American Association of the Deaf-Blind

It's that time of year again, and we need your help!

We are asking you once again to call your representatives in Congress to recognize the concept of support service providers (SSPs) as a needed service for the deaf-blind community. This request is part of an ongoing effort to educate Congress on what SSPs are and why they are so important to deaf-blind people around the country. Read on for more details.

The House of Representatives is now considering what requests to include in their various Appropriations Committees. The language defining SSPs and what they do needs to be re-introduced into the Senate and House of Representatives' Appropriations Committees.

The deadline for the House of Representatives Appropriations Committees is March 19. The deadline for the Senate is not known at this time, but we suggest that you contact your Senators too.

The language is:

"The Committee asks that the Department of Labor (or Dept of Health and Human Services) to support the efforts of Support Service Providers (SSPs). SSPs relay visual and environmental information, act as sighted guides and facilitate communication for people who are deaf-blind, using the deaf-blind person's preferred language and communication mode. SSPs enable deaf-blind persons to access their communities and connect with other people, reducing communication barriers that otherwise would result in social isolation, incapability to live independently, and inability to participate as citizens within mainstream society."

This language is the first step of a long process towards recognizing SSPs nationwide as a profession and to provide this needed service for deaf-blind people around the country. We want to introduce the language to different Appropriations Committees, including the Departments of Labor, Health and Education.

The time is short! Please email or call your representatives and senators today to ask them to include the language in the Appropriations subcommittees. You can find your:

• Representative at www.house.gov
• Senators at www.senate.gov

Once again, the deadline for sending requests to the House of Representatives Appropriations Committees is March 19.

If you or your legislators need more information or assistance, please contact Elizabeth Spiers at elizabeth.spiers@aadb.org.