[il-talk] Support for HB2626

Thu Mar 23 23:31:55 UTC 2017

Dear Debbie,

Thank you so much for your offer! Everyone please spread the word to our
membrs who do not have computer access!

Debbie S.

-----Original Message-----
From: IL-Talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Debbie
Pittman via IL-Talk
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2017 3:35 PM
To: 'NFB of Illinois Mailing List' <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Debbie Pittman <debbiepittman99 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [il-talk] Support for HB2626

Thank you Debbie.  For those that cannot send this on their own, I would be
willing to do it for them.  If all can pass the word that I will help with
this, please pass along my phone number for those that need the help.
773-779-1856.  Let's not leave those out that do not have computers.

Debbie Pittman

-----Original Message-----
From: IL-Talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Deborah Kent
Stein via IL-Talk
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2017 2:42 PM
To: 'NFB of Illinois Mailing List'
Cc: Deborah Kent Stein; 'Illinois Association of Blind Students List'
Subject: [il-talk] Support for HB2626

Below I'm pasting a template letter regarding HB2626. Please copy and paste
it into an email and send it to your representative in the Illinois
legislator. If you have trouble finding out who your representative is,
contact Dave Meyer at datemeyer at sbcglobal.net
<mailto:datemeyer at sbcglobal.net>  or Bill Reif at billreif at ameritech.net
<mailto:billreif at ameritech.net> . Be sure to include your name, mailing
address, and email address. Thank you for your help to ensure passage of
this important piece of legislation!

Debbie Stein

Dkent5817 at att.net <mailto:Dkent5817 at att.net> 

_______________

Dear Representative: 

I write to request your support of HB2626, the Parental Rights for the Blind
Act. This bill, which was introduced by Representative Laura Fine, was voted
out of committee on March 15. Several blind parents testified on behalf of
this bill before the Domestic Relations Subcommittee on March 8, and I urge
you to vote for its passage.

As a blind person and a member of the blind community, I know that thousands
of blind people in this state and throughout the country are raising
children successfully. However, members of the public often doubt the
abilities of blind people to be good parents. HB 2626 is greatly needed. Too
often custody decisions made by the courts and DCFS in cases where one or
both parents are blind are based solely on the parent's blindness.   As
blind people, we perform the tasks of parenting by using nonvisual
techniques, just as we conduct every other aspect of our lives. Because they
do not understand how the most basic tasks can be handled nonvisually,
health care professionals, social workers, attorneys, and judges frequently
assume that parenting without sight is impossible. 

The concerns that led to the creation of Hb 2626 are far from theoretical.
Within the past few months in Illinois, a newborn child was removed from a
blind mother while still in the hospital. DCFS accused the mother of abuse
and neglect, even though the child had never left the hospital nursery. In a
recent divorce case, a sighted mother argued that her blind spouse should
not be permitted visitation with their children unless a sighted person was
present at all times. When the marriage was intact, he was frequently the
sole caregiver for the children, but his blindness was used against him
during the divorce proceedings. HB2626 would prevent DCFS from overreaching
based upon misconceptions about blindness, and it would stop estranged
spouses from employing blindness as a weapon in court.

HB2626 still protects children if blindness should be a real issue. A judge
simply would enter specific findings, and DCFS would have to provide the
blind parent with the same supportive services given to any other parent.
Right now Illinois case law holds that the ADA is inapposite when it comes
to supportive services. Therefore, a parent who could care for children if
networked into the blind parent community for mentoring and if taught
adaptive techniques may be separated from a child unnecessarily.

Senator Mulroe has committed to help with this bill in the Senate. It has
bipartisan support, as it was preintroduced by Senator Resin. Please support
children and parents who should be together in a loving household. It is
wrong to assume that blind people can't parent effectively based on the
misunderstanding of the capacity of the blind. It is bad for children and it
is bad for our state generally. Furthermore, the unnecessary removal of
children from the home is fiscally irresponsible. For humane and fiscal
reasons HB2626 is past due. Please give this bill your wholehearted support!

Respectfully,

[Name]

[Address]

[Email]

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