Hello Colleagues, It’s mid-November and so hard to believe that we are 8 months into this pandemic. I know as a professional you are overwhelmed and tired and so are the families of the children with whom you work. So here I am asking you to take a survey if you are a TVI or O&M specialist and more importantly asking you to share the request with families. (Flyer attached for easy sharing!) We need to understand the short-term and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on our children’s education. The second Access and Engagement study is seeking to collect data this fall to help us advocate for our children. You’re thinking that you don’t want to overwhelm families any more than they are already overwhelmed, so you’re not going to share the information with them. That’s ok, however, I do want to share with you that some of the families who completed the first survey <https://www.afb.org/research-and-initiatives/education/access-engagement-study> thanked us for giving them a place to share. Yesterday when the email below went out I got an email from a mother of a deafblind child asking if we would really listen to her voice. I assured her we would. In her reply she said, “Thank you for taking the time to read this. It really does mean a lot to me.” She went on to take the survey and said she’d share with others. Please consider sharing the information and let families and other professionals decide if they want to have their voice heard. Direct everyone to https://www.accessengagement.com/. If we are going to ensure all children have an accessible, inclusive, and engaging education and if we are going to get the ear of administrators, policymakers, technology companies, etc. we all must work together. Thank you, Penny *L. Penny Rosenblum, Ph.D.* Director of Research American Foundation for the Blind 1401 South Clark Street Suite 730 Arlington, VA 22202 prosenblum@afb.org Direct Phone: 202-469-6837 www.afb.org *I work at home in Tucson, Arizona which is currently on Mountain time*. *[image: AFB. American Foundation for the Blind. Expanding possibilities for people with vision loss.]* [image: Young male student at table looking at tactile graphs.] We know that families of blind and low vision children are still facing major challenges as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced many schools to move to online education. As a person with low vision who received my elementary education before the first version of the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) was passed in 1975, I think of the changes my own mother created for me to receive an equitable education to my sighted peers. My mother let the school administration and teachers know what her visually impaired child needed to succeed, and amazingly, they listened. Now we need *your input* to know what is and is not currently working in our educational system for our children who are visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities and deafblindness. I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with nine other individuals who are deeply invested in the education of students with visual impairments. We developed a survey that focuses on understanding the impact of COVID-19 during this challenging 2020-2021 school year. We invite you to *take the survey <https://afb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd3c8fefc9f905f5ccf41c577&id=4e971e9fe8&e=6f3342d9c8>* if you are a family member, guardian, teacher of students with visual impairments, or O&M specialist for a child receiving early intervention, preschool, K-12, or transition services (birth-21 years). The survey closes *November 30*, so you have time! Can you identify with one of these family members whose quotes are below? Just like they have shared, we want to know your experiences so we can identify challenges and successes and all work together to ensure our children have accessible, engaging, and inclusive access to education. “My child’s TVI checks in with him every other day to see how things are going and if he needs anything But, my child’s O&M instructor has not been able to meet with my child because of social distancing and it’s hard to learn new techniques without it being hands-on instruction.” Family member/guardian of a 16-18 year old child who is blind “[My child has received] no services at all from TVI or O&M - students of color are not a priority when it comes to providing services. There should be a gathering of TVI/O&M mandatory diversity classes. Native Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Islanders, Tribes from Africa, Black, etc. are not even considered for TVI/O&M services. It is inhumane, unethical, and ungodly.” Family member/guardian of a 16-18-year-old child with low vision who has additional disabilities Learn more about the Access and Engagement study and take the survey by *November 30* by visiting https://www.accessengagement.com/ <https://afb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd3c8fefc9f905f5ccf41c577&id=f4a8c692f6&e=6f3342d9c8> . Thank you so much for your help—together, we can make sure that blind and low vision students' education is accessible, engaging, and equitable. But we need everyone's voices in the conversation. Thank you, Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum <prosenblum@afb.org?subject=Access%20and%20Engagement%20Survey%20Two> AFB Director of Research [image: Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum] This email was sent to jramsier@afb.net *why did I get this?* <https://afb.us11.list-manage.com/about?u=bd3c8fefc9f905f5ccf41c577&id=ec813cd965&e=6f3342d9c8&c=d0583bb667> unsubscribe from this list <https://afb.us11.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=bd3c8fefc9f905f5ccf41c577&id=ec813cd965&e=6f3342d9c8&c=d0583bb667> update subscription preferences <https://afb.us11.list-manage.com/profile?u=bd3c8fefc9f905f5ccf41c577&id=ec813cd965&e=6f3342d9c8> American Foundation for the Blind · 1401 South Clark Street · Suite 730 · Arlington, Virginia 22202 · USA