We all know that we do not have a law to protect our children. Families are at the mercy of their school districts because there is no law that says our children are entitled to qualified personnel trained to teach our children. IDEA currently requires Teachers of Deaf / Hard of Hearing or Teachers of Blind / Visually Impaired but does not require a Teacher of DeafBlind. We need both Teachers of DeafBlind and Interveners. Interveners will provide access to the information provided by the teacher. It is up to families to advocate for their children.
As a result of sharing our National Advocacy Agenda with Representative Matt Cartwright's office, we have been discussing the possibility of introducing Title III as a separate bill. You may have already read the position paper written by the National Coalition on Deafblindness (attached).
We need to show the power of our family voices in support of a new bill for our children who are DeafBlind.
If you would like to add your name to the list of friends and families that support the new bill, please respond to Melanie and Jacqueline (emails below).
If you represent an organization, please let us know ASAP if you would like your organization's logo to be included in our letter to Representative Matt Cartwright's office.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
