Posted on 12 November 2008. Filed under: Advocacy, Email Obama! | Tags: Americans with disabilities, contact Obama, Deaf Americans, deaf people, disabled americans, Email Obama!, Obama, people with disabilities, thank you |
[People who wish to communicate with the Obama administration should PLEASE CONTACT THEM DIRECTLY. I am NOT able to pass along your emails to the Obama administration. You can contact the White House at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/. Or you may prefer to contact the White House Office of Public Liaison, which in their own words is “the front door to the White House through which everyone can participate and inform the work of the President,” at http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/opl/]
This is NOT the place to leave your emails for Obama.
Instead, PLEASE go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/opl/ and leave your message for Obama there. Not here.]
From all over the United States and around the world, Deaf people and our loved ones, colleagues, and other allies are doing it. So are people with disabilities, loved ones, colleagues, and allies. And so are both bloggers and readers. Together, we have been working to ensure Obama’s team knows that people around the world are ready to hold him accountable for the promises he has made to Deaf people and to people with disabilities.
Ever since this Call to Action was first posted, people have been educating themselves about Obama’s campaign promises to people with disabilities. Then people have been sending emails to Kareem Dale, Obama’s National Disability Vote Director (at kdale@barackobama.com), WITH COPIES TO Anne Hayes, a volunteer on the Obama Disability Policy Committee (at ahayesku@hotmail.com). Through these emails, people have been letting Obama’s team know that we stand ready to hold him accountable for his promises.
Are you a blogger? Or, do you do Facebook? Have you copy/pasted the original a Call to Action at YOUR blog or Facebook page to help encourage YOUR readers to participate? The bloggers listed below have done their part. How about you?
(If you decide to post the Call to Action, please be sure to copy/paste from the text used at http://wecando.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/disabilities-email-obama/ — this is the original version, and always the most up-to-date version. Other versions may have been slightly modified to tailor them for different audiences or may be using slightly older versions of the Call to Action.)
And, of course, don’t forget to WRITE YOUR OWN EMAILS TO OBAMA! To be sent to kdale@barackobama.com WITH COPIES TO ahayesku@hotmail.com
As of November 17, 2008
One blogger has posted two videos in American Sign Language (ASL) about Obama and also mentioned the email-writing campaign:
http://www.alldeaf.com/war-political-news/59019-show-president-elect-obama.html
THANK YOU to Wheelie Catholic for including a link to the Call to Action in the navigation bar on her blog site: http://wheeliecatholic.blogspot.com/ This means all visitors to her site learn about the Call to Action no matter what page they look at first. I hope other bloggers consider following her example.
As of November 15, 2008
Brief mentions, and a link, at:
http://fridawrites.blogspot.com/2008/11/obama-and-disability-issues.html
http://yanub.blogspot.com/2008/11/nothing-about-us-without-us.html
As of November 12, 2008
http://wecando.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/disabilities-email-obama/ (the original!)
http://agenciainclusive.wordpress.com/2008/11/08/change-for-people-with-disabilities-time-to-email-obama/
https://reunifygally.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/deaf-email-obama/
http://www.disaboom.com/Blogs/srains/archive/2008/11/07/write-to-the-president-s-disability-policy-team.aspx
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/002587.html
http://lovemefor-me.blogspot.com/2008/11/president-of-us-of.html
http://funnyoldlife.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/change-for-people-with-disabilities-time-to-email-obama/
http://soberattheparty.blogspot.com/2008/11/change-for-people-with-disabilities.html
http://aspergersquare8.blogspot.com/2008/11/call-to-action.html
http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2008/11/time-to-email-o.html
http://activegreymatter.org/2008/11/12/change-for-people-with-disabilities-time-to-email-obama/
http://autisticbfh.blogspot.com/2008/11/promises-and-public-discussion.html
http://kara-h.blogspot.com/2008/11/change-for-people-with-disabilities.html
And the campaign has also received a brief mention at …
http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/news/Change_Gov-2008-11-08.htm
THANK YOU! To all bloggers (and Facebookers) who have been helping to circulate the Call to Action!
