About the Bill
The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act was recently introduced in Congress and is designed to enhance the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to better meet the needs of students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind.
According to the American Federation for the Blind (AFB), the Cogswell-Macy Act would:
- ensure specialized instruction specifically for students who are visually impaired, deafblind, deaf, or hard of hearing.
- increase the availability of services and resources by ensuring all students who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind are accounted for.
- enhance accountability at the state and federal levels.
- increase research into best practices for teaching and evaluating students with visual or hearing impairments by establishing the Anne Sullivan Macy Center on Visual Disability and Educational Excellence—a collaborative consortium of nonprofits, higher education institutions, and other agencies to provide technical support, research assistance, and professional development.
Learn More
For more in-depth information, we recommend reading the complete AFB article and visiting https://cogswellmacyact.org/.
Take Action
This bill has been introduced to both the U.S. House of Representatives and to the U.S. Senate. Call or email your elected representatives today and ask them to support the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act.
