[Mdpobc] FW: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - Urgent Action NeededRegarding Braille Instruction for Blind Students

[Trudy Pickrel]

Please. I encourage all to call. 

Trudy L Pickrel
President MD Parents Blind Children
Owner TLC by the Lake poodles

On Apr 23, 2012, at 6:14 PM, "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:

> Not sure if you got this, but this is great news.  Please contact 
> your Senators as soon as possible!
> 
> Chris Nusbaum
> 
> 
> From: "Kuhnke, Kristian" <KKuhnke at nfb.org> (by way of David 
> Andrews<dandrews at visi.com>)
> To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
> sent: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:08:40 -0500
> Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - Urgent Action 
> NeededRegarding Braille Instruction for Blind Students
> 
> 
> Fellow Federationists:
> 
> I am writing to inform you of a Dear Colleague letter that was
> circulated yesterday by Senators Murray, Boozman, and Harkin 
> related
> to the instruction of Braille for blind students.
> 
> We have been working with Senator Murray on this issue, and are
> excited that the letter was released for other Senators to sign 
> onto
> in support.  As you know many blind students are not receiving
> Braille instruction today, despite the language contained in the
> Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which states 
> that
> Braille will be the primary reading media for blind
> students.  Senator Murray will hold her letter open through 
> Friday,
> April 27, for other senators to sign onto, and then she will send 
> the
> letter to the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
> 
> Attached is a copy of the Dear Colleague letter that was
> circulated.  We are asking you to contact your senators and urge 
> them
> to join with Senators Murray and Boozman in support of 
> instruction of
> Braille for blind students.  Also attached is a state-by-state 
> list
> of contacts for this issue.  Please note that Republican offices
> should contact Ian Prince in Senator Boozman's office, while
> Democrats should be directed to Jake Cornett in Senator Murray's
> office.  We are pleased that Chairman Harkin of the Senate 
> Committee
> on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and Senator Mikulski 
> of
> Maryland have already joined as cosigners of the Dear Colleague 
> letter.
> 
> Please contact me with any questions you may have.  Thank you all 
> in
> advance for your work on this important issue for blind students.
> 
> Jesse
> 
> Jesse Hartle
> National Federation of the Blind
> Government Programs Specialist
> Phone: 410-659-9314, Ext.  2233
> Email: <mailto:jhartle at nfb.org>jhartle at nfb.org
> 
> 
> Content-Type: application/msword; name="Dear Colleague - Cosign 
> Bipartisan"
>  Braille Literacy Letter to Duncan.doc"
> Content-Description: Dear Colleague - Cosign Bipartisan Braille 
> Literacy
>  Letter to Duncan.doc
> Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="Dear Colleague - 
> Cosign"
>  Bipartisan Braille Literacy Letter to Duncan.doc"; size=27648;
>         creation-date="Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:58:38 GMT";
>         modification-date="Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:59:16 GMT"
> 
> 
> 
> <Dear Colleague - Cosign.doc>
> <Senate Education Contacts.doc>
> <attachment>
> <ATT00001>