I also would like to share a big THANK YOU to people who have been circulating the alert via email to their loved ones, friends, and colleagues to urge them to take action. Please continue to do so! Again, the original, and most up-to-date version of the Call to Action is posted at http://wecando.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/disabilities-email-obama/
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Posted on 7 November 2008. Filed under: Advocacy, Announcements, Audism, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (, CRPD (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabili, Email Obama!, International | Tags: Americans with disabilities, Deaf Americans, deaf people, disabled americans, disabled people, Obama and deaf people, Obama and people with disabilities, people with disabilities, president, President Obama, president-elect, president-elect Obama, US president, US president-elect, US president-elect Obama |
Change for People with Disabilities and Deaf People: Time to Email Obama!
On November 4, 2008, millions of Deaf people and people with disabilities across the United States and around the world joined our non-disabled peers in watching the United States election results. Obama supporters cheered or wept to learn that the next US president would be Obama. Then we cheered or wept again when Obama mentioned people with disabilities in his acceptance speech. History was made–not only for America, not only for Black people, not only for Kenya and all of Africa, not only for Indigenous peoples, but also for people with disabilities.
But we cannot afford to allow the moment to end here. Whether we supported Obama, McCain, or another candidate, we all know there is far too much work ahead before we can say, “Yes, we have made real change for people with disabilities.”
It is time for people with disabilities, our loved ones, our neighbors, and colleagues to join together, across ideological divides, to reach out to Obama. We should all send an email to Kareem Dale, Obama’s National Disability Vote Director (at kdale@barackobama.com), WITH COPIES TO Anne Hayes, a volunteer on the Obama Disability Policy Committee (at ahayesku@hotmail.com).
First, we should thank Obama — and also Kareem Dale — for mentioning people with disabilities in Obama’s acceptance speech on November 4. Ensure that they understand how much it matters simply for us to be included. How did you feel when Obama mentioned us? Share your story.
Second, we should tell Obama and Kareem Dale that we are aware of Obama’s disability platform. He promised to increase educational opportunities; end discrimination; increase employment opportunities; and support independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities. And he promised to sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the first international, legally-binding human rights treaty for people with disabilities. Tell Obama and Kareem Dale that we are ready to call Obama to account if he fails us. But more importantly, we are ready to work with him for change for people with disabilities.
It is important to send your disability-related emails to BOTH Kareem Dale AND Anne Hayes (kdale@barackobama.com AND ahayesku@hotmail.com) between now and inauguration day. Kareem Dale’s email address may change between now and January 20, 2009. Anne Hayes can help ensure that emails sent to Kareem Dale are not lost during this time of transition.
Both Kareem Dale and others who have worked on disability issues within the Obama campaign are ready to receive YOUR emails on disability-related issues for US President-elect Obama. Emails are welcome from across the United States and around the world. If you are a US citizen, then please say so in your email.
Learn more about Obama’s plan for people with disabilities at: http://origin.barackobama.com/issues/disabilities/
Yes, the video is captioned. And if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can download Obama’s Full Plan for people with disabilities in PDF format (62 Kb).
Read Obama’s acceptance speech at: http://www.barackobama.com/2008/11/04/remarks_of_presidentelect_bara.php
Want to read someone else’s letter to Obama before you write your own? Come to: https://reunifygally.wordpress.com/2008/11/05/thank_you_obama_disabilities/
Learn more about the CRPD at http://ratifynow.org/ratifynow-faq/
If you wish to contact Obama’s staff on some topic other than disability, then you can send an email via his web page at http://www.change.gov/page/s/ofthepeople
Please circulate this email freely, or post this at your own blog or web site.
This text was first posted at http://wecando.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/disabilities-email-obama/ The most updated version will be here, so please consult before cross-posting.
“It is the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, DISABLED and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.”
–President-Elect Barack Obama
Acceptance speech, November 4, 2008; emphasis added
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Posted on 5 November 2008. Filed under: Advocacy, CRPD (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabili | Tags: Americans with disabilities, Barack Obama, disabled americans, exclusion, inclusion, marginalization, people with disabilities, politics, public life, visibility, voters with disabilities |
Tradução portuguesa
Dear President Elect Barack Obama:
I wanted to convey a heartfelt THANK YOU to President elect Obama for making an entire class of excluded citizens visible in his acceptance speech last night: people with disabilities. THANK YOU for including the word “disabled” in your acceptance speech last night.
