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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Hello, there will be allot of service dogs there on Thursday. Can’t any of our dog guide users show up for a1 o’clock hearing to support our doggies ? Beth <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> llee@nfbct.org [mailto:llee@nfbct.org] <br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, February 12, 2016 11:58 AM<br><b>To:</b> Elizabeth Rival<br><b>Subject:</b> RE: guide dog to give on Thursday<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Beth,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>I've made 25 copies and put them in the mail to you. I'm also attaching a pdf file that you probably won't be able to read, but it's a scanned copy of your testimony on our letterhead. The attached Word file is what is reads.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Lucia <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:6.0pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt' id=replyBlockquote><div id=wmQuoteWrapper><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>-------- Original Message --------<br>Subject: RE: guide dog to give on Thursday<br>From: "Elizabeth Rival" <<a href="mailto:erival@comcast.net">erival@comcast.net</a>><br>Date: Fri, February 12, 2016 10:13 am<br>To: <<a href="mailto:llee@nfbct.org">llee@nfbct.org</a>><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Maryanne and I are going but if you think it could be submitted earlier that way , then maybe with weather changes we should do that? Beth </span><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'> <a href="mailto:llee@nfbct.org">llee@nfbct.org</a> [<a href="mailto:llee@nfbct.org">mailto:llee@nfbct.org</a>] <br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, February 12, 2016 9:27 AM<br><b>To:</b> Elizabeth Rival<br><b>Subject:</b> RE: guide dog to give on Thursday</span><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Beth,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>I can scan it and send it to their testimony email if that's easier.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Lucia <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:6.0pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt' id=replyBlockquote><div id=wmQuoteWrapper><div style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>-------- Original Message --------<br>Subject: guide dog to give on Thursday<br>From: "Elizabeth Rival" <<a href="mailto:erival@comcast.net" target="_blank"><span style='color:windowtext'>erival@comcast.net</span></a>><br>Date: Fri, February 12, 2016 9:08 am<br>To: <<a href="mailto:llee@nfbct.org" target="_blank"><span style='color:windowtext'>llee@nfbct.org</span></a>></span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Can you update this for this year’s meeting, how many copies will I need to bring with me on Thursday? Beth Dear Legislator,</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>I urge you to <b><u>oppose Senate Bill 234 as written</u></b>. I own my 3<sup>rd</sup> guide dog from the Seeing Eye school. I expect to pay for his physicals, food, and health care. I also take responsibility for my 2 retired guide dogs at home. I am 2<sup>ND</sup> Vice President of National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut, and served as president for the last 6 years. The statewide organization of blind consumers. We have learned about the detrimental effects that this bill could have on the guide dog industry. While we appreciate that some well-meaning people may have authored this language in order to help us, it has serious potential to do a lot more harm than good. Since we are not experts on other types of assistance dogs, we will not speak for the consumers of other types of assistance dogs; also called service dogs, by the same logic, we are the only ones that can speak for ourselves when it comes to guide dogs.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>SB 234 will shift the acquisition of guide dogs to being governed by a medical model. Medical service providers will then be making decisions about what types of rehabilitation services we need, which they are absolutely not trained to do. Health insurance and medical personnel need to stay out of a process that is the domain of education and rehabilitation professionals.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>SB 234 requires that guide dogs come from an “accredited, non-profit organization“, but common standards do not yet exist. ADI, (Assistance Dogs International), attempts to do this, but it falls short, especially in the areas of consumer participation and consumer advocacy and rights.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>SB 234 takes autonomy away from guide dog schools. By telling them that they must affiliate with other schools, they lose their independence and the freedom to innovate as they serve their consumers.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>SB 234 will take us away from the philanthropic funding model, which is already working quite well, and stack yet another cost onto health insurance. The system isn’t broken, and I don’t want the Connecticut General Assembly to try to fix it. The cost of obtaining a guide dog is not obstructive whatsoever for blind people, and some guide dog schools only suggest a donation. </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Right now, guide dogs are funded through charitable donations. No doctor is required to say I need one, and no unit of government says where I must go to get a dog. Please do not let SB 234 change that! Please vote against Senate Bill 234 until the language about guide dogs has been removed!</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>I am eager to be of any assistance you need.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Sincerely,</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'>Elizabeth Rival 33 Parish Drive Kensington Ct. 860 828 8378 </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'><a href="mailto:erival@comcast.net" target="_blank">erival@comcast.net</a></span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><a name="_GoBack"></a><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div></blockquote></div></body></html>