[Ohio-talk] Our next assignment

[Barbara Pierce]

Here is our next challenge. I need for as many of you as possible to send your version of the letter below to the education aides in the following list of congressional offices. The information below is also attached in a Word file.  I have not sent this letter out, but I will do so as soon as I can. You should make the edits that occur to you to this letter and send it out to all these offices. We are trying to get 13 more Republicans on this bill before a meeting next week. We need lots of letters to these members. I think the letter is self-explanatory. But, if you have questions, call me at 440-774-8077.

Thanks,
Barbara
Repubs for target

1. Michael Turner, 202-225-6465, Andrew Sigmon,
  andrew.sigmon at mail.house.gov
2. Jim Jordan, 202-225-2676,  Susan Manchester, susan.manchester at mail.house.gov
3. Jim Renacci, 202-225-3876, Ashley Antoksiewicz , ashley.antoksiewicz at mail.house.gov
4. Bob Gibbs, 202-225-265, Meredith Gourash  meredith.gourash at mail.house.gov
5. Bill Johnson, 202-225-5705, David Rardin, david.rardin at mail.house.gov
6 Steve Chabot, 202-225-2216, Adam Scheidler, adam.scheidler at mail.house.gov
7. Brad Wenstrup 202-225-3164, Casey Fitzpatrick
 casey.fitzpatrick at mail.house.gov
8. David Joyce,, 202-225-5731, Chris Cooper, chris.cooper at mail.house.gov

 
Dear [Education Staffer], 
 
I am writing on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind Of Ohio. 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, HR 3505/S 2060. It has been a few months, so I wanted to circle back to ask that Congressman[Name] come on as a cosponsor. The bill is noncontroversial and bipartisan—can we count on his 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 it is 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 create a genuine digital marketplace for accessible materials, enabling schools to meet the equal-access mandates. 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 (the Association of American Publishers), and is supported by data from a Congressionally-authorized study. The TEACH Act does not create any new liability for schools or any mandates on technology companies and reduces costs and litigation while still making systemic change for blind students. Miami University is currently being sued by a student because of inaccessable class materials. If the TEACH Act had been in effect, this suit would not have had to happen because the University would have known what its responsibilities were, and the student would have had access to the materials she needed.

HR 3505/S 2060 is sponsored by Tom Petri in the House, and the Republican leader in the Senate is Orrin Hatch. Bob Latta, Steve Stivers, and Pat Tiberi have already signed onto the bill. 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 you have  questions about the bill. For more information please visit https://nfb.org/TEACH . Thanks, hope to hear from you.
 
Sincerely,

Barbara Pierce
President Emerita
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
bpierce at oberlin.net
440-774-8077