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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>google: Aaron Richmond v. Calvert County
Public Schools 2002-2003 or contact me directly anytime. Jill
Richmond</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=sepolansky@verizon.net href="mailto:sepolansky@verizon.net">SUSAN
POLANSKY</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=MDPOBC@nfbnet.org
href="mailto:MDPOBC@nfbnet.org">MDPOBC@nfbnet.org</A> ; <A
title=MDPOBC@yahoogroups.com href="mailto:MDPOBC@yahoogroups.com">MDPOBC</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, April 10, 2009 3:29
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Mdpobc] teacher program
suspended</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif">
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Greetings All,<BR>I am writing to ask that all write to the addressees
below to voice your<BR>concern about the ramifications of having overworked,
under-trained, or not<BR>available (because there are no teachers or one to a
county for example)<BR>teachers for our children. If you have a story of low
service hours, or<BR>unqualified paras doing the work, because the district
claimed they could<BR>not get a teacher (or the teacher claimed they had no
time) for example that<BR>would be great. Make it personal. Teachers: if you
are struggling to serve<BR>too large a caseload, your personal stories would
be great too.<BR>Thank you,<BR><BR>Carrie Gilmer, President<BR>National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children<BR>A Division of the <SPAN
class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_0>National Federation of the
Blind</SPAN><BR>NFB National Center: <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_1
style="CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">410-659-9314</SPAN><BR>Home
Phone: <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_2
style="CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">763-784-8590</SPAN><BR><A
href="mailto:carrie.gilmer@gmail.com"
ymailto="mailto:carrie.gilmer@gmail.com"><SPAN class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1239391532_3>carrie.gilmer@gmail.com</SPAN></A><BR><A
href="http://www.nfb.org/nopbc" target=_blank><SPAN class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1239391532_4>www.nfb.org/nopbc</SPAN></A><BR><BR>-----Original
Message-----<BR><BR><BR><BR>From: Jim Bickford [mailto:<A
href="mailto:bickford@pdx.edu" ymailto="mailto:bickford@pdx.edu"><SPAN
class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_5>bickford@pdx.edu</SPAN></A>]<BR>Sent:
Monday, April 06, 2009 3:39 PM<BR>To: TOVI: Administrative
Question<BR>Subject: [tovi] Your Support is urgently needed - <SPAN
class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_6>Portland State
University<BR>program</SPAN> is suspended.<BR>Importance: High<BR><BR>Friends,
Colleagues, Students, Parents, and all Stakeholders:<BR><BR><BR>On March 30,
2009 the provost at <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_7
style="CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">Portland State
University</SPAN> made a decision<BR>to suspend operations of the program to
prepare teachers of students who are<BR>blind or visually impaired due to the
current economic and budgetary<BR>shortfalls. Many of you are aware that
Portland State is the only teacher<BR>preparation program in the <SPAN
class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_8>Pacific Northwest</SPAN> and just
completed its 45th<BR>year preparing teachers for blind children. This
decision came as quite a<BR>shock to all of us. The provost has proposed
reviewing the program in the<BR>next 6-9 months before making a final
determination about continuance.<BR>However, for the 2009-2010 school year we
will admit no new students.<BR><BR><BR><BR>I would like to encourage each one
of you to make your concerns known to the<BR>provost and our dean and explain
the need for our program to continue. If<BR>you have had specific
personal relationships with our program, please do be<BR>personal - but the
emphasis must be on the needs of the students who will<BR>now go
unserved. Also, if you have any specific suggestions
for<BR>collaborative partnerships, we would love to hear
them.<BR><BR><BR><BR>I would also encourage you to share this e-mail with
anyone that you feel<BR>may be affected by our potential permanent
closure.<BR><BR><BR><BR>Please address your concerns to:<BR><BR>Dr. Roy Koch,
Provost
<A href="mailto:kochr@pdx.edu" ymailto="mailto:kochr@pdx.edu"><SPAN
class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_9>kochr@pdx.edu</SPAN></A> <BR><BR>Portland
State University<BR><BR>PO Box 751<BR><BR><SPAN class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1239391532_10>Portland, Oregon 97207</SPAN><BR><BR><BR><BR>and
<BR><BR><BR><BR>Dr. Randy Hitz, Dean
<A href="mailto:hitz@pdx.edu"
ymailto="mailto:hitz@pdx.edu"><SPAN class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1239391532_11>hitz@pdx.edu</SPAN></A> <BR><BR><SPAN class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1239391532_12>Graduate School of Education</SPAN><BR><BR>Portland State
University<BR><BR>PO Box 751<BR><BR>Portland, Oregon
97207<BR><BR><BR><BR>With copies to our department chair<BR><BR><BR><BR>Dr.
Leslie Munson <A
href="mailto:munsonl@pdx.edu" ymailto="mailto:munsonl@pdx.edu"><SPAN
class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_13>munsonl@pdx.edu</SPAN></A>
<BR><BR><BR><BR>Thank you for your concern.<BR><BR><BR><BR>James O. "Blue"
Bickford, Ed.D.<BR><BR>Director: Project BRAILLE <BR><BR><SPAN
class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_14>Associate Professor</SPAN><BR><BR>Program
for Visually Impaired Learners<BR><BR><BR><BR>Telephone: <SPAN
class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_15
style="CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">503-725-5495</SPAN><BR><BR>FAX:
<SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1239391532_16
style="CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">503-725-5599</SPAN><BR><BR><BR><BR>Visit
our distance learning information center at:<BR><BR><A
href="http://www.pdx.edu/sped/vil.html" target=_blank><SPAN class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1239391532_17>http://www.pdx.edu/sped/vil.html</SPAN></A> <<A
href="http://www.pdx.edu/sped-coun/vil.html" target=_blank><SPAN
class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1239391532_18>http://www.pdx.edu/sped-coun/vil.html</SPAN></A>><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Portland
State University<BR><BR>Department of Special Education<BR><BR>PO Box
751<BR><BR>Portland, Oregon
97207<BR><BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>blindkid
mailing list<BR><A href="mailto:blindkid@nfbnet.org"
ymailto="mailto:blindkid@nfbnet.org"><SPAN class=yshortcuts
id=lw_1239391532_19>blindkid@nfbnet.org</SPAN></A><BR><A
href="http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org"
target=_blank><SPAN class=yshortcuts
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id=lw_1239391532_21>http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/sepolansky%40verizon.net</SPAN></A><BR>
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