[NFB-DB] SSP or co-navigator program

Mon Feb 10 16:49:48 UTC 2025

Hi Stuart and All,

Amy Rowson here,

I was the one who wrote the email to the other list.

Scott Dollar, who commented earlier, and I are on the task force along with three other DB consumers, two SSP's, Beth Jordan and two members at MCDHH.

 This sample letter only asks about Funding the SSP program. Yes, the SSP program needs $600,000. So, we actually need to request more than that so that we can increase the scholarship funds as well. if the bill passes and the legislature appropriate $600,000 then approximately $50,000-$75,000 would be taken out for the scholarship.

The law states that the grant given to MCDHH will pay for SPIE: Scholarship Program for Independence and Education for the above groups as well as the SSP program.

Yes, I think DB consumers, SSPS and our supporters should be contacting our representatives to let them know of the great need for more funds for the SSP program. It is also imperative that we have some parents of DB children and DB adults Who are not using the SSP program to also contact their representatives. 

 I am advocating for both the SSP program and the SPIE funds. It was in one of our meetings that Beth let us know that originally the legislature voted for the bill because of the DB children. 

below is the verbiage for the law as it is currently written.

RSMo. 161.412

Effective 28 Aug 2016
Title XI EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES

Chapter 161

161.412. Issuance of grants to deaf-blind adults and children and theirfamilies. –
Subject to appropriations, the Missouri commission for the deaf andhard of hearing shall provide grants to:

Organizations that provide services for deaf-blind children and their families. Such services may include providing family support advocates to assist deaf- blind children in participating in their communities and family education specialists to teach parents and siblings skills to support the deaf-blind children in their family;

Organizations that provide services for deaf-blind adults. Such grants shall be used to provide assistance to deaf-blind adults who are working towards establishing and maintaining independence, and

Organizations that train support service providers. Such grants shallbe used to provide training that will lead to certification of support service providers in Missouri.

The commission shall use a request-for-proposal process to award thegrants in this section. Organizations that receive grants under this section may expand the grant for any purpose authorized in this section. The total amount of grants provided under this section shall not exceed three hundred thousand dollars annually.

(L. 2016 H.B. 1696)

> EOMOn Feb 9, 2025, at 9:45 PM, Stuart Salvador via NFB-DB <nfb-db at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Eric, Stuart here.
> 
> I heard what most motivated legislators was that the funding would
> help DeafBlind youth and minors. I wasn't privy to what actually
> happened, but this is what a fellow DB contributed on another list
> about the historical approval when discussing the current advocacy
> letter being sent in Missouri to ask for more funding (note this is
> doubly second-hand information at minimum at this point, so contacting
> Beth Jordan with HKNC would likely help get closer to the source as a
> lead you could follow):
> 
> "The SSP letter doesn't address the Scholarship Program for
> Independence and Education(SPIE) funds For DeafBlind DB() children and
> their families as well asDB adults whether you are in the SSP program
> or not Which is part of the initial bill. In a previous task force
> meeting, Beth Jordan, mentioned that it was DB children receiving
> scholarship funds that sold it for the legislators in 2016. We cannot
> leave this portion out of our plea this time."
> 
> Best of luck in your advocacy!
> 
> EOM
> 
> 
>> On Sun, Feb 9, 2025 at 7:51 PM Eric Duffy via NFB-DB <nfb-db at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> I appreciate the replies I have received so far. Ohio funded $100,000 for what was to be a pilot program. In the budget currently before the legislature there is no money for this program. What did you all do to get your current funding? What strategies are you employing now? I have been working on matters of importance to the blind of Ohio for a long time, but this is the first time we are going after funding for a program so important to the DEafblind.
>> 
>> Thanks.
>> 
>> Eric
>> 
>>>> On Feb 9, 2025, at 6:12 PM, Scott Dollar via NFB-DB <nfb-db at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Eric,
>>> 
>>> Yes, Sheila is correct about Missouri.  I am aware of the situation for Missouri.
>>> 
>>> Eric, it is very important for you to review your state bill language as the way it has already written in the langage.  If you noticed as what Sheila mentioned as the language, it means it can't provide for more money for the service.  If you want your state to prrvide for more money to the SSP program, then you do need to study what the language as to have the language to be remove.
>>> 
>>> Hope this help you.
>>> 
>>> Best regards,
>>> 
>>> Scott Dollar
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Feb 9, 2025, at 4:14 PM, Shelia Wright via NFB-DB <nfb-db at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Eric,
>>> Missouri has an SSP Program but it is underfunded at $300,000. The bill that
>>> established the program in 2016, stated it was not to exceed that amount.
>>> Therefore, we are introducing a bill that removes the "not to exceed
>>> $300,000. So we can work with the Budget committee to raise funding to
>>> $600,000.
>>> It is too early to know how successful we will be at getting additional
>>> funding.
>>> Shelia Wright
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NFB-DB <nfb-db-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Eric Duffy via NFB-DB
>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 4, 2025 5:28 PM
>>> To: nfb-db at nfbnet.org
>>> Cc: Eric Duffy <peduffy63 at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: [NFB-DB] SSP or co-navigator program
>>> 
>>> The current state budget in Ohio has money for a pilot program to provide
>>> SSP services for deaf blind individuals. The program has exceeded all
>>> expectations, yet all funding for the program has been eliminated in the new
>>> Executive Budget our Governor introduced yesterday.
>>> 
>>> I am interested  in learning about other states who have SSP services as
>>> well as those who are trying to get legislative support for SSP or
>>> Co-Navigator programs.
>>> 
>>> Thank you.
>>> 
>>> Eric Duffy
>>> National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> NFB-DB mailing list
>>> NFB-DB at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> NFB-DB:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-db_nfbnet.org/sbwright95%40gmail.com
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> NFB-DB mailing list
>>> NFB-DB at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFB-DB:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-db_nfbnet.org/dollar031%40gmail.com
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> NFB-DB mailing list
>>> NFB-DB at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFB-DB:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-db_nfbnet.org/peduffy63%40gmail.com
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> NFB-DB mailing list
>> NFB-DB at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFB-DB:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-db_nfbnet.org/stuartsalvador%40gmail.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> NFB-DB mailing list
> NFB-DB at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFB-DB:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-db_nfbnet.org/amyrowson%40att.net
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfb-db_nfbnet.org/attachments/20250210/dc2c72f5/attachment.htm>