Individuals with Disabilities; also
>>known
>>as Special
>>Education-Technology Development, Demonstration, and Utilization; Media
>>Services;
>>and Instructional Materials.
>>PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
>>The purpose of this program is to: (1) improve results for children with
>>disabilities
>>by promoting the development, demonstration, and use of technology; (2)
>>support educational
>>media services activities designed to be of value in the classroom setting
>>to children
>>with disabilities; and (3) provide support for captioning and video
>>description that
>>is appropriate for use in the classroom setting.
>>TYPES OF PROJECTS
>>This program supports technology development, demonstration, and
>>utilization. Educational
>>media activities, such as video descriptions and captioning of educational
>>materials,
>>also are supported.
>>
>>KEY Contact Information:
>>U.S. Department of Education: Promoting Educational Excellence for all
>>Americans
>>
>>Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
>>ARNE DUNCAN
>>First Name: ARNE
>>Last Name: DUNCAN
>>Primary Phone: (202) 401-3000
>>Principal Office: (OS) Office of the Secretary
>>Department of Education Organizational Structure and Offices
>>E-Mail Address:
>>arne.duncan at ed.gov
>>Location
>>Region: HEADQUARTERS
>>Building Name: LBJ EDUCATION BUILDING
>>Building Address: 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202
>>Room Number: 7W311
>>
>>Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
>>ANDREW JOSEPH PEPIN
>>First Name: ANDREW
>>Middle Name: J.
>>Last Name: PEPIN
>>Primary Phone: (202) 245-7632
>>Principal Office: (OSERS) Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
>>Services
>>Department of Education Organizational Structure and Offices
>>E-Mail Address:
>>Andrew.Pepin at ed.gov
>>Location
>>Region: HEADQUARTERS
>>Building Name: POTOMAC CENTER PLAZA
>>Building Address: 550 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20202
>>Room Number: 5106
>>
>>The Honorable George Miller Chair
>>Committee on Education and Labor
>>Office Phone: (202) 225-2095
>>Email form on website:
>>http://georgemiller.house.gov/
>>2181 Rayburn House Office Building
>>United States House of Representatives
>>Washington, D.C. 20515
>>
>>Kareem Dale
>>Disabilities Consultant to the President
>>Email: Kareem_A._Dale at who.eop.gov
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