[nfbmi-talk] Clarifying Federal Education Policy Toward Appropriateness Of Braille

[Kane Brolin]

Greetings, everybody.

This is for anyone who thinks he or she will be inspired or asked to
advocate for the educational needs of a minor student who is blind.

This morning, I met for the first time with a particular teacher of
the visually impaired (TVI) who works in the South Bend Community
School Corporation.  Her heart is in the right place, and she has been
won over philosophically to the importance of Braille, even though her
time of contact with the Federation is less than three months old.
After our meeting, this lady did forward me a letter, sent to her and
other TVIs in a mass e-mail in May of 2017 by the Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services in the U.S. Department of
Education, that clarifies definitions related to visual impairment and
that clarifies Department of Education ongoing policies regarding the
importance of Braille to those students who have visual impairment.
This 2017 communication makes reference to a prior-issued "dear
colleague letter," dated from 2013, that affirms the importance of
Braille to the educational plans pertaining to blind students.

I have attached both these pieces of electronic communication to this
e-mail, just in case anyone arguing with a school system needs
ammunition to defend the right of a blind student to have access to
competent and comprehensive Braille education.  There is some legalese
here, but I figure disseminating these letters broadly might  be of
help to somebody.

Of course, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (the IDEA
Act) could be threatened in this regard if H.R. 1120 passes through
the House of Representatives and gets adopted and passed by the U.S.
Senate.  That bill, which was introduced for the first time back in
2015, is the Alice Cogswell Anne Sullivan Macy Act (sometimes
abbreviated CEASD).  Because Federation leadership believes CEASD
waters down the language in respect to Braille's importance that
already is written adequately into the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, we should keep up the drumbeat against H.R. 1120 or
CEASD as we approach or hear from Congresspersons or Congressional
staffers in regard to that bill or to its Senate counterpart if one
gets introduced there.  See background at
https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm15/bm1511/bm151106.htm.

Enjoy.

Kind regards,

Kane Brolin
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