<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body dir="auto"><div><br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> "Mike Freeman" <<a href="mailto:k7uij@panix.com">k7uij@panix.com</a>><br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:nfbwatlk@nfbnet.org">nfbwatlk@nfbnet.org</a><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[nfbwatlk] FW: Grassroots Call to Action on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Reauthorization</b><br><br></div></blockquote><div><span></span></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>-----Original Message-----</span><br><span>From: Lewis, Anil [<a href="mailto:ALewis@nfb.org">mailto:ALewis@nfb.org</a>] </span><br><span>Sent: Saturday, July 27, 2013 2:23 PM</span><br><span>Subject: Grassroots Call to Action on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA)</span><br><span>Reauthorization</span><br><span></span><br><span>Federation:</span><br><span></span><br><span>This is a call to action for you to make phone calls, send e-mails, and post</span><br><span>to social media to save rehabilitation services for people with disabilities</span><br><span>on Monday, July 29 and Tuesday, July 30. Senate Bill S. 1356 has been</span><br><span>introduced to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). This bill</span><br><span>includes two major policy changes in the language of the Rehabilitation Act</span><br><span>that threaten to send us backwards in our struggle to acquire the proper</span><br><span>education, training, and opportunity to obtain competitive, integrated</span><br><span>employment.</span><br><span></span><br><span>(1) The bill has proposed language in Section 511 of the Rehabilitation Act</span><br><span>that requires vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies to include training</span><br><span>and employment at wages below the federal minimum wage as a VR service.</span><br><span></span><br><span>(2) The bill proposes to transfer the Rehabilitation Services Administration</span><br><span>(RSA) from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor, severing</span><br><span>the essential link between the provision of quality education and</span><br><span>rehabilitation services for people with disabilities.</span><br><span></span><br><span>The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee is</span><br><span>scheduled to discuss and vote on this bill on Wednesday, July 31, and we</span><br><span>need to act to ensure that these two tremendously flawed proposals are</span><br><span>removed. Our initial action is simple, but it will require all of us to</span><br><span>take action. We need all of our members, family members, friends,</span><br><span>colleagues, and acquaintances that reside in states where their Senator</span><br><span>serves on the HELP committee to make calls, send e-mails, post tweets, and</span><br><span>Facebook messages to communicate the following two straightforward requests</span><br><span>to their Senator:</span><br><span></span><br><span>I am a voting constituent in the state and I am respectfully requesting that</span><br><span>the WIA reauthorization be amended to:</span><br><span></span><br><span>(1) Remove Section 511 of the Rehabilitation Act.</span><br><span>(2) Remove the language transferring RSA to the Department of Labor.</span><br><span></span><br><span>We are encouraging that only the actual residents make these requests of</span><br><span>their respective Senators. Start recruiting as many individuals as possible</span><br><span>now to begin this action on Monday, July 29 and continue it through Tuesday,</span><br><span>July 30. Use the information below to make calls to your particular</span><br><span>Senator's office and send e-mails to each of the e-mail addresses listed for</span><br><span>your Senator.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Remember, once you have made your calls, sent your e-mails, posted your</span><br><span>tweets and Facebook messages, get others to do the same.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Sincerely,</span><br><span></span><br><span>Mr. Anil Lewis, M.P.A.</span><br><span>Director of Advocacy and Policy</span><br><span></span><br><span>"Eliminating Subminimum Wages For People With Disabilities"</span><br><span></span><br><span>NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND</span><br><span>200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place</span><br><span>Baltimore, Maryland 21230</span><br><span></span><br><span>(410) 659-9314 ext. 2374 (Voice)</span><br><span>(410) 685-5653 (FAX)</span><br><span>Email: <a href="mailto:alewis@nfb.org">alewis@nfb.org</a><<a href="mailto:alewis@nfb.org">mailto:alewis@nfb.org</a>></span><br><span>Web: <a href="http://www.nfb.org">www.nfb.org</a><<a href="http://www.nfb.org">http://www.nfb.org</a>></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)</span><br><span>(202) 224-2621</span><br><span>Chief of Staff: Mike Spahn <a href="mailto:michael_spahn@murray.senate.gov">michael_spahn@murray.senate.gov</a> HELP Contact:</span><br><span>Megan Foster <a href="mailto:megan_foster@murray.senate.gov">megan_foster@murray.senate.gov</a> Additional Contact: Ariel</span><br><span>Eevans <a href="mailto:ariel_evans@murray.senate.gov">ariel_evans@murray.senate.gov</a></span><br><span></span><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div></div></blockquote></body></html>