[blindkid] FW: [audioourplace] Senators Markey and Capito Introduce Legislation to Improve Educational Opportunities for Visual and Hearing-Impaired Students

Sun Nov 12 22:48:44 UTC 2017

Thank you for the heads up on this. Where can we find more information about this bill? The .gov explanation is very vague...except the creation of the undefined Anne Sullivan Center, wasn't the rest already covered under IDEA?

All Info - H.R.1120 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act 

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All Info - H.R.1120 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act

By Cartwright, Matt

All Info for H.R.1120 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act
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On Sunday, November 12, 2017, 5:16 PM, Carol Castellano via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:

Not a good bill, from the Federation standpoint.  Seeks to take away the
"braille presumption" which we fought so hard to get.  Also concerned about
the so-called Center of Vision Loss and Educational Excellence they seek to
establish.

Carol

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Carol Castellano
Parents of Blind Children-NJ
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
973-377-0976
carol_castellano at verizon.net
www.blindchildren.org
www.nopbc.org

On Sat, Nov 11, 2017 at 5:13 PM, Eric Calhoun via blindkid <
blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:

>
>
> Original Message:
> From: "Linda Gehres" <ljgehres at att.net>
> To: <AudioOurPlace at googlegroups.com>
> Subject: [audioourplace] Senators Markey and Capito Introduce Legislation
> to Improve Educational Opportunities for Visual and Hearing-Impaired
> Students
> Date:
> Sat, 11 Nov 2017 11:23:39 -0800
>
> Senators Markey and Capito Introduce Legislation to Improve Educational
> Opportunities for Visual and Hearing-Impaired Students
>
>
>
> Washington, November 7, 2017
>
>
>
> Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Shelley Moore Capito
> (R-W.V.)
> today introduced bipartisan legislation that would strengthen the
> Individuals
> with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to ensure that visual and
> hearing-impaired students receive the best possible education.
>
>
>
> The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act will improve the
> effectiveness and
> personalization of education and services for students who are deaf, hard
> of
> hearing, blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind.
>
>
>
> The legislation would improve reporting and evaluation measures of
> special
> education in each state, increase training for teachers and other special
> education professionals, and reaffirm the Department of Education's
> mission and
> responsibility to ensure an accessible and quality education for all
> students.
>
>
>
> This bill is named after Alice Cogswell, the first deaf student to be
> formally
> educated in the United States, and Anne Sullivan Macy, Helen Keller's
> famous
> teacher. Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-17) and Congressman David
> McKinley
> (WV-1) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives
> earlier
> this year.
>
>
>
> "More than one hundred years after Anne Sullivan Macy worked with Helen
> Keller
> at Massachusetts's Perkins School, we are coming together to ensure that
> students in the 21st century receive the best education," said Senator
> Markey.
> "I am happy to introduce this legislation with Senator Capito to help
> deaf,
> blind, and deaf-blind students across the country by improving access to
> quality
> education and offering them the chance to work with effective educators
> and
> trained professionals. Every student should have the opportunity to
> maximize
> their God-given abilities, and our bill will help thousands of students
> do just
> that."
>
>
>
> "It is essential students in West Virginia and across the nation who are
> deaf,
> hard of hearing or have vision loss receive the specialized services they
> need
> to reach their fullest potential," said Senator Capito. "The
> Cogswell-Macy Act
> would help ensure the educational needs of these students are better
> met."
>
>
>
> A copy of the legislation can be found at the link below.
>
>
>
> Specifically, the Cogswell-Macy Act would:
>
> .Require states to identify and evaluate children who are visually and
> hearing
> impaired so that appropriate services can be delivered to each student,
> and
> report instances when they fall short
>
> .Help parents and educators stay informed and up-to-date through written
> policy
> guidance released regularly from the Department of Education
>
> .Encourage states to plan for and commit to specialized instruction for
> all
> deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind students,
> provided by trained personnel
>
> .Establish the Anne Sullivan Macy Center of Vision Loss and Educational
> Excellence within the Department of Education to function as a national
> resource
> to better support students with visual disabilities
>
>
>
> "Since 1975, the law has worked wonders in terms of ensuring the right of
> every
> student with a disability to be included in our public education system,"
> said
> Mark Richert, Policy Director for the American Foundation for the Blind.
> "But
> what we've never done is to make sure that students, particularly kiddos
> who are
> blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind, get what
> they
> need once they get in the schoolhouse door. With Senate introduction of
> the
> Cogswell-Macy Act, we're signaling to everyone that we're not prepared to
> wait
> for the needs of another generation of students with sensory disabilities
> to be
> ignored before we work with our amazing champions on the Hill to change
> things."
>
>
>
> "This bill acknowledges and supports the various ways that deaf and hard
> of
> hearing children learn. There is no 'one size fits all' under IDEA, and
> the
> Cogswell-Macy Act will provide guidance to states as to how to tailor
> individualized education to these students, particularly in the areas of
> language and communication," said Sandra Edwards, President of the
> Conference of
> Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD)
> and
> Superintendent of the Mississippi School for the Deaf.
>
>
>
> "We are thrilled that the Cogswell-Macy Act will be introduced in the
> Senate and
> thank Senator Markey for his leadership and passion," said Dave Power,
> President
> and CEO of Perkins School for the Blind. "Perkins has been a fierce
> advocate in
> ensuring that blind, visually-impaired, and deafblind students have
> access to
> the highest quality services here in Massachusetts and nationally. Their
> ability
> to fulfill their unique potential requires the strongest possible IDEA
> and our
> ongoing commitment to seeing its execution."
>
>
>
> "When it becomes the law of the land, the Cogswell-Macy Act will empower
> students who are deafblind to succeed in the 21st century American
> classroom,"
> said Mussie Gebre, President of DeafBlind Citizens in Action (DBCA). "As
> deafblind people speaking for ourselves, we in DBCA know from personal
> experience how providing interveners, qualified teachers, and the whole
> range of
> instructional services and supports today will make it possible tomorrow
> for
> society to fully benefit from the brain power and drive that our
> community has
> to offer."
>
>
>
> https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-
> markey-and-capito
> -int
> roduce-legislation-to-improve-educational-opportunities-for-
> visual-and-heari
> ng-i
> mpaired-students
>
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