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--></style></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'> [NFB-Legislative-Directors] Follow-up on Last Night's Zoom Meeting Regarding OSERS and OCR RIF<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Dear Affiliate Presidents and Legislative Directors:</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Thanks to everyone who participated in last night\u2019s call regarding the RIF at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Please read our new <a href="https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/legislative-priorities/preserving-office-special-education-and">fact sheet</a> on this topic. A Word version of the fact sheet which can be printed and taken to meetings is attached. For those of you who missed the call, you can still listen to a <a href="https://nfb-org.zoom.us/rec/share/zIgRXTEG8GptfFOylo56AtBEH00bBUhsP7ZyoFFPqSEAdw6psKDaqnTocs14S0yk.I-ItQmRPfHJOJbPc">recording of the call</a>. The passcode for the recording is: YFz&TT94.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>In summary, we are asking the twelve states who have a Republican Senator on the Senate HELP Committee (Louisiana, Kentucky, Maine, Alaska, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Carolina, Missouri, Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, and Florida) to send up to two representatives to Washington, DC to meet with that Senator. For all other Senators and for the entire House of Representatives, we are asking that you set up meetings in the state either with your Representative or with a district or state director. We are urging you to conduct all of these meetings by Friday, November 7.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Also attached are two spreadsheets: one for the House and one for the Senate. These spreadsheets are sorted alphabetically by state, then by last name of the senators or representatives. They contain the name, email address, and phone number for a senior staff member in one of the district offices. In the districts, the representatives will typically have a primary office that they will be at more frequently, and then a few satellite offices. You will need to discuss with the staffer which office will work best for the representative and you for the meeting. On the Senate side, except for the twelve states that will be traveling to Washington, DC, the goal is to have a virtual meeting. Our overarching guidelines are to try and meet with the elected official either in person or virtually, and if that isn\u2019t possible meet with a senior staff member either in person or virtually. If you need any help with the spreadsheets, or with other contact information, please contact Lindsey Walsh at <a href="mailto:lwalsh@nfb.org">lwalsh@nfb.org</a>. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Once you have conducted your meeting, please send the results of your meeting (including the names of the people you met with and any specific feedback) to Kyle Walls at <a href="mailto:kwalls@nfb.org">kwalls@nfb.org</a>. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>As we described on the call, we want to stress the local impact. As such, having constituents for a particular representative attend the meeting is strongly encouraged. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Thanks for your terrific advocacy,</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>John</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none'>John Paré</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none'>Executive Director for Advocacy and Policy</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none'>200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none'>410-659-9314, extension 2218 | </span><span style='color:black'><a href="mailto:jpare@nfb.org"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none'>jpare@nfb.org</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><a href="https://nfb.org/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;mso-ligatures:none;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=210 height=75 style='width:2.1833in;height:.7833in' id="_x0000_i1029" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/nfblogo.png" alt="National Federation of the Blind"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none'> </span><span style='color:black'><a href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;mso-ligatures:none;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 style='width:.25in;height:.25in' id="_x0000_i1030" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/facebook.png" alt=Facebook></span></a></span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none'> </span><span style='color:black'><a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;mso-ligatures:none;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 style='width:.25in;height:.25in' id="_x0000_i1031" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/twitter.png" alt=Twitter></span></a></span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none'> </span><span style='color:black'><a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;mso-ligatures:none;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 style='width:.25in;height:.25in' id="_x0000_i1032" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/youtube.png" alt=Youtube></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none'>The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation\u2019s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></body></html>