[Nfbofnc] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - Urgent Action Needed Regarding Braille Instruction for Blind Students

[Tim Jones]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kuhnke, Kristian <KKuhnke at nfb.org>
Date: Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 9:08 PM
Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Legislative Alert - Urgent Action Needed
Regarding Braille Instruction for Blind Students
To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org



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* <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"



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-- 
Tim Jones
North Carolina Food Service
Fort Bragg, NC
Office:  910-396-2297
Cell:  704-491-1486
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