How to Advocate and Show Your Support – Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act

Want to know how you can help?

Call Your Senator or Representative to Support the Cogswell-Macy Act: H.R 5748, S. 2945.

How to Make the Call in Four Simple Steps

1. Be sure you know who are your 2 senators and one representative by following the links below:

Senators: Look for your Senators by state at https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Representatives: Look for your Representative by zip code at http://www.house.gov/htbin/findrep

2. Call the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected to your Senator or Representative

3. Identify yourself and let them know that you are a constituent.

4. Ask your member of Congress, or their staff, to support the Cogswell-Macy Act, and ask for their position on this legislation. If you know that your member of Congress is already a sponsor, please thank them for their support!

Sample Scripts (English and Spanish – Inglés y Español)

Here are two suggested scripts, but feel free to improvise!

If you are calling a Representative’s office, you can say: “Hello. My name is ________ and I’m a resident of _________ (city), __________ (state). I’m calling to ask Representative _________ (name of Representative) to co-sponsor the Cogswell-Macy Act – H.R. 5748. I support this bill because it will improve access to important and necessary education and services for children who are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or deafblind. I am hoping I can count on Representative _________’s support. Please let me know (his or her) position on this bill.”

If you are calling a Senator’s office, you can say: “Hello. My name is ________ and I’m a resident of _________ (city), __________ (state). I’m calling to ask Senator _________ (name of Senator) to cosponsor the Cogswell-Macy Act, bipartisan legislation which was introduced in the Senate as S. 2945. I support this bill because it will improve access to important and necessary education and services for children who are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or deafblind. I am hoping I can count on Senator _________’s support. Please let me know (his or her) position on this bill.”

If you’re leaving a message on an answering machine, provide your phone number or email address so that the office can get back to you.

Don’t be disappointed if you only talk to a receptionist or if you get your legislator’s voicemail; the fact that you are their constituent and are taking the time to bring the Cogswell-Macy Act to their attention is what it’s all about. If you like, you can ask to speak to the staffer in the office who works on special education issues.

And here are Spanish-language versions of the sample scripts above. [Aquí están dos textos sugeridos, sientase libre de improvisar.]

Si usted esta llamando a la Oficina de un Representante, usted puede decir: “Hola mi nombre es ___________ y soy residente de ______________(ciudad), ____________(estado). Estoy llamando para pedirle al Representante ________________(nombre del Representante) que copatrocine La Ley Cogswell-Macy- HR 5748. Yo apoyo este proyecto de ley porque mejorará el acceso a servicios de educación importantes y necesarios para personas ciegas o con discapacidad visual, sordas o con problemas de audición o sordociegas. Espero poder contar con el apoyo del Representante______________. Por favor dígame cual es la posición de (el o ella) en este proyecto de ley.”

Si usted esta llamando a la oficina del un Senador, usted puede decir: “Hola mi nombre es ___________y soy residente de_____________(ciudad), ____________(estado). Esto llamando para pedirle al Senador ________________(nombre del Senador) que copatrocine La Ley Cogswell-Macy, una legislación bipartidista que se presentó en el Senado como S. 2945. Yo apoyo este proyecto de ley porque mejorará el acceso a servicios de educación importantes y necesarios para personas ciegas o con discapacidad visual, sordas o problemas de audición o sordociegos. Espero poder contar con el apoyo del Senador ____________. Por favor dígame cual es la posición de (el o ella) en este proyecto de ley.”

Si usted deja un mensaje en un contestador automático, proporcione su número de teléfono o correo electrónico para que la oficina pueda comunicarse con usted.

No se desanime si usted solo habla con la recepcionista o si solo conecta con el buzón de voz de su legislador; el hecho de que usted sea uno de sus constituyentes y se este tomando el tiempo de traer La Ley Cogswell-Macy a su atención es de lo que se trata. Si lo desea, puede hablar con el miembro del personal que trabaja en la oficina de asuntos relacionados con educación especial.

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Tweet Your Support

Let’s spread our support across the Twitter-verse! Most congress members are now on Twitter and actively monitor feedback sent their way. Plus, by including the hashtag #CogswellMacyAct, you and all the other Cogswell-Macy Act supporters can track the “Twitter storm” of support!

Visit https://twitter.com/cspan/lists/members-of-congress/members to search for your congressional Twitter handles.
From your Twitter account (mobile or web), send a tweet beginning with the Twitter handle (remember to include the “@” sign before the Twitter handle) and including the URL www.CogswellMacyAct.org and the hashtag #CogswellMacyAct
From Twitter, search/follow #CogswellMacyAct to see who else is tweeting their support
Retweet!
Cogswell-Macy Twitter Toolkit: Everything you need for our Twitter Blast June 27 – July 1, 2022!

