[il-talk] FYI letter from Mr. Clinton

Fri Jun 19 20:15:45 UTC 2009

Calling the Governor and your legislators is a good start. I called Matt Langer with the Governor first. 3125331333

Patti Gregory-Chang
President, NFBI
Sent from my KNFB mobile. 

-original message-
Subject: Re: [il-talk] FYI letter from Mr. Clinton
From: "Edwin Rodriguez" <conibodyworks at gmail.com>
Date: 06/19/2009 1:14 PM

For those who are more familiar with this type of issue,
Please offer us some suggestions on how to react to this news and the most 
effective way to tell the powers that be that we are against such an action 
as closing this school.
Imagine closing a school that educates the blind and deaf to become 
successful members of society and tax payers.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Patti Gregory-Chang" <pattichang at att.net>
To: "NFB of Illinois Mailing List" <il-talk at nfbnet.org>; "Illinois 
Association of Blind Students List" <iabs-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 8:57 PM
Subject: [il-talk] FYI letter from Mr. Clinton

> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Flora Dennison" <Flora.Dennison at illinois.gov>
>
> Subject: letter from Mr. Clinton
>
>
>> ** High Priority **
>>
>> June 18, 2009
>>
>>
>> Good Morning
>>
>> I wanted to write to the parents and supporters of our school due to
>> the recent events and announcements from State Government.
>>
>> Tuesday morning it was announced that as of July 1, 2009, the Illinois
>> School for the Visually Impaired will be closed due to state budget
>> woes.  I realize that times are tough across the state.  We all have
>> felt it in our own personal situations and have made choices to reduce
>> our spending to make ends meet.  It appears that the State of Illinois
>> is going to make an attempt in some manner to do the same.  But right
>> now it is not a cooperative effort among state leaders, which has lead
>> to the announcement regarding ISVI.  I wish I had further information to 
>> share with you regarding details of
>> the cuts to be made beyond what has been published on the State of
>> Illinois web site.  But at this time I don't.  I only have the
>> information that is available to the public by visiting that web site. 
>> Thus, I can verify that ISVI has been named on a list to be closed July
>> 1, 2009, but I don't have any further information or verification.
>>
>> I write this letter to you because I am concerned for our school and
>> hope that everyone is doing what you can to voice your concerns about
>> the possible closure.  I have been asked if this really will happen?  I
>> can't answer that question as I am not one of those who will make that
>> decision.  What I can tell you is that in the past rumors and rumblings
>> have been made about consolidating our school or doing some other sort
>> of reduction in services.  But those situations were always of a verbal
>> nature.  This time it has been put in black and white, ink on paper, and
>> is there for all to see.  Not a rumor, but a proposal that has been
>> submitted.  That is a first.  Thus, it raises the level of concern.
>>
>> We all have decisions to make in this situation regarding what personal
>> action we need to take.  I trust each person reading this letter has
>> thought through this and has already taken some type of action, as is
>> the legal right of every tax-paying citizen in the State of Illinois. For 
>> us to sit quietly to a side and watch services and programs for our
>> students and children be dismantled would be the same as agreeing to
>> close ISVI.  I personally do not agree with that concept.  Thus, as a
>> citizen of Illinois I will do what I can on my own time to ensure this
>> does not happen.
>>
>> In closing, below I have copied a letter to the editor from the
>> Jacksonville Journal Courier.  This is the local newspaper here in
>> Jacksonville and I think this letter sums things up pretty well.  Thank
>> you for your past, present and future support of ISVI and the
>> opportunities we provide to students from across the State of Illinois!
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Reggie Clinton
>>
>> Jacksonville Journal-Courier
>> EDITORIAL: Schools are more than Jacksonville institutions; they are
>> part of community
>> Wholesale closing of beneficial programs is wrong approach for state to
>> take
>> June 17, 2009 - 10:34 AM
>> JOURNAL-COURIER STAFF The words were delivered from Springfield with 
>> painful but clinical
>> precision: "Cut funding for state-provided services by $232
>> million."  In the middle of the four-item list from the
>> governor's office was the proposed shuttering of the Illinois
>> School for the Deaf and the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired.
>> It was - and still is - a take-your-breath-away moment, a time when
>> saying "oh, no" and wrinkling the forehead in disbelief is an
>> understatement. Looking at the move from cold unemotional numbers, it
>> seems just a pittance of the $9.2 billion hole into which the budget has
>> sunk. Closing the Jacksonville institutions would save the state an
>> estimated $18 million. We cannot be unemotional. This is more than a
>> line item in a financial ledger. These are people who desparately need
>> specialized services offered at the schools to build their own
>> self-sufficiency. These are schools that are a part of Jacksonville's
>> community fabric. The loss of either would be devastating to the city,
>> which has been the benefactor of the economic and cultural impact of the
>> schools. Both facilities have been embraced with a warm acceptance and a
>> willingness to integrate unique lifestyles. Closing the schools would be
>> painful to Illinois' deaf and visually impaired students and families.
>> The School for the Visually Impaired brings school-age people to its
>> 18-acre campus for an education that goes beyond what could be offered
>> in most environments. The school also offers outreach programs that
>> start as early as infancy. The same for the School for the Deaf, which
>> has grown to a 50-acre campus since founded in 1839, offers similar
>> programs for the deaf or hard of hearing. Most important is the
>> self-sufficiency these schools help bring to students. That can't be
>> defined by a price tag. Sure, we've heard the cry-wolf tactics before.
>> In fact, it has grown tedious to hear the cacophonic tales of "we
>> said/they said" and know it comes at the expense of real progress. But
>> this seems serious.  What is at risk is clear: State agencies would
>> suffer and, in turn, so would the people and families who rely on such
>> services. It's a double-edged sword. While we believe lawmakers need
>> to make sure the state lives within its means like any individual or
>> business would be expected to do, the depth of the cuts being discussed
>> seems almost spiteful at this point. Times are tough on the economic
>> front. Less money is coming into the state and expenses are on the rise.
>> We know, we get it - our wallets have been hit hard, too. In some
>> cases, we've had to make adjustments to live within our means, and we
>> recognize the state could do a better job of that. But the wholesale
>> slaughter of programs without careful evaluation or, even worse, just
>> ignoring the problem until it "goes away," is a wrong-headed
>> approach that demonstrates a lack of leadership needed more than ever in
>> these turbulent times.
>>
>>
>>
>
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