[Mdabs] FW: #Lets-Do-This: Universities Need to Hear from Us. Opposition to Accessibility is NOT OK

[Chris Nusbaum]

MDABS Members,

 

Please read NABS President Sean Whalen’s note below and tweet ACE and its member organizations this week expressing your support for equal access to education and your outrage over ACE’s groundless opposition to it. This is an issue which will have a dramatic impact on our education as well as all blind students who will come after us. Together we can make a difference! Let’s do this!

 

Chris Nusbaum, Secretary

Maryland Association of Blind Students

 

From: National Association of Blind Students [mailto:nabs at nabslink.org] 
Sent: Sunday, September 07, 2014 3:25 PM
To: Chris Nusbaum
Subject: #Lets-Do-This: Universities Need to Hear from Us. Opposition to Accessibility is NOT OK

 

Good afternoon Chris,

I am writing today with an urgent request for your assistance. Please read this message and take action. It will take less than 10 minutes and could have a dramatic impact on our education, as well as on future generations of blind students in America.

As you likely know, we in NFB are working to pass the TEACH Act to create guidelines for the accessibility of instructional materials. This effort took a huge step forward when Senator, and Education Committee Chairman, Tom Harkin included provisions of the TEACH Act in his higher education bill, which is currently working its way through the Senate. Unfortunately, and inexplicably, The American Council on Education (ACE), the largest and most influential group representing universities in the United States, has just recently gone on record opposing provisions of the TEACH Act in a letter to Senator Harkin. We need to push back, and we need to push back hard. The opposition of ACE is the only major barrier standing between us and the promise of true equality and accessibility in education. And the opposition is groundless. ACE’s letter offered no explanation as to why they oppose accessibility guidelines. The good news is that we can educate them and change their minds. But we need you to step up to the plate and make it happen. Here’s how:

ACE is an umbrella organization made up of 20 groups representing various university stakeholders in higher education. We need to publically ask ACE and it’s component organizations why they oppose accessibility guidelines by tweeting at them. Many of the organizations under the ACE umbrella are not even aware of the ACE opposition to accessibility guidelines. In fact, traffic on some higher ed blogs and lists indicates that many universities and organizations do support what we are trying to do. We need to make them aware of the ACE opposition so that they can communicate to ACE that the official ACE stance is out of whack with the positions of the component organizations. Once ACE realizes that its membership supports accessibility guidelines they will have no choice but to drop their objections to the bill.

Here’s what we need you to do sometime this week: Below you will find the names and twitter handles for ACE and all the organizations that sit on the Council. Big thanks to Kyle Shachmut of Massachusetts for compiling the list! We just need you to send a tweet asking why these organizations oppose accessibility guidelines and/or expressing why such guidelines are important for blind students. Please send your tweet @ACEducation plus one additional component organization. Of course it would be great if you would tweet at multiple organizations this week with this message. You can find sample tweets below. Stay on message, but feel free to personalize and customize your tweets or create your own. I have also provided links to President Riccobono’s blog post on the issue and an op-ed by fellow student and NFB of MA President Kyle Shachmut that was recently featured in the Boston Globe online. It would be very useful to include one of these links in your tweet so that recipients can learn more.

If you receive any response to your tweet, positive or negative, please forward it to our fabulous Governmental Affairs Specialist, Lauren McLarney so that she can follow up and work her magic.She can be reached at lmclarney at nfb.org or (410) 659-9314 ext. 2207.

I know it might not seem like a big deal to send one tweet on this issue, but these are not big corporations or Senators who receive thousands upon thousands of tweets. We in NABS number more than 800. If these organizations receive hundreds of tweets on this issue this week, it will be noticed and make a huge difference. It may will flip the opposition of ACE and clear the road for passage of this incredibly meaningful and impactful legislation. I’m going to do it, and I need you to do it too. Take a couple minutes. Stand up and raise your voice. Let ACE and its component organizations know that blind students will not tolerate baseless opposition to our accessing a full and equal education.

Sample Tweets:

@ACEducation @AAUniversities : why oppose optional #accessibility guidelines for students w/disabilities #TEACHAct goo.gl/qjvbgv

@ACEducation @EDUCAUSE: why are you against voluntary #accessibility guidelines? I deserve #equal access! #TEACHAct goo.gl/0V2rIy

Here are all the organizations and their Twitter handles. Tweet @ACEducation and as many of its component organizations as you can. Then tell your friends to do the same! Now’s our chance. Let’s make a difference!

Association
Twitter Handle
American Council on Education
@ACEducation
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers 
@aacrao
American Association of Community Colleges
@Comm_College
American Association of State Colleges and Universities
@AASCU
American Indian Higher Education Consortium
n/a
Association of American Universities
@AAUniversities
Association of Community College Trustees
@CCTrustees
Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges 
@AGBtweets (org)
@LegonAGB (its president)
Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities 
@jesuitcolleges
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
@APLU_News
Council for Higher Education Accreditation 
@CHEAnews
Council for Opportunity in Education
@COEtalk
Council of Graduate Schools
@GCSGradEd
CUPA-HR
@CUPAhr
EDUCAUSE
@EDUCAUSE
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
@HACUnews
National Association of College and University Business Officers 
@NACUBO
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities 
@NAICUheadlines
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators 
@nasfaa
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) 
@UNCF

Links to the 2 main articles to which we would like to direct people:

*	President Riccobono's Blog Post about ACE opposing the TEACH Act <http://www.nabslink.org/drupal/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=112&qid=17689> 
*	Kyle Shachmut (student  <http://www.nabslink.org/drupal/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=113&qid=17689> & NFB of Massachusetts) Boston Globe Op-Ed about why ACE & schools should support the TEACH Act

Sean Whalen
President, National Association of Blind Students
(608) 332-4147
Nabs.president at gmail.com
www.nabslink.org
@NABSLink

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