Sample Tweets (Feel Free to Write Your Own!)

Insert the Twitter handle for your own Representative and the abbreviation for your own state in place of the example provided here:

(State) #blind & #lowvision students want @MyCongressman to sponsor #CogswellMacyAct. All students deserve truly appropriate education! CogswellMacyAct.org

350K students are deaf or hard of hearing, 100K have vision loss, but current law protects <1/3 of those populations. #CogswellMacyAct @MyCongressman

Get creative! Tweet photos of yourself with a sign supporting the Cogswell-Macy Act!

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Letter to Parents, Guardians, Grandparents and Caregivers

Copy and paste this onto your letterhead and disseminate, or copy and paste into an email. The power of families—who can share their remarkable stories with members of Congress—cannot be overstated!

Dear Parent, Guardian, Grandparent or Caregiver,

Families are THE most important influence in our lives. The direct care and support a child receives is critical for their growth and development. In addition, your opinions and perspective influence local schools, states and even our country , which encourages access and resources for the education of your child.

As a nation we have come a long way in providing education for children who are deaf/hard of hearing, visually impaired/blind or deafblind. There is much to be proud of and there are many success stories. However, many children have unmet educational needs, which we suspect you know. The stories about opportunities lost are harder to share, but deserve attention to improve your child’s future.

Concerned professionals and parents of children who are deaf/hard of hearing, visually impaired/blind or deafblind report a pattern of unmet needs. If a child has significant physical or intellectual disability, it is not uncommon for deafness, blindness, or deafblindness to be underreported and subsequently unaddressed. Without an accurate count of these students, it is impossible to have a true picture of how many teachers and other specialists are needed in the education system. To collect better data, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) must be greatly strengthened. If we do not act, we are accepting that many students will continue to be underrepresented and underserved.

A coalition of organizations believes that the issues are different across our country, but there needs to be better accountability and planning in every state. The passage of this legislation will require states to review services and develop plans for unmet needs. We believe that parents should be engaged and participate.

We hope our coalition of organizations will be a strong voice for your children, but without the help of families, the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act may never move forward. This crucial legislation will only pass with parents communicating honest concerns. Tell your stories of success, but please do not hold back when sharing concerns with your Senator or Member of Congress.

Your child deserves an equal playing field based on evidence based, best practices. Their ability to learn and grow into productive adults depends on a system that works.

Thank you for considering advocacy for your child and others. If you have any questions about the specifics of the proposed legislation, please complete the contact form on the website www.cogswellmacyact.org.

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Please support the Cogswell-Macy Act YouTube video

Paul Olson, President of the Council of Schools and Services for the Blind, recorded this 2 minute 26 second close-captioned video urging support for Cogswell-Macy. View it, share it, show it at meetings and workshops, and help us spread the word!

For a transcript of this video, click on the YouTube logo in the lower right corner.

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Spread the Word on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube

Post your support on Facebook and Pinterest, with a link to www.CogswellMacyAct.org. You can now use the hashtag #CogswellMacyAct on Facebook as well as Twitter to post about the Cogswell-Macy Act and track friends’ Cogswell-Macy Act posts.

Cogswell-Macy Act on Facebook

Also like or follow www.facebook.com/CogswellMacyAct for more posts to share about the Cogswell-Macy Act.

Make a video!

Making a video of Cogswell-Macy Act supporters helps draw attention to the act and provides an exciting way of conveying your message. Be creative!

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Show Your Organization’s Support for the Cogswell-Macy Act

Has your organization endorsed the Cogswell-Macy Act? Read a list of organizations that endorse the Cogswell-Macy Act and find out how to add your organization to the list!
Connect your website’s readers to www.CogswellMacyAct.org
Invite readers to explore the full text of the Cogswell/Macy Act
Let us know you’re helping spread the word by sharing your activities on our Facebook page!
Use the social media links below to share this page

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Set Up Your Own Call-In Day Activities!

What ideas do you have to promote the Cogswell-Macy Act? Send, Tweet, and share photos if you host an information table or engage students, families, and parents in exciting ways.

Resources for Hosting a Call-In Table or Event:

If you are hosting a table, we can offer you some resources to get started. Feel free to be creative and attract attention in your own unique way.

You could print out a map of your congressional districts to help people find out whom to call. See a map of congressional districts.

Provide the Cogswell-Macy Act talking points to familiarize callers with the Act.

Have You Taken Action? Let us know!

Thank You for Your Support!

Thank you in advance for your support! In making these important calls and tweets and sharing the Cogswell-Macy Act with your friends and colleagues, you are joining families, professionals, and consumers from all across America who are as concerned as you are about the readiness of deaf, blind, and deafblind students for college and career.