[NFBC-Info] Write thank you letters to Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva and bring them to convention

[Shannon Dillon]

Hi all,
Below are a couple of sample letters you can use to thank Assembly
Member Sharon Quirk-Silva for sponsoring AB 947, the mobility bill.
Write and sign your letter using the information below. If you bring
your written and signed letter to me, Shannon Dillon, at the 2019 NFBC
convention, I'll put your letter with others and send them or bring
them to Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-Silva. Please see the information
below. The same information is attached.

I'll also copy some information about the bill that may help you write
your letter. Look under the section starting with NEW RIGHTS FOR YOUR
CHILD.

WRITE TO SAY “THANKS”!

Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-Silva authored
AB-947
CALIFORNIA’S NEW ECC/O&M bill:
"Visually impaired pupils: expanded core curriculum"
California Education Code, Chapter 778,  Sections 56353 and 56354
Effective January 1, 2020

Assembly Member Quirk-Silva deserves our heartfelt thanks.
Please help your students write and send thank-you letters through the
US mail to her office:

Capitol Office:
Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva
65th Assembly District
State Capitol, Room 6012
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0065

District Office:
Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva
65th Assembly District
1440 N. Harbor Boulevard, Suite 270
Fullerton, CA 92835

Include:
•	Personal stories of success
•	Handwritten letters
•	Parents, TVIs, O&Ms and administrators:  please write also

SAMPLE LETTER FROM YOUNG STUDENTS:

Dear Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-Silva,
I am a student in the ___ grade.  Thank you for your hard work on
AB-947.  The new law will help me learn how to _________.  It is very
important to me.  Please keep helping us children in California.

Sincerely,


SAMPLE LETTER FROM OTHERS:

Dear Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-Silva,

I am a (student in the ____ grade/parent of a blind/visually impaired
child, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Orientation & Mobility
Specialist, etc).  I am writing to express my sincere thanks for
authoring AB-947 and for all your hard work in getting it signed into
law.  This law,  "Visually impaired pupils: expanded core curriculum",
will help blind and visually impaired students throughout California
get the specialized education they need to prepare for adult life.
This is critically important to me/my child/our children/our family.
It benefits communities throughout California, and it showcases
California as a model for other states.

Thank you so much for your support!

Sincerely,



NEW RIGHTS FOR  YOUR CHILD!


As of January 1, 2020:

•School districts, county offices of education, and charter schools
are “authorized” to


•“consider elements of the Expanded Core Curriculum” when assessing
and when providing services to students with visual impairment.  This
means students can received assessment and specialized instruction if
needed in


•Functional Academics and Assistive Technology by a Teacher of the
Visually Impaired (TVI);


•O&M by an O&M Specialist; and


•Social Interaction, Independent Living, Recreation & Leisure Skills,
Career Education, Sensory Efficiency, and Self-Determination by either
a TVI or O&M.


•O&M evaluations must


•be conducted by “appropriately certified specialists” (O&M Specialists)


•be designed, according to student need, to be done in


•“familiar and unfamiliar environments”,


•“varying lighting conditions” (especially for students with night
blindness), and


•“home, school, and community”.


•O&M services are permitted “before or after school hours” (for
students with vision-related needs that cannot be provided during
school hours).


•The education agency must provide “effective transportation” for
community-based O&M instruction.






-- 
SHANNON L. DILLON
Secretary and Legislative Coordinator
National Federation of the Blind
of California
The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and
friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind.
Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they
want.
www.nfbcal.org
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