<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><br><br><div dir="ltr">Sent from my iPhone</div><div dir="ltr"><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><b>From:</b> Amy Porterfield via Nfbaz-news <nfbaz-news@az.nfb.org><br><b>Date:</b> February 22, 2023 at 1:20:25 PM MST<br><b>To:</b> nfbaz-news@az.nfb.org<br><b>Cc:</b> Amy Porterfield <APorterfield@saavi.us><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[Nfbaz-news] Urgent Legislative call to Action SB1402</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> webmaster@az.nfb.org<br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr">
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<p class="MsoNormal">Hello Federationist,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As you are aware SB 1402 is circulating through the Arizona Senate that would change the Arizona school for the Deaf and Blind to a school that serves all people with disabilities.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This would eliminate any specialized blindness education from the school and destroy the fabric of its educational purpose.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We appreciate your support as we worked to educate the Rules committee. Unfortunately, the bill passed out of that committee, and it appears to be fast tracked through the senate.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are asking for your urgency in sending your letter opposing SB 1402 to your senator, as well as to three republican senators who can help us turn the tide on this destructive legislation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To look up your district please visit <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Azleg.gov. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The senators to write in addition to your own are:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">District 1: Senator Ken Bennett <a href="mailto:KBENNETT@azleg.gov">
KBENNETT@azleg.gov</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">District 2: Senator Steve Kaiser <a href="mailto:SKAISER@azleg.gov">
SKAISER@azleg.gov</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">District 14: Senator Thomas T.J. Shope <a href="mailto:TSHOPE@azleg.gov">
TSHOPE@azleg.gov</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here is a sample letter you can use as you craft your own.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Dear Senator,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">My name is --- and I am a member of the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind is a specialized school providing dedicated and specific educational programming targeting the specific needs for students who are deaf, blind, or who are Deafblind.
Serving these populations require specific and targeted teacher competency and curriculum and are completely unduplicated in any other setting.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Expanding the definition of student eligibility to other types of disabilities without the existence of blindness, deafness, or those with combined hearing and vision loss, Eliminates the specialized learning
environment for students with visual, or hearing impairments.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Please include a personal statement. Here are a couple of examples.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As a student who attended a specialized school for the Blind, I received hands on learning with other blind students where we all learned in a tactile non-visual manner. These specialized skills allowed me
to learn the critical STEM concepts I needed in a specialized way. I learned Orientation and Mobility which allowed me to travel independently in college and all aspects of life using my long white cane. When I learned Braille, I gained the literacy I needed
to attend college and in all areas of life in literacy. Expanding the definition will change the learning environment so that blind students no longer have the dedicated learning environment they need to gain the fundamental educational building blocks they
need and deserve.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">If you did not attend a school for the blind, you could say:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As a blind person, I know the importance of specialized blindness skills like Braille, cane training, and hands on learning to gain important concepts in math and science. If you include all other disabilities,
you take away the learning environment blind students need to gain the fundamental educational building blocks they need.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">We thank you for your advocacy as we work to stop this distructive peace of legislation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Amy Porterfield, She/Her<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">President,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Saavi Services for the blind<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">520-795-1331 EXT 321<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:aporterfield@saavi.us"><span style="color:blue">aporterfield@saavi.us</span></a><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.saavi.us/"><span style="color:blue">www.saavi.us</span></a><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Expect More,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Achieve More,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Become more</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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