============================================================
Sorry! Here's the correct name of the President's Commision on Excellence
in Special Ed and their web address.
IDEA Reauthorization Update
Activity related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
is proceeding on several fronts. President's Commission on Excellence in
Special Education (PCESE)
http://www.ed.gov/inits/commissionsboards/whspecialeducation/ is expected
to issue draft recommendations this week on improving special education.
The commission will finalize these recommendations at its meetings in mid
June. Meanwhile, Senate staff are hoping to prepare legislation to
reauthorize the IDEA also in mid June. The House may have a draft sometime
in July.
====================================
Barbara Jackson LeMoine
Legislative Assistant
Governmental Relations Group
American Foundation for the Blind
202-408-8169 <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask]
Visit GRG's web site at http://www.afb.org/gov.asp
============================================================
Words from Washington
May 21, 2002
Vol. 107 No. 20
In this issue. . .
* New Governmental Relations Staff
* Advocacy Needed on Textbook Legislation
* IDEA Reauthorization Update
* Choices for Children
* House and Senate Conferees Appointed for Voting Rights Bill
* Comments on Directory Assistance Filed with FCC
New Governmental Relations Staff
In April, Joy Relton joined AFB’s Governmental Relations Group. Joy comes
to us from Unisys where she worked as a systems' analyst. She performed
test and integration of Assistive technology and information technology as
well as performing third level technical support for engineers and users of
these technologies. In addition to her technical background Ms. Relton
utilized her skills gained from her legal education in assisting to build a
section 508 awareness and test market. Joy is working on issues relating to
education and technology. She looks forward to utilizing and expanding her
skills and knowledge in key areas of interest.
Advocacy Needed on Textbook Legislation
Because time is so short for Congressional action on the Instructional
Materials Accessibility Act (IMAA), S. 2246 and H.R. 4582. To ensure action
on IMAA this year, advocates must contact their Representative and Senators
to urge them to cosponsor and actively work for passage of this
legislation. Representatives and Senators who serve on the education
Committees in the House or Senate are of critical importance.
• Contact your Senators and ask them to cosponsor S. 2246.
• Contact your Representative and ask him/her to cosponsor H.R. 4582.
AFB has created an IMAA key links document,
http://www.afb.org/textbooks.asp, so you can find the text of the bills,
who the latest cosponsors are, and what the latest action taken is. We make
it easy for you to ask your Representative and Senators to become a
cosponsor of H.R.4582 or S. 2246...you can find your Zip+4 using the Post
Office's look up feature and WriteRep on the House site to identify your
Representative; you'll find a link to a list of Senators by state.
Information on IMAA is just a click away.
IMAA will dramatically improve access to textbooks for students in
elementary and secondary schools who are blind or who have other print
disabilities. The legislation mandates that publishers produce textbooks in
a national standardized file format that can be used to produce braille,
large print and other accessible formats. To facilitate access by schools
and state education agencies, these files will be maintained by a central
repository.
For more information, contact Joy Relton, 202-408-8170 or [log in to unmask]
IDEA Reauthorization Update
Activity related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
is proceeding on several fronts. The President’s Commission on Special
Education [insert correct name and URL] is expected to issue draft
recommendations this week on improving special education. The commission
will finalize these recommendations at its meetings in mid June. Meanwhile,
Senate staff are hoping to prepare legislation to reauthorize the IDEA also
in mid June. The House may have a draft sometime in July.
Choices for Children
Parents, consumers, and professionals who are interested in IDEA are
invited to join Choices for Children to stay informed about and work for
improvements in IDEA. The mission of Choices for Children (CfC) is to
educate policymakers, legislators, and the public about the unique
educational needs of children who are blind or visually impaired.
You will find the CfC brochure and membership application
at http://www.afb.org/info_document_view.asp?documentid=1698
An Introduction and Summary of Recommendations of the CfC document,
Advocating Quality Specialized Education for Students with Visual
Impairments, can be found at
http://www.afb.org/info_document_view.asp?documentid=1696
House and Senate Conferees Appointed for Voting Rights Bill
Now that both houses of Congress have passed versions of legislation to
improve elections systems, (H.R. 3295), the work of reconciling the
measures will be handled by a conference committee. Conferees have now been
appointed and advocates should consider contacting these offices to urge
them to support the disability access language contained in the Senate
version.
Congress will be home for the Memorial Day Work Period from May 24th to
June 3rd. Contact your Senators and your Representative if they are on the
conference committee and urge them to
support the following:
• there will be one accessible machine in every polling place by 2007;
• every four years new accessibility standards will be set by the
Access-Board;
• a $100 million fund will be created to make polling places
accessible to all voters;
• a $10 million fund to provide education, technical assistance, and
monitoring of voting access.
We have included links to conferee's web sites so you can contact their
district offices for an appointment. Want more tips on preparing for,
conducting, and following up on a meeting with a legislator? See AFB's "A
Capital Idea: Successful Strategies for Getting What You Want from
Government."
The Senate has appointed Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT); Charles Schumer
(D-NY); Richard Durbin (D-IL); Mitch McConnell (R-KY); and Christopher
"Kit" Bond (R-MO) to the Conference Committee.
The House members are: Jim Barcia (D-MI-5); Roy Blunt (R-MO-7); Sherwood L.
Boehlert (R-NY-23); Steve Chabot (R-OH-1); John Conyers Jr. (D-MI-14); Jim
Davis (D-FL-11); John Doolittle (R-CA-4); Vernon J. Ehlers (R-MI-3); Chaka
Fattah (D-PA-2); Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD-5); Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX-18);
John M. McHugh (R-NY-24); Constance Morella (R-MD-8); Robert W. Ney
(R-OH-18;); Charles B. Rangel (D-NY-15); Thomas M. Reynolds (R-NY-27); F.
James Sensenbrenner (R-WI-9); E. Clay Shaw Jr. (R-FL-22); Ike Skelton
(D-MO-4); Bob Stump (R-AZ-3; Bill Thomas (R-CA-21).
For more information, contact Paul Schroeder, 202-408-8172 or [log in to unmask]
Comments on Directory Assistance Filed with FCC
AFB has replied to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published by the FCC
that proposes to increase consumer access to directory assistance services
by removing what the FCC asserts are existing barriers to full competition
for such services. AFB comments in this proceeding raise two concerns:
proposals which remove directory assistance from regulation undercut the
basis for current state public utility provisions for free directory
assistance to people who are blind or visually impaired; proposed
deregulation may also remove the basis for complaints for abusive directory
assistance charges. You will find AFB's comments at
http://www.afb.org/info_document_view.asp?DocumentID=1725.
Paul Schroeder, Alan Dinsmore, Joy Relton, and Barbara LeMoine are
contributors to WFW.
WFW is published by the American Foundation for the Blind, Governmental
Relations Group, 820 First Street, N.E., Suite 400 Washington, DC 20002,
202-408-0200, Fax: 202-289-7880, E-mail: [log in to unmask] Address questions
regarding subscriptions or content to Barbara Jackson LeMoine.
This report focuses on the most significant issues currently being
addressed by AFB's Governmental Relations Group, and is delivered to you
approximately biweekly via the Topica "Words from Washington" list. WFW is
available shortly after publication at www.afb.org/gov.asp.
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