[nfb-db] Fwd: Alert! Urgent! Action Needed by this Thursday, April 2

[David B Andrews]

FYI:


 >>> "AFB DirectConnect" <blemoine at afb.net> 3/31/2009 11:39 AM >>>
AFB DirectConnect Letterhead



Alert! Urgent! Action Needed by this Thursday, April 2

Act now to seek funding for children who are deafblind.

What you can do:

    * Call your member of the House of Representatives to ask them to 
sign on to the letter from Representatives Edward J. Markey and Steve 
Israel to Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, David Obey and 
the Ranking Member, Todd Tiahrt. The letter request $5 million 
dollars in funding for important deafblindness programs.
    * To get the phone numbers of all members of the House of 
Representatives, go to 
<http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml>www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml 
or call the Capitol switchboard at 202-225-3121
    * If your Representative would like to co-sign the letter or 
needs more information, have him/her contact Mitchell Robinson in 
Rep. Markey's office at 
<mailto:Mitchell.Robinson at mail.house.gov>Mitchell.Robinson at mail.house.gov 
(225-2836) or Michael Ryan in Rep. Israel's office at 
<mailto:Mike.Ryan at mail.house.gov>Mike.Ryan at mail.house.gov (225-3335) 
no later than Thursday, April 2, 2009.

Background



    * State and regional project centers that support the deafblind 
community have not received an increase in federal appropriations in 
more than 20 years. As a result, many families miss out on important 
services for their children, such as on-site technical assistance and 
family instruction.
    * Many programs operate with personnel trained only in special 
education with no skills or competency in deafblindness leaving 
children who are deafblind at risk.
    * The modest increase of $5 million in funding, long overdue, 
would increase access to on-site technical assistance, teacher 
training, and information dissemination and training and training and 
support to educational teams.
    * Additional information is available at the Deafblind Coalition 
website (<http://www.dbcoalition.org/help.htm>www.dbcoalition.org/help.htm).
    * There will be a similar letter going out shortly on the Senate side.




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