Dear New York State CVRT/O&M Professional:

I am writing to bring you up to date on the bill that matters most to you and your consumers. The bill to license certified rehabilitation teachers (CVRTs) and certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMS) is very close to being passed-what is needed now is the voice of CVRT/O&M professionals, their families, friends, and consumers to be heard in Albany.

RECAP
The bill is in the State Senate and State Assembly Higher Education Committees in the State Legislature. The bill is a licensure bill for O&M/CVRT professionals. It will help assure consumer safety and help position you to provide third.party reimbursed services (e.g., Medicare) in New York State.

Licensure would help bring CVRTs and O&Ms into greater awareness in the health care field, similar to other rehabilitation professionals such as Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists. Licensure will help define the scope of practice that is CVRT and O&M in NYS, as well as determine state standards. State licensure is the state mechanism for ensuring that only qualified professionals provide vision rehabilitation services.

If you support these actions you need to support this licensure bill.

ACTION
The bill sits in the two Higher Education Committees; one in the state senate, and the other in the state assembly-now it needs to move out of committee and to the floor where it can be voted into law. With your help we can make a huge impression on these committees in 2005 by sending 5000 letters in support of moving the bills out of committee.

1. Please review, sign and return 2 letters (one for each committee chair).  Please write your name and address clearly, as elected officials often send a return letter. 

Return the letters to:

Hudson Valley Lighthouse 

C/O Rosemary Duda

110 Main Street

Poughkeepsie, NY  12601  

Fax# (845) 473-7350,  Phone # (845) 473-2660.  

2. Please take some time and ask New York State resident voters in your home and community to sign additional letters (2 each).  We plan to send 5000 letters in the spring to make the biggest impact.

If you are interested in doing more, please complete the checklist on the Supporter Sign-up Sheet. 

Thank you for your help.

Grace Ambrose Zaken, Ed.D, COMS, Chair
Coalition for Access to Quality Vision Rehabilitation Services

To print a letter to send to The Honorable Kenneth LaValle (Chairman of the State Senate Committee on Higher Education), click on this link, Letter to Kenneth LaValle.

To print a letter to send to The Honorable Ron Canestrari (Chair of the Higher Education Committee State Assembly), click on this link,  Letter to Ron Canestrari.

To help out more with the Licensure effort, click on this link,  Supporter Sign-up Sheet.

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