[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] URGENT - Call to action!

[smturner.234 at gmail.com]

Good Noon Day, Ohio,

 

The DeafBlind community are in need of your support asap.

 

Here is a message from Terry who sits on the Helen Keller Board.

 

Please follow his lead today.

//

 

Terry to the group:

    The Senate passed the Omnibus bill and now, it goes to the Conference
Committee, who will "harmonize" both versions of the budget bill (senate
version and House version). As you all know, the Senate version includes
$200,000 per year, for the 2026-2027 biannual budget. The Conference
Committee is currently made up of 4 Republicans and 2 Democrats.

    I asked Brittanie to provide me with the names of the members of the
Conference Committee and she has provided that to me. In the meantime,
Brittanie and Julia has helped draft a quick letter that we can send to the
members of the Conference Committee. Below is the names and email addresses
of the committee members and the sample letter that you can modify to your
liking and send. Being that the Conference Committee is meeting right now, I
strongly encourage you to act on this request today, if at all possible.

 

Senator Chavez: chavez at ohiosenate.gov <mailto:chavez at ohiosenate.gov> 

Senator Cirino: cirino at ohiosenate.gov <mailto:cirino at ohiosenate.gov> 

Senator Hicks-Hudson: hicks-hudson at ohiosenate.gov
<mailto:hicks-hudson at ohiosenate.gov> 

Rep. Stewart: Rep12 at ohiohouse.gov <mailto:Rep12 at ohiohouse.gov> 

Rep. Dovila: Rep17 at ohiohouse.gov <mailto:Rep17 at ohiohouse.gov> 

Rep. Sweeney: Rep16 at ohiohouse.gov <mailto:Rep16 at ohiohouse.gov> 

 

Sample letter:

 

Dear Honorable [fill in name of member],

On behalf of the DeafBlind community, we respectfully submit this letter for
your consideration. We deeply appreciate the dedication of legislators in
securing funding for the SSP/CN Program for DeafBlind Ohioans. 

Support Service Providers (SSP's) are specially trained in mobility guiding
and communication facilitation, equipping DeafBlind Ohioans with essential
visual and environmental information to make informed life decisions. Their
work ensures that people who are DeafBlind have safe, reliable access to
their communities while maintaining independence in daily activities.

Over the past two years, the SSP Pilot Program has proven a tremendous
success by significantly improved the quality of life of DeafBlind Ohioans.
Continued funding will reduce isolation, mitigate associated challenges, and
allow engagement in life. The growing waiting list highlights the increasing
demand for these services. We urge that funding for the program (GRF 415515
DeafBlind Fund) remain at its Senate-passed level of $200,000 for FY26 and
$200,000 for FY27. 

We sincerely appreciate your consideration, and we welcome any questions.

 

Sincerely,

[Your name]

[Your email address]

 

 

EOM

 

 

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