Urge US House members to co-sponsor the Cogswell-MAcy Act

From the American Foundation of the Blind (AFB):

“Yesterday, following impressive, dedicated advocacy across the sensory impairments communities, the most comprehensive legislation to enhance and reform America's special education system for students with vision/hearing disabilities and deaf/blindness has been introduced. H.R. 3535, the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act, once enacted, will ensure that: every child who is deaf, every child who is blind, and every child who is deafblind, regardless of whether they have additional disabilities, will be properly counted and served; each of a child's unique learning needs will be properly evaluated; states will engage in strategic planning to be sure that they can in fact meet each child's specialized needs; the U.S. Department of Education will do its part to hold states and schools accountable; students with sensory disabilities will be served by qualified personnel; and students who are blind will receive state-of-the-art services and skills supported through a new major national collaborative initiative addressing their unique learning needs.

Advocates are urged to contact your member of the U.S. House of Representatives to ask him/her to cosponsor H.R. 3535 today! (Learn how at AFB.org/CogswellMacyAct). Tell your Representative that by doing so, he/she will be helping to make history by ensuring that America's special education system is worthy of the enormous potential of every child who is blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind. This year, 2015, is the 40th anniversary of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Tell your Representative that by joining in this campaign, they will help us transform a forty-year-old system from one that has broken down barriers into a system that finally ensures that kids with sensory disabilities will receive the education and support they need to thrive in our nation's classrooms!”

Blog Readers are encouraged to read the complete text of the Cogswell-Macy Act on the AFB Policy Center website. And be sure to call your Representatives today!