[nfb-talk] Fw: Final CALL-TO-ACTION Package: SEND NOW!

Wed Apr 22 11:22:46 UTC 2009

Small correcdtion:
Andrew Pepin is the "Acting Assistant Secretary" of OSERS
 

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Amber Boggs
Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 7:16 PM
To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfb-talk] Fw: Final CALL-TO-ACTION Package: SEND NOW!


>I have been asked to circulate the following:


Dave


>----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick Boggs" <rick-b at vitac.com>
>To: "'Rick Boggs'" <rick at rickboggs.com>
>Cc: "'Amber'" <amber at amberboggs.com>; "'Chris Snyder'"
><chris at chris-snyder.com>; "'Jack Patterson'" <onespurinc at yahoo.com>; 
>"'Teri Grossman'" <terigrossman at earthlink.net>
>Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 7:15 AM
>Subject: Final CALL-TO-ACTION Package: SEND NOW!
>
>
>>Please spread the word.  All parties interested in supporting equal 
>>access to education for blind students and jobs for adults with 
>>disabilities ought to receive this call to action letter and should 
>>immediately respond by using the "sample demand letter" as a template 
>>to contact all of the critical administrators and legislators who can 
>>reinstate the grants.
>>
>>Thanks for your help.
>>
>>Rick Boggs
>>www.rickboggs.com
>>
>>Word Doc's Attached
>>
>>Attention Advocate:
>>
>>I am writing to ask you to take action on an important, time sensitive 
>>matter concerning education of blind students and employment of people 
>>with vision loss and other disabilities. With respect for your time, 
>>this summary will be brief and somewhat general.  For more detailed 
>>information, please contact me directly.
>>
>>The federal Department of Education, DOEd, normally provides the ONLY 
>>funding used to make educational videos for students accessible for 
>>students who are blind.  The DOEd annually funds grants which pay 
>>audio description producers to add audio description to educational 
>>videos, so that students with visual impairments will have equal 
>>access to the information.  Under somewhat unusual circumstances, the 
>>new grants which were announced for
>>2009
>>have suddenly vanished from the DOEd website.  It is urgent that 
>>community leaders such as yourself immediately contact  key 
>>Congressional representatives and demand that the audio description 
>>grants be reinstated.
>>The unprecedented last minute withdrawal of the grant RFPs announced 
>>in December 2008 will negatively impact blind students in K-12 
>>classrooms and will cost people with disabilities their jobs in media 
>>production.  In these difficult times, when the Secretary of the 
>>Department of Education tells the Washington Post about the new record 
>>high funding for education that has been included in the economic 
>>stimulus program, why would the DOEd suddenly cut a few million 
>>dollars, effectively diminishing the quality of education for blind 
>>kids and costing people with disabilities their jobs?  Some 
>>inexplicable politics inside the DOEd could possibly be the cause for 
>>this sudden, unexpected change of budget priorities, but with enough 
>>loud voices speaking up immediately, we can restore the grant program 
>>to what Congress intended it to be.
>>
>>In December 2008, the Department of Education announced that an 
>>application period for new competition grants to provide audio 
>>description for educational videos for blind students would begin in 
>>March 2009.  At the last minute, in early March, the announcement 
>>suddenly disappeared.
>>Ordinarily, the grant status would be posted as "canceled" if the 
>>program were eliminated for some reason.  Whatever the cause for the 
>>last minute change in budget priorities, we MUST INSIST that blind 
>>students NOT be left out of the benefits realized from the newly 
>>doubled DOEd budget, now $100 BILLION.  As a totally blind producer of 
>>audio description, I will have to cancel my plans to hire several 
>>blind or disabled professionals, if the grants are not reinstated 
>>soon.  Please join me in calling, emailing, and writing to the 
>>legislators who can make a difference and correct this oversight.  
>>Please find the enclosed/attached sample letter demanding 
>>reinstatement of the audio description grants and requesting an 
>>investigation into the DOEd procedures that lead to this destructive 
>>decision.  Contact information for key legislators is also provided 
>>for your convenience.  I am asking that you specifically contact the 
>>Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, the Assistant Secretary of 
>>Education, Andrew J.
>>Pepin, and the chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, 
>>George Miller.  We should also send an email to the Special Assistant 
>>to the President on Disability Policy, Kareem Dale (who is also 
>>blind).  Please find the enclosed list of House Representatives to 
>>facilitate contacting your local Representative as well.  DOEd 
>>information about the grants in question is included below, along with 
>>contact info for the individuals previously mentioned.
>>
>>Thank you for your immediate action supporting this effort to 
>>reinstate new competition grants for audio description of educational 
>>materials for students with visual impairments.
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>Rick Boggs
>>Mobile: 818-439-9698
>>www.rickboggs.com
>>www.AccessibleClassroomVideos.org
>>Postal:
>>9250 Reseda Blvd #2b-107
>>Northridge, CA 91324
>>
>>
>>DOEd Grant Details:
>>The following information was listed on the Department of Education's 
>>Forecast of Funding Opportunities.
>>Program Office:
>>Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) CFDA Number: 84.327 
>>Program Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grants, Contracts, Cooperative 
>>Agreements Also Known As:
>>Technology and Media Services for Individuals with Disabilities; also 
>>known as Special Education-Technology Development, Demonstration, and 
>>Utilization; Media Services; and Instructional Materials.
>>PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
>>The purpose of this program is to: (1) improve results for children 
>>with disabilities by promoting the development, demonstration, and use 
>>of technology; (2) support educational media services activities 
>>designed to be of value in the classroom setting to children with 
>>disabilities; and (3) provide support for captioning and video 
>>description that is appropriate for use in the classroom setting.
>>TYPES OF PROJECTS
>>This program supports technology development, demonstration, and 
>>utilization. Educational media activities, such as video descriptions 
>>and captioning of educational materials, also are supported.
>>
>>KEY Contact Information:
>>U.S. Department of Education: Promoting Educational Excellence for all 
>>Americans
>>
>>Secretary, U.S. Department of Education ARNE DUNCAN First Name: ARNE 
>>Last Name: DUNCAN Primary Phone: (202) 401-3000 Principal Office: (OS) 
>>Office of the Secretary Department of Education Organizational 
>>Structure and Offices E-Mail Address:
>>arne.duncan at ed.gov
>>Location
>>Region: HEADQUARTERS
>>Building Name: LBJ EDUCATION BUILDING
>>Building Address: 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202 Room 
>>Number: 7W311
>>
>>Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education ANDREW JOSEPH PEPIN 
>>First Name: ANDREW Middle Name: J.
>>Last Name: PEPIN
>>Primary Phone: (202) 245-7632
>>Principal Office: (OSERS) Office of Special Education and 
>>Rehabilitative Services Department of Education Organizational 
>>Structure and Offices E-Mail Address:
>>Andrew.Pepin at ed.gov
>>Location
>>Region: HEADQUARTERS
>>Building Name: POTOMAC CENTER PLAZA
>>Building Address: 550 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20202 Room 
>>Number: 5106
>>
>>The Honorable George Miller Chair
>>Committee on Education and Labor
>>Office Phone: (202) 225-2095
>>Email form on website:
>>http://georgemiller.house.gov/
>>2181 Rayburn House Office Building
>>United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515
>>
>>Kareem Dale
>>Disabilities Consultant to the President
>>Email: Kareem_A._Dale at who.eop.gov