[Arizona-students] Urgent: Please Join Us!

[Jeremiah B. Beasley]

Dear colleagues, friends and family
 

You are cordially invited to join us to make a real difference.  The National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and a coalition of groups representing disabled citizens will hold a rally of commitment celebration and common cause on Monday May 23rd between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm at Civic Center Park, Broadway and Colfax Ave Denver, CO.  We strongly urge you and everyone you know to join us at Civic Center Park over the lunch hour on May 23rd.  We truly need your spirit.  We need your help, as we send off a committed delegation of Coloradoans to Washington DC to protest destructive policies now being advanced by the US Department of Education.  These policies will do real harm to all of our citizens.

 

Bring your spirit, bring your positive attitudes, bring your friends, family and co workers to a rally in support of training and opportunity for disabled Americans.  There will be room for you and ten or fifteen of your vocal friends at Civic Center Park.  At this peaceful but determined rally, we will explain to the press and to the public how services provided by the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation through funding, guidance and oversight from the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the United States Department of Education have empowered many Colorado citizens.  Now these specialized services essential to our lives are being threatened.  We will explain that Colorado citizens are in danger of losing individualized training, adaptive equipment and specialized job placement services critical to our future if we do not stop the destructive proposals advanced by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.  We will gather in commitment, celebration and common cause to send off our Colorado delegation to Washington DC to rally at the United States Department of Education later that week.  Here in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado on Monday morning, May 23 and later in the week in Washington DC, we will be rallying to protest against an agenda which would merge all disability employment programs into state block grants.  We will protest the proposed elimination of a separate funding stream for specialized employment services for the disabled.  We will gather in our hundreds to decry the closure of Rehabilitation Services Administration regional offices.  We will demand that the commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration not be downgraded to a directorship.  

 

We will gather at Civic Center Park on Monday, May 23rd from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm and we will make such a noise in protest so that Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and members of congress will hear us all the way in Washington DC.  Come, let your voice be heard in a joint outcry of support, spirit, commitment, celebration and common cause.  We will celebrate what we have achieved.  We will voice commitment to continued progress, and we will show common cause with those who will be traveling from Colorado and across America for collective action on our behalf in Washington.  At this rally, we will decry the draconian measures being enacted against the disabled and we will celebrate the indomitable spirit of those who we will be sending to Washington DC to represent us.  We know who we are, and we will never go back to the days of powerlessness, no jobs, no prospects, no voice, no dignity, no options, no real opportunities.  





This is not a partisan, political matter.  We are facing a real and eminent threat to disabled Americans and our friends and families.  We must act now.  We must protest the elimination of targeted funding through the Rehabilitation Services Administration.  We must rally everyone against the destruction of specialized services so critical to the success of disabled and blind American citizens.  We must and we will join together in a visible demonstration of unity to support high quality training for the most underserved population in our society, Americans with disabilities.  

 

There are those who must think that they can slash programs for the disabled and nothing will be said or done.  These federal officials must really believe that we will be passive, quite, docile, disabled people as they attempt to eliminate the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, currently a position appointed by the president.  Surely Secretary Spellings is aware that we've noticed the callus and cavalier attitude of disregard for us, our views, our feelings, our needs and our futures.  The administration's unconscionable effort to eliminate our programs, disregard our needs and push us out, down and back must not be tolerated.  They must think we will just sit passively by as they eliminate our programs and exclude us from our chance to be contributing, fully participating tax paying members of society.  Well, we are sending an informed active and vocal delegation to Washington DC, and we will send them off to our nation's capital with an outpouring of active committed vocal spirit from all of us in Colorado.  We must let our message ring out from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to our nation's capitol,  "We know who we are and we can never go back".  So please reach out to your friends, family members, neighbors and colleagues across the state and community.  Join us as we create change and build futures.  Gather around for our rally of commitment, celebration and common cause.

 

Please spread the word.  Join a coalition of committed, disabled, blind, deaf and non disabled citizens for a spirited rally of protest as well as a send off for those in our Colorado community who will be attending a rally at the US Dept of Ed on Thursday May 26th.  For further information, contact Kevan Worley at 303-306-7122 or Julie Deden at 303-778-1130.  Please send this email to everyone you know.  Encourage them to join us.  Call them and encourage them to join us for collective action on Monday May 23 between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm.  We will provide signs, entertainment and speakers, but you and your friends, families and colleagues must be there to provide the voices, energy, spirit and commitment.  Let's show our friends traveling on our behalf to Washington DC how much we care about their effort.  Let's show Margaret Spellings and congress what we think of policies which try to balance the budget on the backs of disabled citizens.  When we rally together, we can reverse ill conceived policies which exclude us.  These are initiatives of the Department of Education which if not stopped by us now will hold us back and keep us down.  These unnecessary and unwarranted attempts to limit our value to society will be devastating to all of us if not stopped by our collective action now.  


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Dear colleagues, friends and family
 
You are cordially invited to join us to make a real difference.
 
