[CT-NFB] Please Ask Your Legislators to Restore Historical Funding to BESB for Adult Services

Sun Mar 26 02:41:03 UTC 2023

Juanita,

Yes, Daric Slap is indeed on that committee. Thank you in advance for reaching out to him. To make things easier, scrolling down my previous message shows that his website is:

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/slap

To e-mail him, on that website click on “Email & Contact” and fill out the form. And/or click to e-mail his aide.

Again, thank you in advance for advocating with him on this important matter.

Nathanael

From: CT-NFB [mailto:ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Juanita Collazo via CT-NFB
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2023 3:39 PM
To: NFB of Connecticut Mailing List
Cc: Juanita Collazo
Subject: Re: [CT-NFB] Please Ask Your Legislators to Restore Historical Funding to BESB for Adult Services

I have a question for you.  Is Senator Daric Slap part of that group of ledgislators?  If so, then shouldn’t we go to our local senators for this?  I do have to tell you that from what Margery Santos who is the new social worker at BESB has told me that they can’t order any more stuff such as canes and other types of stuff anymore.  Okay?  I would tell you some examples, If we need a cane or a replacement cane, we have to buy it.  If we or I needed bump dots I have to buy them.  So their policy has changed a lot and not for the good.  Okay?  I can send you a copy of what she has sent me.  Okay?  I will tell you Nathaniel that you are fighting for something that is a real need.  Okay?  If we don’t get anywhere with the senators and representives then go to the media.  

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 23, 2023, at 9:15 PM, Nathanael T. Wales via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org> wrote:

Fellow Listers,

As the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut has been discussing for several months, the amount of state funding for Adult Services at the Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB) has been reduced over the past 14 years, leaving services very limited and unable to catch up with inflation. Now is the time, if you haven’t done so already, to ask your legislators to restore historical levels of funding to Adult Services. For example, in 2009 the funding was $115,000, but for the past few years it has been less than $45,000, a 60% cut not even adding in inflation. The legislature is still debating the state budget, and they need to hear that adequate funding for access technology and training on it, training in effective orientation and mobility techniques, and other best practice adjustment to blindness programming are unmet needs in the state. And thank you also to those who already did so last month and even testified to the appropriations committee on March 1.

I should note that many of us in the NFB of Connecticut were concerned also with another line item in the governor’s proposed budget: the one for vocational rehabilitation for BESB and sister bureaus in the Department of Aging and Disability Services. We have received helpful information that less funding is needed in the next biennium because there were unspent funds in the current biennium that are being carried forward; in other words, services will NOT be cut as we were seriously concerned about.

This is especially important if either or both of your legislators serves on the Appropriations Committee. Please see below my template e-mail (or fax or snailmail letter) a list of appropriations committee members (and their districts—if you may know that). If you don’t know who your assembly representative and state senator are,  you can find these at:

https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp

and selecting (where you are registered to vote or, if not registered to vote, your residence) your town, then street, then house number. Again, cross-reference with the table below to determine if either your assembly representative, state senator, or both are on the appropriations committee and therefore your e-mail should be edited a bit.

Here is a template e-mail:

***

[Your address]

Dear Senator/Assembly Representative ___:

As a constituent, I write to you to ask that state funding for the Department of Aging and Disability Services, Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind line item for Supplementary Relief and Services, often referred to as “adult services”, be restored to historically higher levels and adjusted for inflation, other economic factors, and the increasing elderly population. In 2022, Connecticut spent only $44,847 on services to this population (along with additional minimal Federal funding). However, in 2008 and 2009, the amount of funding provided by the state was $115,425, meaning that funding has been cut by over 60%. It is inconceivable that the population of aging residents experiencing vision loss has decreased by over 60% since 2009. Rather, our experience shows that it is only increasing.

Consumers of adult services programs can only receive at best cursory services under this program. Additional funding could, for example, be well used to provide training in using assistive technology to access the Internet (for things such as grocery and pharmacy delivery services, banking, and accessing transportation). It could also be well used to provide cane travel instruction so that blind seniors can be confident traveling around their communities and prepare to, if they so choose, receive a guide dog.

[Add in your own personal story of no or limited services or that of a blind senior.]

Please ask the Appropriations Committee to restore and adequately increase this needed funding. And please vote only for a state budget that does so.

