[Massachusetts-NFB] Fwd: Urgent Advocacy Needed: Federal Braille Training Grants Eliminated

Thu Sep 11 19:50:36 UTC 2025

Hi all,

I want to thank Stephen for bringing this issue to our attention! It is
certainly concerning, and  we should keep it on our radar. I agree with
Justin that we should wait for instructions from our national office on how
to proceed. I will email the listserv and post on Whatsapp if/when I
receive communication from the national legislative team on how we should
respond to this situation.

Best,
Kyra

On Thu, Sep 11, 2025 at 3:35 PM Justin Salisbury via Massachusetts-NFB <
massachusetts-nfb at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
>
>
> I would recommend holding off on taking action based on what an outside
> organization alone tells us to do. Our NFB national office may ask us to
> take action, and I personally prefer to wait until our national office has
> vetted an issue before I engage with it.
>
>
>
> In solidarity,
>
>
>
> Justin Salisbury
>
>
>
> Justin MH Salisbury, MEd, NOMC, NCRTB
>
> English Pronouns: He/Him/His
>
> Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu
>
> ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin_Salisbury
> <https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin_Salisbury&source=gmail-imap&ust=1727538746000000&usg=AOvVaw3uZJqqJkT2wSVxJDa9dD7W>
>
> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury
> <https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury&source=gmail-imap&ust=1727538746000000&usg=AOvVaw0XtyTG9WXXQ8TWe6UeU4Nz>
>
> ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1786-2786
>
>
>
> “Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”
>
> Chinua Achebe
>
>
>
> *From:* Massachusetts-NFB <massachusetts-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org> *On
> Behalf Of *stephen yerardi via Massachusetts-NFB
> *Sent:* Thursday, September 11, 2025 7:49 AM
> *To:* massachusetts-nfb at nfbnet.org
> *Cc:* stephen yerardi <spyerardi at gmail.com>
> *Subject:* [Massachusetts-NFB] Fwd: Urgent Advocacy Needed: Federal
> Braille Training Grants Eliminated
>
>
>
> Good morning all, I was going through email, and didn’t see this
> yesterday, but I am seeing this today, bringing this attention to all of us.
>
> This is sickening and sad. Also, one is right in our state. It is
> Massachusetts. And I know the woman who was doing this for a long time that
> is Sandy Smith, she was my computer instructor at Perkins, from 1997, till
> I’ve graduated in 2004.
>
> Definitely, they are saying this is call for advocacy and action.
> Wondering what we can do on this one. I wondering if NFB national will put
> out a press release or say something about it.
>
> I hope everyone is having a great day so far.
>
>
>
> Stephen Yerardi.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> *From:* Lee Sonnenberg <aer at aerbvi.org>
> *Date:* September 10, 2025 at 9:59:23 AM EDT
> *To:* spyerardi at gmail.com
> *Subject:* *Urgent Advocacy Needed: Federal Braille Training Grants
> Eliminated*
> *Reply-To:* aer at aerbvi.org
>
> 
>
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> Visually Impaired]
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>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear AER members and allies,
>
>
>
> We need your help.
>
>
>
> On September 5, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education issued
> non-continuation notices to all three national Braille Training Grants
> under the 235E Demonstration Program: Braille Training. This means that for
> the first time in decades, there will be no federal support for developing
> specialized braille training resources in the United States.
>
>
>
> The three programs that have been eliminated are:
>
>    - *California State University, Los Angeles* – focused on braille and
>    technology training
>    - *University of Massachusetts at Boston* – focused on professional
>    development across the lifespan
>    - *University of South Carolina Upstate* – focused on preparing new
>    teachers and service providers
>
> This decision impacts the entire field:
>
>    - No new training resources for Teachers of Students with Visual
>    Impairments (TVIs) to provide braille literacy to their students.
>    - No additional training for Vision Rehabilitation Therapists (VRTs)
>    to serve adults.
>    - No professional development or technology innovation to address the
>    braille literacy crisis across the lifespan.
>
> *Why This Requires Your Voice*
> Each of the three universities is pursuing its own appeal through their
> institutional channels. At the same time, AER is opening a fourth front,
> mobilizing our membership to apply direct political pressure. Unlike the
> DeafBlind campaign, this effort is more nuanced and requires personal
> outreach. The Department’s decision to terminate an entire braille program
> category cannot go unchallenged.
>
>
>
> It is also important to note: all the programs that received
> non-continuation notices this cycle were related to sensory impairments.
> This is a targeted and disproportionate impact on children and adults who
> are blind, DeafBlind, or low vision.
>
>
>
> *Action Steps*
>
>    1. Call your U.S. Senators’ offices, especially if you live in West
>    Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or
>    Texas.
>       - Ask to speak with a senior staffer in the state or district
>       office.
>       - Stress that this is not a budget issue. It is a policy choice
>       that wipes out all federal braille training programs nationwide.
>    2. Frame your message with these points:
>       - Braille is literacy. Without it, students and adults lose access
>       to education, employment, and independence.
>       - Eliminating these grants means there will be no national support
>       for specialized braille training for TVIs or VRTs.
>       - This decision harms one of the most underserved disability
>       groups, those with sensory impairments.
>       - Some projects had a strong 6-year track record of success and
>       impact.
>       - The effect is national, not local, and every state benefits from
>       the professionals trained in these programs.
>    3. Share this request with your networks. AER is working alongside our
>    sister organizations to elevate this issue.
>
>
>
> *Why Calls Matter*
> Emails are too easily ignored. Calls to state offices of U.S. Senators
> carry weight. Especially when they come from constituents. We must ensure
> that Senators, particularly Republicans in the targeted states, intervene
> directly with the Department of Education.
>
>
>
> AER stands with the California State University, Los Angeles, the
> University of Massachusetts Boston, and the University of South Carolina
> Upstate. Eliminating these grants is unacceptable. Together, we must make
> clear that braille literacy is a national priority.
>
>
>
> With urgency and appreciation,
> Lee Sonnenberg, MA
> Executive Director
> Association for Education & Rehabilitation of the Blind & Visually Impaired
>
>
>
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