[MDPOBC] need parents and families to write short letter to senators for our equal education access for blind students bill in Maryland by today

Mon Feb 21 20:27:23 UTC 2022

Hello families, 

Today is the last day to send letters asking senators to support SB617 the
Accountability Act for Successful K-12 Education. Tell the senators that
blind and other students with disabilities need the same access to education
that non-disabled students have. 

Below is a link to a video explaining how inaccessible software harms
students. Attached is the fact sheet to the bill which explains the solution
to the problem. In short, the bill will require local school systems to
establish a process to evaluate the accessibility of instructional
technology and digital content that it is considering for purchase and
requires the state Department of Education to annually publish the progress
of all local school systems concerning accessibility on its website. In
addition, liability is imposed upon developers who sell in access software
to local school districts.    

Here is the video: 

https://youtu.be/J7tQr2YeoXM 

Also, at the end of this email is an example letter that you can follow when
writing yours. We need these letters by today for the committee hearing on
the 24 of February. 

Here is the list of who to write to. The email address is
firstname.lastname at senate.state.md.us
<mailto:firstname.lastname at senate.state.md.us> 

Everyone should write to the chairman of the Education, Health, and
Environmental Affairs Committee: Senator Paul Pinsky.

If you live in Anne Arundel County, write to Senator Edward Rilley and
Senator Bryan Simonaire.

If you live in Baltimore City, write to Senator Mary Washington.

If you live in Baltimore County, write to Clarence Lan.

If you live in Carroll County, write to Senator Katiefry Hester.

If you live in Charles County, write to Senator Arthur Ellis.

If you live in Cecil County, write to Senator Jason Gallion.

If you live in Harford County, write to Senator Jason Gallion.

If you live in Howard County, write to Senator Clarence Lan.

If you live in Montgomery County, write to Senator Cheryl Kagan.

If you live in PG County, write to Senator Obie Patterson.

If you live in Worcester or Wicomico Counties, write to Senator Marybeth
Carozza.

Example letter

The first and third paragraphs can be copied from the example. The second
paragraph is for you to share your experience and your child's experience
with inaccessible educational software. 

Dear Senator last name:  

I urge you to vote for SB 617, the Accountability Act for Successful K-12
Education. In short, the bill will require local school systems to establish
a process to evaluate the accessibility of instructional technology and
digital content that it is considering for purchase and requires the state
Department of Education to annually publish the progress of all local school
systems concerning accessibility on its website. In addition, liability is
imposed upon developers who sell in access software to local school
districts. The bill is being considered by the Education, Health, and
Environmental Affairs Committee on Thursday February 24, 2022.     

   I currently reside in Baltimore City and have a blind seven-year-old
daughter in the first grade. Since the start of the pandemic, the school
district has implemented more learning management software than ever before.
Many of the programs used are not accessible, for example Amplify, I-ready,
ABCya, and Clever. Because the software is inaccessible, my daughter must
reread the same braille books or review the same math problems on notecards
whenever students work on these programs in class. During the closure of
schools at the start of the pandemic, my own blindness prevented me from
helping my daughter take a reading assessment. I had to acquire a reader to
help administer the assessment because of the inaccessibility of the
district's learning platform. 

It is without question the benefits of these software programs. Those
benefits though, are only available to students who can see. Please support
SB617, blind and other students with disabilities need the same access to
education that non-disabled students have.  

Respectfully: 

James Garret Mooney 

Address line 1

Address line 2

(480) 433-8003 

james.garret.mooney at gmail.com

Garret 

James G. Mooney, Esq

President, Maryland Organization of Parents of Blind Children 

(480) 433-8003 

james.garret.mooney at gmail.com

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