[Arizona-students] Fw: [nabs-l] Legislative Alert: Urge
Representatives to Sponsor Legislation in Support...
Arielle Silverman
Arielle.Silverman at ASU.edu
Mon Jun 20 19:22:49 CDT 2005
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
To: <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>; <nfb-announce at nfbnet.org>; <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>;
<napub at nfbnet.org>; <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>; <nabop at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2005 3:44 PM
Subject: [nabs-l] Legislative Alert: Urge Representatives to Sponsor
Legislation in Support...
>
>>
>>Fellow Federationists:
>>
>>
>>
>> Consistent with our emphasis on Braille literacy, the NFB is working
>> to honor the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth with the issuance
>> of a commemorative coin by the U.S. Treasury. The 200th anniversary
>> occurs in 2009, but Congress must act now to insure that a coin will be
>> minted and issued in that year. Also, Congress can enact only two
>> commemorative coin bills for any particular year. One bill honoring
>> Abraham Lincoln in 2009 is already in the works, so this leaves only one
>> chance remaining for our Braille literacy coin to be issued.
>>
>>
>>
>> The sponsors of our Louis Braille commemorative coin bill are
>> Representative Bob Ney (R) of Ohio, and Representative Benjamin Cardin
>> (D) of Maryland. The bill number is H.R. 2872. A Senate bill has not
>> been introduced at this time.
>>
>>
>>
>> The rules for a commemorative coin bill to be passed require 290
>> cosponsors in the House. The bill will not be considered if we cannot
>> recruit this number. Passage in the Senate requires 67 cosponsors.
>>
>>
>>
>> Joining our campaign for Braille literacy is something that every
>> member of Congress should be asked to do, beginning with the
>> House. Leadership by our state affiliates in recruiting cosponsors is
>> essential. Which state will be first to have 100 percent support from
>> all its members in the House?
>>
>>
>>
>> Chad F. Allen is working on a temporary basis at our national office
>> to launch this effort. He will be contacting all members of the House,
>> but he will certainly need your help. A fact sheet explaining the
>> purpose and importance of this bill is attached. Republicans in the
>> House who want to cosponsor H.R. 2872 should contact Jason Spence in
>> Congressman Bob Ney's office at (202) 225-6265, by fax at (202) 225-3394,
>> or by email at jason.spence at mail.house.gov. Members on the Democratic
>> side should contact Priscilla Ross in Congressman Cardin's office at
>> (202) 225-4016, by fax at (202) 225-9219, or by email at
>> priscilla.ross at mail.house.gov
>>
>>
>>
>> Please do everything you can to recruit the cosponsors we need and to
>> do so as soon as possible. Chad F. Allen can be contacted at our
>> National Center for the Blind at (410) 659-9314, extension 2208, or by
>> email at callen at nfb.org. With our unified efforts from the national,
>> state, and local levels of the Federation, this historic effort to have a
>> Braille literacy campaign supported by a commemorative coin in honor of
>> Louis Braille is bound to be successful.
>>
>>
>>
>>James McCarthy
>>
>>Director of Governmental Affairs
>>
>>NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
>>
>>1800 Johnson Street
>>
>>(410) 659-9314, extension 2240
>>
>> <mailto:jmccarthy at nfb.org> jmccarthy at nfb.org
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>JDM/wmb
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>FACT SHEET
>>
>>PROMOTING BRAILLE LITERACY FOR THE BLIND
>>
>>
>>
>>Join Congressman Robert Ney and Congressman Benjamin Cardin in support of
>>Braille literacy by cosponsoring H.R. 2872, a commemorative coin bill in
>>honor of Louis Braille.
>>
>>
>>
>>Introduction
>>
>>
>>
>> Representative Robert Ney (R) of Ohio and Representative Benjamin
>> Cardin (D) of Maryland have joined in sponsoring H.R. 2872 to mint a
>> commemorative coin which will honor Louis Braille and the code of raised
>> dots that bears his name. The coin issued by this legislation will
>> launch a national campaign to promote Braille literacy throughout the
>> United States in 2009, the bicentennial year of Louis Braille's
>> birth. Braille created the tactile code for reading and writing that
>> brings literacy, independence, and productivity to blind people.
