[Nfbofnc] Fw: TEACH BILLS blitz

Mon Jun 23 19:00:11 UTC 2014

SHARON thanks for all your legislative work on the federal issues .

you are a trooper .

On Mon, Jun 23, 2014 at 11:17 AM, sharon_newton via Nfbofnc <
nfbofnc at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Calling All our fantastic students:
>
> Please let us know your difficulties in your schooling concerning
> accessibility  which TEACH is designed to fix.  We need these personal
> stories to use in our contacts with our reps and senators to give a human
> face to the TEACH bill.  We are counting on you!    If you will put your
> stories on ncabs.org and nfbofnc.org
> we can make sure all our NC reps and senators hear them!
>
> Sharon Newton
> Legislative Committee
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: sharon_newton
> To: rbroadnax at frontier.com ; lsm4 at ctc.net ; gl28davis at aol.com ;
> jcbarlow at swhouse@nc.rr.com ; Vaniette Huntley ; Lusi Radford ; Miriam
> Dixon Home ; Alan A. Chase GMS AA ; Boyce Locklear ; Julius Locklear ;
> tmj2 at gmail.com ; locagirl at windstream.net ; joynjesus at live.com ;
> angusparker at suddenlink.net ; foxca01 at gmail.com ; tmjnc2 at gmail.com ;
> ncabs at nfbnet.org ; nfbofnc at nfbnet.org ; sharon_newton at bellsouth.net
> Sent: Monday, June 23, 2014 12:08 PM
> Subject: Fw: TEACH BILLS blitz
>
>
> Just making sure everyone gets this - can[t take any chances!  Thank you
> for your patience!
>
> Sharon Newton
> Legislative Committee
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: sharon_newton
> To: rbroadnax at frontier.com ; lsm4 at ctc.net ; gl28davis at aol.com ;
> jcbarlow at skybest.com ; dawsonhart313 at gmail.com ; whouse at nc.rr.com ;
> Vaniette Huntley ; Lusi Radford ; Miriam Dixon Home ; Alan A. Chase GMS AA
> ; Boyce Locklear ; Julius Locklear ; tmj2 at gmail.com ;
> locagirl at windstream.net ; joynjesus at live.com ; angusparker at suddenlink.net
> ; foxca01 at gmail.com ; tmjnc2 at gmail.com ; ncabs at nfbnet.org ;
> nfbofnc at nfbnet.org ; sharon_newton at bellsouth.net
> Sent: Monday, June 23, 2014 10:11 AM
> Subject: TEACH BILLS blitz
>
>
> Hello Everyone!
>
> National wants us to "blitz" our Republican Congress in the House and
> Senate concerning the TEACH bills:  Here are the emal addresses for the
> education aides in each office, and Luaren's comments on some of these.  As
> she says below, she has visited all these offices.  She has "paved the
> way".  It is our turn now to convince our Republican reps to cosponsor
> TEACH.
> We in NC need to work especially hard concerning Virginia Foxx and Richard
> Hudson because they are on the House Education Committee.  This Committee
> has a big influence on whether or not a bill moves forward to the next
> step.  If you would like to call, please use the main Capital number
> 202-224-3121 and ask to be transferred to the office you want.  Please
> also save this email for future reference for contact s and info!
>
>
>
> Also, please begin making appointments with our Congressional aides in our
> "local offices" .  If you do not know your Congress person's local office
> call the Washington D.C. area, and they can tell you the address and phone
> number for the office.  Appointments are generally easy to get -especially
> with the aide in that office who handles education.  Ask for an appointment
> first with the Congress person, but if you cannot snap him or her, the aide
> is the next  best.  These appointments "up close and personal" give a
> "face" to the issue, and make the issue harder to ignore.  Students, we
> especially need your experiences, which TEACH is designed to fix.  If the
> office is not in your home town, you and the aide can probably close a
> convenient place for you all to meet such as a nice, quiet restaurant, for
> example.  They cover around 20 counties each so they are use to driving all
> over the place.  If you have questions or concerns please call me
> 704-334-8758.
>
>
>
> Thank you all for everything you do.  Each and every action counts!
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Sharon Newton
>
>
>
> Contact info from Lauren:
>
>
>
> Here are the education staffers. Just an FYI – I have actually already met
> with every single one of these offices. So not only is there little left
> for me to do, but a lot of communication from NC is actually all that is
> necessary to nudge them to come on the bill. Coble and McHenry have already
> cosponsored, so don’t forget to mention that. I hope you guys can make a
> blitz happen. Thanks, Sharon!
>
>
> In the Senate, your Republican Senator is Richard Burr and his staffer is
> Chris Toppings at Chris_toppings at burr.senate.gov.
>
> In the House:
>
> *Virginia Foxx - leslie.goodman at mail.house.gov, Chairwoman of the
> subcommittee
>
> *Richard Hudson - paul.horne at mail.house.gov, on the Committee
>
> Renee Elmers - adam.wood at mail.house.gov
>
> Robert Pittenger - michelle.jelnicky at mail.house.gov
>
> Walter B. Jones - bradley.ryon at mail.house.gov. FYI we just met with Brad
> last week and he was super friendly and receptive so I would keep these
> communications light, meaning no need to beat them over the head with a
> lengthy email.
>
> Mark Meadows - patrick.fleming at mail.house.gov
>
> George Holding - jason.cooke at mail.house.gov
>
>
> Below is Lauren's very informative letter about TEACH.  It is well worth
> reading.  It gives us many points to use -especially when talking with a
> Republican.
>
> Hi Friends,
>
> We are running a itz, 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 #TEACH Act” or “Blind students are
> being left behind and schools are being sued. The #TEACH Act is an easy
> fix. Will you cosponsor?” or “When blind students get to college, we need
> books. Publishers support the #TEACH Act, do you?” or “Congressman X and
> Congressman X have cosponsored the #TEACH Act. Join your delegation!” or
> even “Support Mr. Petri before he retires by cosponsoring #TEACH Act, 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
>
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
> expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
> between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want;
> blindness is not what holds you back.
>
>
>
>
>
> s
>
>
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-- 
Tim Jones
North Carolina Food Service
Fort Bragg, NC
Office:  910-396-2297
Cell:  704-491-1486