<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Greeting everyone.<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">We need you, your friends, family and anyone on social media who can be convince to spend a few seconds supporting our cause. Here’s what we need you to do:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">1. Follow the @nfbok account on Twitter and retweet us like crazy.</div><div class="">2. Write your own tweets opposing HB 1861 and HB 2230. Use the hashtag #BlindPushBack. When tweeting about HB 1861, be sure to tag the bliss author, @leslieosborn1. Sample tweets that you can cut and paste are below.</div><div class="">3. Like our Facebook page:</div><div class=""><a href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblindok" class="">http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblindok</a></div><div class="">4. Share our Facebook posts on your personal timeline and gather support from your friends and family.</div><div class="">5. Both HB 1861 and 2230 will be acted on by the Legislature in some capacity on Wednesday March 1. Keep the tweets and post coming from now through Wednesday. We need to keep the pressure up.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">We need lots of volume to have a successful social media campaign. Retweeting and sharing just takes a few minutes. We must stand together as the blind push back against harmful legislation about us that was written without input from us. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">HB 1861 seeks to move rehabilitation services for older blind to private entities and out of the Visual Services Division of DRS. Private entities don’t have the blindness skills and experience that is offered by Visual Services staff so training would reduce in quality. Also, Visual Services provides services statewide, including rural areas. Private entities are limited to their regional locations and will leave rural Oklahomans without services.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">HB 2230 gives an exemption to county jails allowing them to exclude their commissaries from the Randolph-Sheppard Blind Entrepreneurs Program. This will put blind business owners out of work unfairly. Jobs for the blind are already hard to come by. We don’t want these jobs taken away.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Sample tweets to copy and paste:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">Rep. @leslieosborn1 The blind of Oklahoma know what services and training work best for us. We want services from @OKDRS. #BlindPushBack</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; min-height: 15px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""></span><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">Tell Representative @leslieosborn1 that blind Oklahomans have a voice. Not about us, without us. No on HB 1861 #BlindPushBack</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; min-height: 15px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""></span><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class="">HB 1861 will reduce services to older blind in OK. Keep services with @okdrs. @leslieosborn1 #BlindPushBack</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; min-height: 15px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none" class=""></span><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; min-height: 15px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; min-height: 15px;" class="">HB 2230 unfairly takes jobs from the blind. Let us work! @okhousenews #BlindPushBack</p><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div class="">Unemployment for blind is 70%. HB 2230 will make this worse. Don’t take our jobs. @okhousenews #BlindPushBack</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">We want to work, not be forced on to social benefits. No on HB 2230. @okhousenews #BlindPushBack</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thank you for standing together for #BlindPushBack</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Audrey T. Farnum</div><div class="">First Vice President</div><div class="">Communications Director</div><div class="">NationalFederation of the Blind Of Oklahoma</div><div class=""><a href="http://www.nfbok.org" class="">www.nfbok.org</a></div><div class="">405-590-6110</div></body></html>