[Nfbwv-talk] FW: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - Urgent Action Needed Regarding Braille Instruction for Blind Students

Fri Apr 20 22:48:51 UTC 2012

I did it first thing this morning and have requested that other chapter
members follow suit.  We'll keep on them.  You know that Braille is one of
my passions.

Joyce

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwv-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwv-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Smyth, Charlene R
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2012 9:53 AM
To: NFB of West Virginia Discussion List
Subject: [Nfbwv-talk] FW: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - Urgent
Action Needed Regarding Braille Instruction for Blind Students

Dear Fellow Federationists, 

I am writing to request and urge that you read the message below from Jesse
Hartle and then do as he asks.  

In hopes to make things easier for you, I have cut and pasted after Jesse's
message the contact information for our senators as well as the letter Jesse
attached so you won't have to bother with opening the attachments.  

Charlene

From: nfbnet-members-list-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfbnet-members-list-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kuhnke,
Kristian
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2012 9:09 PM
To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - Urgent Action Needed
Regarding Braille Instruction for Blind Students

Fellow Federationists:

I am writing to inform you of a Dear Colleague letter that was circulated
yesterday by Senators Murray, Boozman, and Harkin related to the instruction
of Braille for blind students.  

We have been working with Senator Murray on this issue, and are excited that
the letter was released for other Senators to sign onto in support.
As you know many blind students are not receiving Braille instruction today,
despite the language contained in the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), which states that Braille will be the primary reading
media for blind students.  Senator Murray will hold her letter open through
Friday, April 27, for other senators to sign onto, and then she will send
the letter to the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.  

Attached is a copy of the Dear Colleague letter that was circulated.  We are
asking you to contact your senators and urge them to join with Senators
Murray and Boozman in support of instruction of Braille for blind students.
Also attached is a state-by-state list of contacts for this issue.  Please
note that Republican offices should contact Ian Prince in Senator Boozman's
office, while Democrats should be directed to Jake Cornett in Senator
Murray's office.  We are pleased that Chairman Harkin of the Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and Senator Mikulski of
Maryland have already joined as cosigners of the Dear Colleague letter.  

Please contact me with any questions you may have.  Thank you all in advance
for your work on this important issue for blind students.

Jesse

Jesse Hartle
National Federation of the Blind
Government Programs Specialist
Phone: 410-659-9314, Ext. 2233
Email: jhartle at nfb.org

Content-Type: application/msword; name="Dear Colleague - Cosign Bipartisan"
 Braille Literacy Letter to Duncan.doc"
Content-Description: Dear Colleague - Cosign Bipartisan Braille Literacy
Letter to Duncan.doc
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="Dear Colleague - Cosign"
 Bipartisan Braille Literacy Letter to Duncan.doc"; size=27648;
         creation-date="Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:58:38 GMT";
         modification-date="Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:59:16 GMT"

Senator Joe Manchin

Lauren Alfred, Legislative Assistant

(202) 224-3954, lauren_alfred at manchin.senate.gov

Senator Jay Rockefeller, IV

Barbara Pryor, Senior Legislative Assistant

(202) 224-6472, barbara_pryor at rockefeller.senate.gov 

Support Braille Instruction for 

Children with Blindness or Visual Impairment

Cosign Letter, Urging Secretary Duncan to Ensure Access to Braille
Instruction

Dear Colleague:

We are writing to invite you to cosign an important letter to Secretary
Duncan to improve the lives of students with disabilities. The letter
encourages the Secretary to engage stakeholder groups to write a new
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) rule related to the
development of an individualized education program (IEP) for a student with
blindness or a visual impairment. 

Research has clearly shown literacy is critical for success is school, life,
and the workforce. For more than 93,600 school age children with blindness
or a visual impairment in the United States, alternative instructional
approaches such as braille literacy are necessary. Without providing these
students access to specialized instruction, the grade-level curriculum will
soon exceed the student's reading proficiency therefore creating a literacy
gap. As we know from research, these gaps are difficult to close and result
in other negative academic and social outcomes. As this gap persists, the
student's ability to compete with sighted peers for post-secondary
opportunities and employment is significantly compromised. Yet, these
outcomes hinge on special educators and parents planning for a lifetime of
literacy for the student, whatever the prognosis might be for their vision. 

In acknowledging the importance of literacy for all students, Congress added
a provision specific to students with blindness or visual impairment during
reauthorization of the IDEA. This provision required the IEP team to assume
that braille instruction is a necessary service for the student unless
individual learning media and other assessments indicated the student would
not benefit from braille in the future. It has come to our attention that in
some circumstances, parents request braille instruction for their child with
blindness or low vision but meet resistance. We believe that current
regulation does not provide school districts adequate guidance in
developing, reviewing and revising the IEP. We would like to see this
important provision carried out according to Congressional intent.

Instruction in braille offers students with blindness or a visual impairment
a path to literacy, college and career readiness, independence, and a
productive future. We hope you will cosign this important bipartisan letter.
For more information, or to cosign, please contact Jake Cornett in Senator
Murray's office at 4-2621 or jake_cornett at murray.senate.gov, or Ian Prince
in Senator Boozman's office at 4-4843 or ian_prince at boozman.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Patty Murray                                           John Boozman
Tom Harkin

United States Senator                              United States Senator
United States Senator