>>
>>
>>
>>Background
>>
>>
>>
>> Born in Coupvray, France, in 1809, Louis Braille became blind
>> because of an accident in his father's workshop. He later went to a
>> school for the blind in Paris and then became a teacher of the blind. By
>> believing in the capacity of the blind to learn, Braille demonstrated an
>> understanding of blindness that was extraordinarily enlightened and
>> positive for the times in which he lived.
>>
>>
>>
>> Blind people today would be far less likely to achieve goals of
>> independence and productive living without the positive contributions
>> Louis Braille made throughout his life. His intelligence and insight
>> into the needs of blind people for a means of literacy continue to
>> inspire us all as we approach the 200th anniversary of his birth. Today,
>> blind members of society are teachers, doctors, lawyers, scientists,
>> mathematicians, and much, much more because of Braille. The blind
>> working in these professions are living proof that literacy is a pathway
>> to success.
>>
>>
>>
>>The Issue
>>
>>
>>
>> A means of literacy is vital for everyone, whether blind or
>> sighted, in achieving freedom and equality. Effective use of Braille is
>> one of the most essential skills needed by the blind to achieve
>> success. It ranks with independent mobility, knowledge in the use of
>> adaptive technology, and a core belief that equality, opportunity, and
>> security is truly possible for all blind people. This philosophy
>> consistently advances because of the decades of work done by the National
>> Federation of the Blind (NFB).
>>
>>
>>
>> In our modern era blind people strive to live productive lives as
>> first-class citizens. To do this we are making a sustained effort to
>> improve public understanding of blindness. However, lack of a solid
>> commitment to teaching blind students to use Braille remains far too
>> prevalent in our nation's schools. This leads to the shocking and tragic
>> fact that only about ten percent of blind children are being taught to
>> read and write Braille in school today. By contrast, the research
>> demonstrates that more than ninety percent of employed blind persons use
>> Braille. Therefore, increasing the Braille literacy rate among the blind
>> is a key to helping us achieve employment and productivity.
>>
>>
>>
>> Progress in technology also makes Braille more readily
>> available. For example, documents stored electronically can be quickly
>> transcribed and embossed in Braille. Transcription by hand--completely
>> recreating a Braille version from a printed document--is often no longer
>> necessary. However, regardless of these advances, Braille is not a
>> popular skill to teach in America's schools. This is why the NFB is
>> eager to lead a nationwide campaign aimed at building a strong positive
>> image for Braille literacy among our youth and the teachers who educate
>> them.
>>
>>
>>
>> It is most appropriate that blind people themselves should lead the
>> campaign to promote Braille literacy. Who would be better positioned
>> than blind people to do this? With more than 50,000 members across the
>> country, the NFB is widely known as the "voice of the nation's
>> blind." All of our elected leaders and the vast majority of our members
>> are blind, therefore we are well-qualified to promote greater
>> appreciation of Braille literacy, leading to improved public
>> understanding of blindness.
>>
>>
>>
>>Action Requested
>>
>>
>>
>> Join Congressmen Ney and Congressman Cardin by cosponsoring H.R.
>> 2872 for minting a Louis Braille commemorative coin with proceeds
>> generated to enhance efforts to improve literacy for the blind. To
>> cosponsor, contact:
>>
>>
>>
>> For representative Ney, Jason Spence at (202) 225-6265
>>
>> or by email at jason.spence at mail.house.gov.
>>
>>
>>
>> For representative Cardin, Priscilla Ross at (202) 225-4016
>>
>> or by email at priscilla.ross at mail.house.gov.
>>
>>
>>
>> Because only two commemorative coins are issued each year, we must
>> promptly pass H.R. 2872 during the present session of Congress. This is
>> our goal, and with your help we will achieve it. Please support this
>> much-needed legislation to improve literacy for blind children so they
>> will be full participants in American society.
>>
>>
>>
>>For further information, please contact:
>>
>>Chad F. Allen, Government Programs Specialist
>>
>>NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
>>
>>1800 Johnson Street
>>
>>Baltimore, Maryland 21230
>>
>>(410) 659-9314, extension 2208
>>
>>callen at nfb.org
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>
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