<font color='black' size='2' face='arial'>Good afternoon everyone!!
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<div>Continuing our call to action, please review the list below. If you are a constituent of one of these PA Representatives, please email Joe Drenth and me Emily Gindlesperger and let us know. We need your help.</div>
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<div>Stan Saylor - Red Lion area</div>
<div>Sheryl Delozier - Camp Hill area</div>
<div>Donna Bullock - Philadelphia area</div>
<div>Maria Donatucci - Philadelphia area</div>
<div>Matt Gabbler - Dubois area</div>
<div>Keith Greiner - Lampeter area</div>
<div>Seth Grove - York area</div>
<div>Marcia Hahn - Wind Gap area</div>
<div>Patty Kim - Steelton area</div>
<div>Stephen Kinsley - Harrisburg area</div>
<div>Leanne Krueger - Folsom area</div>
<div>Jason Ortitay - Bridgeville area</div>
<div>Peter Schwever - Allentown area</div>
<div>Rosemary Brown - East Stroudsburg area</div>
<div>Linda Schlegel Culver - Sunbury area</div>
<div>Doyle Heffley - Weissport area</div>
<div>R. Lee James - Seneca area</div>
<div>Fred Keller - Mifflenburg area</div>
<div>John Lawrence - West Grove area</div>
<div>Christopher Quinn - Harrisburg area</div>
<div>Greg Rothman - Camp Hill area</div>
<div>Jesse Topper - Bedford area</div>
<div>Ryan Warner - Harrisburg area</div>
<div>Martina White - Philadelphia area</div>
<div>Jonathan Fritz - Honesdale area</div>
<div>Clint Owlett - Wellsboro area</div>
<div>James Struzzi - Harrisburg area</div>
<div>Matthew Bradford - Norristown area</div>
<div>Marty Flynn - Scranton area</div>
<div>Sephen McCarter - Glenside area</div>
<div>Morgan Cephas - Philadelphia area</div>
<div>Carolyn Comitta - West Chester area</div>
<div>Austin Davis - Harrisburg</div>
<div>Elizabet Fiedler - Philadelphia</div>
<div>Benjamin Sanchez - Abington area</div>
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<div>Again, if your representative is listed please email Joe Drenth joe.drenth@jbtc.com and me Emily Gindlesperger skewbdobdo@verizon.net and let us know! We need you!</div>
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<div>Thank you and have a great day!</div>
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<div>Emily Gindlesperger </div>
<div>Legislative Chair</div>
<div>National Federation of the Blind of PA</div>
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<div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:10pt;color:black">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Drenth, Joe via NFBP-Talk <nfbp-talk@nfbnet.org><br>
To: 'nfbp-talk@nfbnet.org' <nfbp-talk@nfbnet.org>; NFB of Pennsylvania Capital Chapter List (pacapitalchapter@nfbnet.org) <pacapitalchapter@nfbnet.org>; Keystone Chapter List of the NFB of PA (keystonechapter@nfbnet.org) <keystonechapter@nfbnet.org>; 'nfbp-board@lists.nfbp.org' <nfbp-board@lists.nfbp.org>; pabs@nfbnet.org <pabs@nfbnet.org><br>
Cc: Drenth, Joe <Joe.Drenth@JBTC.COM><br>
Sent: Wed, Apr 24, 2019 1:13 pm<br>
Subject: [NFBP-Talk] Call To Action: Keep BBVS<br>
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<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">Hello NFB Family,</div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"><b>*** EMERGENCY *** </b></div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">The Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry is considering closing the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (BBVS). He is trying to justify it as a cost-savings measure, but he has not provided any financial proof. He is also ignoring
studies that show the tremendous harm that such an action would have on the blind and visually-impaired citizens of Pennsylvania. He needs to stop considering this as a viable option.</div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"><b>*** CALL TO ACTION *** </b></div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">We need your help to protect blindness-related services in Pennsylvania. Please share the important message “Keep BBVS” with your state legislators and the Governor’s office.
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<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">Below are talking points you can use when you call or meet with your Pennsylvania representatives and senators. They are also attached as a flyer you can hand out to concerned neighbors, friends, and any others who could help.</div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"> </div>
<h2>The Department of Labor and Industry's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation should abandon consideration of any plan to
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<h2>ELIMINATE the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services.</h2>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;"> </span></div>
<h3>1. Research shows that consolidation of blindness rehabilitation services into general rehabilitation services hurts blind clients.</h3>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">BBVS has historically been its own Bureau because of the recognition that services to blind and visually-impaired individuals need to be
highly specialized. Studies performed by Mississippi State University’s National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision found that combining blindness-related vocational rehabilitation services with general disability VR services negatively
affect the rehabilitation outcomes of blind and visually-impaired individuals and reduces the average income of those who do achieve employment.</span></div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;"> </span></div>
<h3>2. Projected cost savings is minimal; likely harm to blind clients is great.</h3>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">Closing BBVS would not save much money compared to the harm it would do, and OVR has not presented any fiscal justification for this action.</span></div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;"> </span></div>
<h3>3. BBVS provides specialized rehabilitation services distinct from the rest of OVR.</h3>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">Eliminating BBVS would negatively impact social services for blind children, students, adults, and seniors, since BBVS offers critical
opportunities for assistance, training, employment and independent living for which there are no counterparts in the general disability vocational rehabilitation program.</span></div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;"> </span></div>
<h3>4. OVR did not seek input from stakeholders regarding this plan.</h3>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal" style="background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">This option is being planned within the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation without input from the State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation,
the Advisory Committee for the Blind of Pennsylvania, the Governor's office, or the blindness community.</span></div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;"> </span></div>
<h2>Please contact your state legislators and the following offices to share your concerns about the proposal to eliminate BBVS. Also, please share phone calls made and copy all emails to
<span style="font-size:24.0pt;">KeepBBVS@nfbp.org.</span></h2>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"> </div>
<h3>Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf </h3>
<div style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">Phone: (717) 787</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">‐</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">2500
</span></div>
<div style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">Email: govcorrespcrm@pa.gov </span></div>
<div style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;"> </span></div>
<h3>Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak</h3>
<div style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">Office phone: (717) 705-2630</span></div>
<div style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">Cell phone: (717) 265-5765</span></div>
<div style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">Email: wgoleksiak@pa.gov</span></div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;"> </span></div>
<h3>Acting Executive Director of the PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Ryan Hyde</h3>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">Central Office phone: (717) 787-5244
</span></div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black;">Email:
<span style="background:white;">rhyde@pa.gov</span></span></div>
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<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">To find the names and contact information for your Pennsylvania General Assembly Representatives and Senators, visit the following web page and enter your mailing address:</div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/</div>
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<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">Thank you very much,</div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">Joe</div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">Joseph Drenth </div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">First Vice-President, NFB of Pennsylvania</div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">Pennsylvania State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation</div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal">Senior R&D Software Engineer, JBT Corporation, Automated Systems Division</div>
<div class="yiv6839448967MsoNormal"> </div>
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