[NFBMI-Talk] Important legislative information for all!

[maryann murad]

Greetings Federationists,

 

This message is lengthy but of extreme importance. Attached is an excel
spreadsheet  with contact information for Senators and Representatives for
Michigan in Washington D.C. 

 

I hope you are all in great health and spirit. I write this message with an
important legislative update and call to action following our 2025
Washington Seminar. First, I want to commend all our members who attended
and represented our affiliate in the nation's capital, advocating for our
issues to our elected representatives and their aides. Your dedication is
thoroughly appreciated. During our time advocating in Washington, D.C., our
delegation actively advocated for the continued protection of legislation
that protects the rights and programs of the Blind; including the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
of 1975 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. These three pieces
of legislation ensure federal protections for blind Americans in the realms
of education, employment, public accommodation, telecommunication, and other
domains. By protecting these pieces of legislation, we can preserve programs
like vocational rehabilitation, IEP/mainstreaming options for blind students
and programs like free matter for the blind; ensuring Blind people can
continue to live productive lives.

 

Recent executive orders made by the current administration has caused
discussion about the protection of these three bills to be discussed within
the blind community directly. When executive orders were made for freezes to
be made in the VA Medical Centers based on which disciplines are determined
to be efficient, blindness rehabilitation training did not make the
exemption list. This means that graduate students who were preparing for
their internship experience at the VA around the country this Winter would
not be permitted to gain their field experience, while blind veterans would
miss out on necessary training due to this executive order. Rick May, a
Western Michigan University's Vision Rehabilitation Therapy student, was
preparing for his internship experience at the VA in Pao Alto when he
received this news. With the help of strong advocacy,  the swift efforts of
the affiliate board and countless allies; blindness rehabilitation training
has been added to the list of exemptions for VA Medical Center disciplined
training; assuring blind veterans continue to receive this needed training.

 

Though Rick and our advocacy is celebrated, it is but the beginning of our
mission to continue to advocate to protect programs and legislation that
protects the Blind. Currently, The Department of Education is sending emails
to rehabilitation training students to inform them of their program freeze
or nullification. This differs from students that are in internship.
Students that are grant recipients are currently enrolled in or taking
courses. These students can be identified in ACVREP-accredited programs in
Michigan through the type of grant they receive; including RSA training
grants for O&M and VRT,  or the OSEP grant for TVI. 

 

With the future of trainers and the rehabilitation system being challenged,
I have but a modest request. Much like the work our affiliate board modeled
in writing to our elected officials to advocate for the protection of the
internship experience at the VA Medical Center, an act that sparked a
nationwide chain reaction of training security for blind veterans; I believe
that our membership has the synergy to start the conversation about
protecting blind rehabilitation training programs under the RSA. Please use
the contact information attached  to reach out to your elected official and
senator to inform them about the protection of blind rehabilitation programs
and how it would affect blind people.

 

Robert Parsons, Jr., M. A., CRC, CVRT, LLPC

President, National Federation of the Blind of Michigan

(269) 216- 8640

www.nfbmi.org <http://www.nfbmi.org> 

"Without struggle, there is no progress." - Frederick Douglas

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