The National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and a coalition of groups representing disabled citizens will hold a rally of commitment celebration and common cause on Monday May 23
rd
between
11:00 am
and
1:00 pm
at
Civic
Center
Park
, Broadway and
Colfax Ave
Denver
,
CO
.
 
We strongly urge you and everyone you know to join us at Civic Center Park over the lunch hour on May 23rd.
 
We truly need your spirit.
 
We need your help, as we send off a committed delegation of Coloradoans to Washington DC to protest destructive policies now being advanced by the US Department of Education.
 
These policies will do real harm to all of our citizens.
 
Bring your spirit, bring your positive attitudes, bring your friends, family and co workers to a rally in support of training and opportunity for disabled Americans.
 
There will be room for you and ten or fifteen of your vocal friends at Civic Center Park.
 
At this peaceful but determined rally, we will explain to the press and to the public how services provided by the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation through funding, guidance and oversight from the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the United States Department of Education have empowered many Colorado citizens.
 
Now these specialized services essential to our lives are being threatened.
 
We will explain that Colorado citizens are in danger of losing individualized training, adaptive equipment and specialized job placement services critical to our future if we do not stop the destructive proposals advanced by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.
 
We will gather in commitment, celebration and common cause to send off our Colorado delegation to Washington DC to rally at the United States Department of Education later that week.
 
Here in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado on Monday morning, May 23 and later in the week in Washington DC, we will be rallying to protest against an agenda which would merge all disability employment programs into state block grants.
 
We will protest the proposed elimination of a separate funding stream for specialized employment services for the disabled.
 
We will gather in our hundreds to decry the closure of Rehabilitation Services Administration regional offices.
 
We will demand that the commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration not be downgraded to a directorship.
 
 
We will gather at Civic Center Park on Monday, May 23rd from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm and we will make such a noise in protest so that Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and members of congress will hear us all the way in Washington DC.
 
Come, let your voice be heard in a joint outcry of support, spirit, commitment, celebration and common cause.
 
We will celebrate what we have achieved.
 
We will voice commitment to continued progress, and we will show common cause with those who will be traveling from Colorado and across America for collective action on our behalf in Washington.
 
At this rally, we will decry the draconian measures being enacted against the disabled and we will celebrate the indomitable spirit of those who we will be sending to Washington DC to represent us.
 
We know who we are, and we will never go back to the days of powerlessness, no jobs, no prospects, no voice, no dignity, no options, no real opportunities.
 
 
This is not a partisan, political matter.
 
We are facing a real and eminent threat to disabled Americans and our friends and families.
 
We must act now.
 
We must protest the elimination of targeted funding through the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
 
We must rally everyone against the destruction of specialized services so critical to the success of disabled and blind American citizens.
 
We must and we will join together in a visible demonstration of unity to support high quality training for the most underserved population in our society, Americans with disabilities.
 
 
There are those who must think that they can slash programs for the disabled and nothing will be said or done.
 
These federal officials must really believe that we will be passive, quite, docile, disabled people as they attempt to eliminate the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, currently a position appointed by the president.
 
Surely Secretary Spellings is aware that we've noticed the callus and cavalier attitude of disregard for us, our views, our feelings, our needs and our futures.
 
The administration's unconscionable effort to eliminate our programs, disregard our needs and push us out, down and back must not be tolerated.
 
They must think we will just sit passively by as they eliminate our programs and exclude us from our chance to be contributing, fully participating tax paying members of society.
 
Well, we are sending an informed active and vocal delegation to Washington DC, and we will send them off to our nation's capital with an outpouring of active committed vocal spirit from all of us in Colorado.
 
We must let our message ring out from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to our nation's capitol,
 
“We know who we are and we can never go back”.
 
So please reach out to your friends, family members, neighbors and colleagues across the state and community.
 
Join us as we create change and build futures.
 
Gather around for our rally of commitment, celebration and common cause.
 
Please spread the word.
 
Join a coalition of committed, disabled, blind, deaf and non disabled citizens for a spirited rally of protest as well as a send off for those in our Colorado community who will be attending a rally at the US Dept of Ed on Thursday May 26th.
 
For further information, contact Kevan Worley at 303-306-7122 or Julie Deden at 303-778-1130.
 
Please send this email to everyone you know.
 
Encourage them to join us.
 
Call them and encourage them to join us for collective action on Monday May 23 between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm.
 
We will provide signs, entertainment and speakers, but you and your friends, families and colleagues must be there to provide the voices, energy, spirit and commitment.
 
Let's show our friends traveling on our behalf to Washington DC how much we care about their effort.
 
Let's show Margaret Spellings and congress what we think of policies which try to balance the budget on the backs of disabled citizens.
 
When we rally together, we can reverse ill conceived policies which exclude us.
 
These are initiatives of the Department of Education which if not stopped by us now will hold us back and keep us down.
 
These unnecessary and unwarranted attempts to limit our value to society will be devastating to all of us if not stopped by our collective action now.