[Mn-parents] Fwd: Legislative Alert - Urgent Action Needed Regarding Braille Instruction for Blind Students

[Jennifer Dunnam]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jennifer Dunnam <jennifer.dunnam1829 at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2012 10:16:43 -0500
Subject: Legislative Alert - Urgent Action Needed Regarding Braille
Instruction for Blind Students
To: nfbmn-news <nfbmn-news at googlegroups.com>

Dear Minnesota Federationists,

Many of you have probably already seen this, but I wanted to draw your
attention to the following important info about a dear colleague
letter being circulated to strengthen braille literacy for blind
children.  We need to contact the offices of our senators to urge them
 to sign on to this letter.  Here is the specific contact for the
offices of the Minnesota senators, and below is more detail about the
attached dear colleague letter. Please help encourage both Minnesota
senators to sign on.

Senator Al Franken
Amanda Beaumont, Senior Education Counsel
(202) 224-5641, amanda_beaumont at franken.senate.gov

Senator Amy Klobuchar
Elizabeth Frosch, Legislative Assistant
(202) 224-3244, elizabeth_frosch at klobuchar.senate.gov

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Wilson, Joanne" <JWilson at nfb.org>
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:13:20 -0700
Subject: [NFBAffiliatePresidents] Legislative Alert - Urgent Action
Needed Regarding Braille Instruction for Blind Students
To: "nfbaffiliatepresidents at nfbnet.org" <nfbaffiliatepresidents at nfbnet.org>

The following message is from Jesse Hartle (jhartle at nfb.org).

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
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