[Nfbmt] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] Petition on Change.org

[sheila]

i signed it. thanks.
On 2/4/2014 6:54 PM, Dan Burke wrote:
> Guys,
>
> This petition is now over 80,000 signatures in onlhy ten days or so.
> It's jumped by 30,000 just since yesterday.
>
> Please go and sign the petition and shaore with others!
> Dan
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "McLarney, Lauren" <LMcLarney at nfb.org>
> Date: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 16:44:07 -0600
> Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Petition on Change.org
> To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
>
> Federation family,
>
> Less than a week after a fun and successful
> Washington Seminar, I already have good news to
> report.  The National Association of Blind
> Students has initiated a petition on Change.org
> in support of the TEACH Act, something I'm sure
> many of you have already heard about and signed,
> and it already has over 49,000
> signatures!  According to our contact at
> Change.org, it is one of the biggest legislative
> petitions on the site.  So please help us reach
> 50,000 by circulating this
> URL:
> <https://www.change.org/petitions/pass-teach-act-equal-access-to-educational-materials-for-students-with-disabilities>https://www.change.org/petitions/pass-teach-act-equal-access-to-educational-materials-for-students-with-disabilities,
> urging your family, friends and associates to
> sign the petition, or you can forward Jamie
> Principado's letter (found below), which will
> also direct people to the site.  How many times
> have we talked about the problem of inaccessible
> instructional materials, or any problem facing
> blind people, and heard someone say "I wish there
> was something I could do!"? Well this is
> something tangible and effective that they can
> do, and it takes little to no time.  When anyone
> signs this petition, it sends a letter to the
> House of Representatives urging them to support
> the bill - which means every signature makes a
> big difference.  So don't be afraid to send this
> to contacts outside of the Federation!  I hope to
> send an update again soon with more good news as
> the number of signatures goes up, so stay tuned!
>
> Jamie's letter for circulation:
>
> As a blind high schooler, I couldn't just apply to my top colleges -- I had
> to make sure that classes were going to be made accessible for me, and I was
> excited to attend Florida State University because they had a great program
> for training teachers of the blind.
>
> But when I started classes at FSU, I quickly found out that the school
> didn't have the accessible tools I needed to learn and complete all my work.
> My online classes weren't compatible with my screen reader and I couldn't
> access materials in any of my math or biology classes. I struggled for three
> years, and eventually decided to change schools.
>
> I sued FSU for failing to meet state and federal disability laws, but I
> don't want other blind students like me to experience what I had to go
> through. I started a petition on Change.org asking Congress to pass the
> TEACH Act to make sure that all students with disabilities have equal access
> to learning. Click here to sign my petition.
>
> <https://www.change.org/petitions/pass-teach-act-equal-access-to-educational-materials-for-students-with-disabilities?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=47365&alert_id=RkCCbPkptw_FLqojRRJbb>https://www.change.org/petitions/pass-teach-act-equal-access-to-educational-materials-for-students-with-disabilities?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=47365&alert_id=RkCCbPkptw_FLqojRRJbb
>
>
> When I approached the administration at FSU about the inaccessible
> materials, they suggested I try an "easier" major instead of trying to help
> me and other students with disabilities. I felt like the school was
> punishing me instead of trying to help me learn.
>
> That's why I believe in the TEACH Act. While federal laws require colleges
> to only deploy accessible materials, they were written before technology
> became part of the classroom, so schools like FSU have no direction for how
> the laws apply to students like me. The TEACH Act creates much-needed
> guidelines illustrating how schools can provide instructional technology
> that is usable for students with disabilities.
>
> I believe that public support of the TEACH Act through my petition will show
> members of Congress that constituents around the country believe there is an
> urgent need for this. But they won't do it without you.
>
> Sign my petition demanding that Congress pass the TEACH Act, creating
> guidelines for schools to protect equal access in the classroom for blind
> students.
>
> <https://www.change.org/petitions/pass-teach-act-equal-access-to-educational-materials-for-students-with-disabilities?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=47365&alert_id=RkCCbPkptw_FLqojRRJbb>https://www.change.org/petitions/pass-teach-act-equal-access-to-educational-materials-for-students-with-disabilities?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=47365&alert_id=RkCCbPkptw_FLqojRRJbb
>
>
> Thank you for your support.
>
> Jamie Principado
>
> Lauren McLarney
> Government Affairs Specialist
> NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
> 200 East Wells St.
> Baltimore, MD 21230
> (410) 659 9314 ext. 2207
> <mailto:lmclarney at nfb.org>lmclarney at nfb.org
>
>
>
>
>
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