[Mn-abs] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - Urgent Action Needed Regarding Braille Instruction for Blind Students

[Minnesota Association of Blind Students]

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Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Kuhnke, Kristian" <KKuhnke at nfb.org> (by way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)
> Date: 19 April 2012 20:08:40 CDT
> To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - Urgent Action Needed Regarding 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: 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"
> 
> 
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