Sample Letter for IDEA Conferees

This document is no longer timely and may be only of historical value.

For information on current issues go to the Education Issues section.

The following is a sample letter written from the point of view of a parent. If you are a teacher or a student, please adapt this to express your views. Write your letter telling your story of how the provisions affect you. Be sure to state whether you are a constituent, including your address and the reason for your interest (for example, you are a parent, teacher, or other professional). Make sure to tell them why you are writing and what you want the member to do. Please either fax the letter or call. If you are a constituent you may also e-mail through the member's web page. Postal mail will not be delivered in a timely manner. See below for the contact information and instructions.

Sample Letter

John Citizen
10 Main Street
Fairfax, VA 22222

Dear (Senator/Representative) (name):

I am writing to you because you are a conferee for H.R.1350, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. I want you to support the measures that will provide timely delivery of textbooks and instructional materials to blind and print-handicapped students and training in critical specialized skills in students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). It is critical that the stronger and more clear language contained in the Senate version of H.R.1350 be included in the final law.

I'm a parent of a blind child attending high school in Fairfax County Virginia. In the past it has been a serious problem for us to get braille copies of my daughter's textbooks in a timely manner. For example, last year my daughter didn't receive the first chapters of her biology textbook until March. This is despite the fact that we followed the recommended procedures. The National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (National File Format) provided for in sections 612 and 613 of both versions of H.R.1350 would go far to help ensure that my daughter gets her books on time in a format she can read.

An even more important part of the Senate version is the provision of a national repository. The repository, a central source for the collection of textbooks in the national file format, is only provided for in the Senate's version of the bill in section 675. A repository would mean that all of my daughter's teachers would go to the same place to obtain electronic copies of all of her textbooks regardless of the subject matter or publisher. Her teachers should not have to spend precious teaching time trying to find electronic copies of textbooks. They should be teaching her in the classroom.

A final issue of concern is the development of critical skills such as independent living skills, orientation and mobility, and the use of assistive technology. Training and development of these skills is provided for in the Individualized Education Program in section 614(d) of the Senate bill. With these skills I know that my daughter will be able to compete on an equal basis with other children in the classroom, in the community, and in the workforce. As a parent I want all of my children to have the same opportunities to obtain their dreams.

I urge you to support inclusion of the Senate's language on textbooks and skills in the final version of the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

IDEA Conference Committee Contact Information

If you live in the state represented by one of the Senators listed or if you live in the Congressional district of one of the Representatives listed, you may choose to contact them using the constituent e-mail form on their web site. You will find links to their web sites at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state&Sort=ASC or http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml. Choose the most appropriate topic from the drop down list (probably "Education"). For best results, include the name of the staff member listed below in the body of your e-mail.

If you prefer, or if you are not a constituent, you may use the phone and fax numbers listed below. Address your letter to the Senator or Representative and include "Att: [staff member]."

It would also be very helpful to check your members' district offices to see when your member will be holding a town meeting. That is an excellent time to drive home the importance of coming to agreement on IDEA.

Senate

Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Staff Member: Denzel McGuire
Telephone: 202-224-5375; Fax: 202-228-5044

Bill Frist (R-TN)
Staff Member: Allison Winnike
Telephone: 202-224-3344; Fax: 202-228-1264

Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Staff Member: Steve Northrup
Telephone: 202-224-3424; Fax: 202-228-0359

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Staff Member: Kristin Bannerman
Telephone: 202-224-4944; Fax: 202-228-3398

Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Staff Member: Kara Vlasaty
Telephone: 202-224-5721; Fax: 202-224-8149

Mike DeWine (R-OH)
Staff Member: Greg McIlvaine
Telephone: 202-224-2315; Fax: 202-224-6519

Pat Roberts (KS)
Staff Member: Jennifer Swenson
Telephone: 202-224-4774; Fax: 202-224-3514

Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Staff Member: Prim Formby
Telephone: 202-224-4124; Fax: 202-224-3149

John Ensign (R-NV)
Staff Member: Lindsay Lovlien
Telephone: 202-224-6244; Fax: 202-228-2193

Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Staff Member: Jessica Efird
Telephone: 202-224-5972; Fax: 202-224-3808

John Warner (R-VA)
Staff Member: J.K. Robinson
Telephone: 202-224-2023; Fax: 202-224-6295

Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
Staff Member: Connie Garner
Telephone: 202-224-0767; Fax: 202-224-5128

Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
Staff Member: Mary Ellen McGuire
Telephone: 202-224-2823; Fax: 202-224-1083

Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Staff Member: Mary Giliberti
Telephone: 202-224-3254; Fax: 202-224-9369

Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Staff Member: Rebecca Litt
Telephone: 202-224-4654; Fax: 202-224-8858

James Jeffords (I-VT)
Staff Member: Justin King
Telephone: 202-224-5141; Fax: 202-228-0776

Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Staff Member: Bruce Lesley
Telephone: 202-224-5521; Fax: 202-224-2852

Patty Murray (D-WA)
Staff Member: Jamie Fasteau
Telephone: 202-224-2621; Fax: 202-224-0238

Jack Reed (D-RI)
Staff Member: Elyse Wasch
Telephone: 202-224-4642; Fax: 202-224-4680

John Edwards (D-NC)
Staff Member: Erica Buehrens
Telephone: 202-224-3154; Fax: 202-228-1374

Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Staff Member: Ann Gavaghan; Maryanna Zubok
Telephone: 202-224-4451; Fax: 202-228-0282

House

John A. Boehner (R-OH-8)
Staff Member: David Cleary
Telephone: 225-4527; Fax: 225-9571

Michael N. Castle (R-DE-AL)
Staff Member: Elizabeth Wenk
Telephone: 225-4165; Fax: 225-2291

Vernon J. Ehlers (R-MI-3)
Staff Member: Rachel Post
Telephone: 225-3831; Fax: 225-5144

Ric Keller (R-FL-8)
Staff Member: Brittany McMaster
Telephone: 225-2176; Fax: 225-0999

Joe Wilson (R-SC-2)
Staff Member: Melissa Whittingham
Telephone: 225-2452; Fax: 225-2455

George Miller (D-CA-7)
Staff Member: Alice Johnson Cain
Telephone: 225-3725; Fax: 226-4864

Major R. Owens (D-NY-11)
Staff Member: Larry Walker
Telephone: 225-6231; 226-0112

Lynn C. Woolsey (D-CA-6)
Staff Member: Lloyd Horwich
Telephone: 225-4527; Fax: 225-9571