Restoring and adequately increasing funding for adult services will enable the increasing population of blind seniors losing their vision to fully live the lives they want with a greater level of independence and dignity. As a constituent, I look forward to your response and action.

[Your signature]

***

Now here is that list of important appropriations committee members…

S19         Co-Chair

Osten, Catherine A.

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/Osten

D

093         Co-Chair

Walker, Toni E.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Walker

D

S15         Vice Chair

Hartley, Joan V.

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/Hartley

D

019         Vice Chair

Exum, Tammy R.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/exum

D

145         Vice Chair

Paris, Corey P.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/paris

D

S32         Ranking Member

Berthel, Eric C.

http://www.ctsenaterepublicans.com/home-Berthel

R

053         Ranking Member

Nuccio, Tammy

https://www.cthousegop.com/Nuccio

R

S03         Member

Anwar, Saud

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/anwar

D

124         Member

Baker, Andre F.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Baker

D

106         Member

Bolinsky, Mitch

http://www.cthousegop.com/Bolinsky/

R

108         Member

Callahan, Patrick E.

https://www.cthousegop.com/Callahan

R

095         Member

Candelaria, Juan R.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Candelaria

D

138         Member

Chaleski, Rachel

http://www.cthousegop.com/Chaleski

R

011         Member

Currey, Jeff

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Currey

D

142         Member

Dathan, Lucy

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/dathan

D

048         Member

DeCaprio, Mark

http://www.cthousegop.com/decaprio/

R

144         Member

Delany, Hubert D.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/delany

D

014         Member

Delnicki, Tom

http://www.cthousegop.com/Delnicki/

R

092         Member

Dillon, Patricia A.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Dillon

D

130         Member

Felipe, Antonio

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/felipe

D

S29         Member

Flexer, Mae

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/Flexer

D

107         Member

Foncello, Martin

http://www.cthousegop.com/Foncello/

R

060         Member

Garibay, Jane M.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/garibay

D

015         Member

Gibson, Bobby G.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/gibson

D

018         Member

Gilchrest, Jillian

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/gilchrest

D

S35         Member

Gordon, Jeff

http://www.ctsenaterepublicans.com/home-gordon

R

003         Member

Gonzalez, Minnie

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Gonzalez

D

054         Member

Haddad, Gregory

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/haddad

D

007         Member

Hall, Joshua M.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Hall

D

069         Member

Harrison, Cindy

https://www.cthousegop.com/Harrison

R

078         Member

Hoxha, Joe

http://www.cthousegop.com/hoxha/

R

049         Member

Johnson, Susan M.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Johnson

D

149         Member

Khanna, Rachel

https://www.housedems.ct.gov/khanna

D

119         Member

Kennedy, Kathy

http://www.cthousegop.com/kennedy/

R

S24         Member

Kushner, Julie

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/kushner

D

S09         Member

Lesser, Matthew L.

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/lesser

D

S20         Member

Marx, Martha

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/marx

D

038         Member

McCarty, Kathleen M.

http://www.cthousegop.com/McCarty/

R

S02         Member

McCrory, Douglas

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/McCrory

D

039         Member

Nolan, Anthony L.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/nolan

D

094         Member

Porter, Robyn A.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Porter

D

016         Member

Osborne, Melissa

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Osborne

D

075         Member

Reyes, Geraldo C.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Reyes

D

128         Member

Rosario, Christopher

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Rosario

D

123         Member

Rutigliano, David

http://www.cthousegop.com/Rutigliano/

R

139         Member

Ryan, Kevin

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Ryan

D

024         Member

Sanchez, Emmanuel

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/SanchezM

D

S05         Member

Slap, Derek

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/slap

D

140         Member

Simms, Travis

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/simms

D

S18         Member

Somers, Heather S.

http://www.ctsenaterepublicans.com/home-Somers

R

026         Member

Tercyak, Peter A.

http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Tercyak

D

S10         Member

Winfield, Gary A.

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/Winfield

D

061         Member

Zawistowski, Tami

http://www.cthousegop.com/Zawistowski/

R

Thank you in advance for contacting your legislators on this important issue for the blind in Connecticut. If you have any trouble contacting a legislator or using the information I’ve sent, feel free to contact me either on and off of the listserve.

Best,

Nathanael Wales

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