[nfbmi-talk] Teach Act

Sat Jun 7 22:23:59 UTC 2014

National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
7189 Connors Rd.
Munising, MI 49862

June 6, 2014

Dear Michigan Federationists:

     I am sending a message from Lauren McLaarney concerning a
Republican blitz to be held for the Teach Act this next Monday through
Friday. Please participate in this as extensively as you can.

Sincerely,
Larry Posont
President
 National Federation of the Blind of Michigan
 (906) 387-3546
Email: president.nfb.mi at gmail.com
 Web page: www.nfbmi.org

Munising home of the beautiful Pictured Rocks.
Hi Friends,

Next week, we need everyone to mobilize for the TEACH Act! From Monday
through Friday, we will run a Republican Blitz, where everybody
contacts the Republican members of Congress from their state
delegation and urges them to cosponsor the TEACH Act, H.R. 3505 and S.
2060. The goal is to get a huge influx of cosponsors.

This is a pivotal time. The TEACH Act is non-controversial, but the
upcoming elections will limit our opportunities to pass the bill this
Congress. We truly believe this bill has a chance, so we are going to
take a real shot at trying to get this done. Consequently, we're
planning an important meeting with a higher education association to
bring the schools on board, and then plan to meet with the Chairman of
the Education and Workforce Committee to explore about our options. We
want to go into that meeting with the most cosponsors as possible,
particularly from the majority party. Currently, H.R. 3505 has
forty-two, with fifteen Republicans, twenty-seven Democrats. If we can
get thirteen more Republicans we will be at fifty-five cosponsors and
have an almost-even twenty-eight/twenty-seven breakdown. S. 2060 just
got two new cosponsors, Senators Bennet and Ayotte. We are at an even
two and two (for a total of four) and even though the Democrats are
the majority party in the Senate, we already have a few waiting in the
wings. We want to keep it even and won't send them on until we secure
a few more Republicans. Let's build on this momentum!

A few things to note:
1)      This is a BLITZ. That means we need lots of people to send
lots of emails, not just one or two people. Even if it's not your
member of Congress, if they are a Republican in your state delegation,
email them! Let's make it a digital version of the Washington Seminar,
but just limited to the Republican offices.
2)      Send your correspondence to the education staffer. If you
don't know who the education staffer is, just call the office and ask,
or shoot me an email.
3)      Know your audience. Some things are universal to advocacy,
like telling your personal story and explaining what the bill does,
but the points you emphasize to a Democrat might not be the best
points to emphasize to a Republican. For the TEACH Act, it's best to
emphasize how the guidelines are voluntary, that we are trying to help
schools better comply with the law and avoid litigation, which in turn
helps blind students, and that the industry supports the bill.
4)      Personalize your letters. Offices know a block/form letter
when they see one. I've provided a sample letter below, but please
make edits before sending. If you're from a state where a particular
school has faced a lawsuit related to this, add it in. If another
Republican from your state has cosponsored, mention it.
5)      Feel free to tweet or call, but in addition to emails rather
than as a substitute. Some sample tweets: "Blind students need access
to materials, help spur the market! Cosponsor the #TEACHAct" or "Blind
students are being left behind and schools are being sued. The
#TEACHAct is an easy fix. Will you cosponsor?" or "When blind students
get to college, we need books. Publishers support the #TEACHAct, do
you?" or "Congressman X and Congressman X have cosponsored the
#TEACHAct. Join your delegation!" or even "Support Mr. Petri before he
retires by cosponsoring #TEACHAct, a bill that improves access for the
blind in higher ed!"

I'll be sending out reminders periodically next week. I hope everyone
can help us reach our goal and we can increase the chances of passing
the TEACH Act. Let's face it, not only is the bill non-controversial,
but blind students cannot afford to wait. Thanks guys!

Cheers,
Lauren

Sample letter:

Hello [Education Staffer's first name],

I am writing on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind of
[your affiliate]. We last met with your office in January to discuss
our legislative agenda, and one of those bills was the Technology,
Education and Accessibility in College and Higher Education (TEACH)
Act, H.R. 3505/S.2060. It has been a few months so I wanted to circle
back and ask that Congressman/Congresswoman [Name] will come on as a
cosponsor. The bill is non-controversial and bipartisan - can we count
on [his/her] support?

A quick reminder: Inaccessible educational technology is creating
profound barriers to education for students with disabilities. The
TEACH Act authorizes the creation of voluntary accessibility
guidelines for instructional material so that those materials are
usable by students with print disabilities, and then incentivizes
schools to use technology that conforms to the guidelines with a safe
harbor from litigation. The goal of the guidelines is to facilitate
the equal access mandates that require schools to use accessible
materials by stimulating the creation of a viable digital marketplace.
By facilitating the national mandate and the national market, we can
provide equal access for blind students without infringing on states'
rights. This bill is appealing to those on both sides of the aisle, is
endorsed by a major industry group, and is supported by data from a
Congressionally-authorized study. The TEACH Act does not create any
new liability for schools or create any mandates on technology
companies, and reduces costs and litigation while still making
systemic change for blind students. [H.R. 3505/S. 2060] is sponsored
by [Tom Petri in the House/our Republican leader is Orrin Hatch] -
will your boss join them as a cosponsor?

Over 160,000 people, many from our state, have signed this petition on
Change.org, http://www.change.org/petitions/pass-teach-act-equal-access-to-educational-materials-for-students-with-disabilities
, showing widespread support for this modest approach to a disgraceful
problem. Blind students can't afford to wait, so please let me know if
there are questions. For more information, please visit
https://nfb.org/TEACH . Thanks, hope to hear from you!

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Lauren McLarney
Government Affairs Specialist
National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
410.659.9314 ext. 2207
LMcLarney at nfb.org