[il-talk] FYI letter from Mr. Clinton

Fri Jun 19 20:43:23 UTC 2009

Pattie and all,
I called the number 312-533-1333 but the voicemail box was full.
I hope it was full of messages protesting  the closing of ISVI.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Patti chang " <pattichang at att.net>
To: "NFB of Illinois Mailing List" <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, June 19, 2009 3:15 PM
Subject: Re: [il-talk] FYI letter from Mr. Clinton


> 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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