I am a Deaf US citizen who also has attention deficit disorder and a mild foot problem. So I, too, am an American with disabilities. This is the first time I can recall feeling included in a political campaign as a person with disabilities.
Historically, people with disabilities have been pushed to the margins, confined to our homes–or worse, to institutions. This was partly because of who we are and partly because people simply did not prioritize our inclusion, even when it would be simple to do so. Then, because we were not allowed to be in the mainstream of society, people didn’t see us–and thus assumed we do not exist. So the issues and concerns with the most profound impact on our lives, our most basic freedoms, and even our day to day survival have been historically assumed to not matter.
We are among the largest minority groups in this country–the World Health Organization estimates we comprise about 10% of the population. Yet people don’t see us in their streets, in their homes, in their offices, in the policies that they draft, in the programs they run, or in their lives. In American society, and around the world, we are consistently “invisibilized.” Most politicians, most of the time, don’t even mention us the way Obama did last night. We are so consistently excluded that even tokenism would be a step forward for us.
I voted for Obama yesterday morning for many reasons. But one important motivation for me was that he was the only candidate to provide a truly comprehensive disability rights platform (PDF format, 62 Kb). It is particularly unique and impressive in that it is one of the few acknowledgments by a politician that disability issues are not confined to social protection programs, or to services for veterans disabled in war, or to education services for so-called “special needs” children.
All of these are important concerns also, but Obama’s platform is a rare recognition that people with disabilities are not a monolithic group. Social protection programs are not the start and end of our needs; we are not all veterans; and we are not all children. We are mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, brothers and sisters, friends and confidantes, co-workers and professional colleagues, spouses and partners, neighbors, and even professional and athletic rivals. We are everyone. And our needs are, correspondingly, as complex as the needs of everyone else.
Above all, as with any other marginalized minority group, our needs include the need for human rights protections. This makes it particularly noteworthy that Obama was the only candidate to pledge to sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and encourage the Senate to ratify it.
Yet: when Obama referred to “disabled” (and non-disabled) people in his speech last night, I stopped breathing. Even with his disability platform in mind, I had not been prepared for this moment. Suddenly, one of the most overlooked group of Americans was acknowledged as a force in our own right. Suddenly, I felt visible.
I had to stop writing this letter twice because I kept stopping to weep. How powerful a thing it is, simply to be validated. Simply to have a president elect of the country acknowledge that we exist. How powerful a thing it is, to have a president elect of the country acknowledge us, not as a special class apart, but as a part of the mainstream of society. Exactly as we should be. Exactly where we belong.
Mr. Obama, you can expect more letters from me in the years to come. I am a person with many opinions and am not afraid to express them. In particular, I will be calling upon you to follow through on your pledge to sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). You can bet I will be calling you to account on your promises to Americans with disabilities!
But for now, just for today–thank you. Thank you for referring to Americans with disabilities in your acceptance speech on the evening of November 4, 2008. Just, thank you–for acknowledging us and for including us. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ms. Andrea Shettle, MSW
This is an open letter to Barack Obama. I hope other Deaf people, and people with disabilities in general, will join me in reaching out to Obama from across the US and around the world. Thank him for including us in his remarks on election night. And remind him of his campaign promises to Americans with disabilities (Follow the link to download the 8-page, 62 Kb PDF file.
Even if you didn’t vote for Obama–if you are in the US, he will be your president too. Democrats and Republicans may disagree with each other on a great many things, including who would have been a better president for Americans with disabilities. But I think we also have many concerns in common that are well worth crossing the ideological divide. No matter who we voted for, let’s work together to ensure that we are increasingly included, and increasingly visible, in the mainstream of American politics and policies and public life. Let’s work together to ensure that we are included in the mainstream of society, full stop.
If you’re interested specifically in the CRPD–the first international, legally-binding human rights treaty to protect a wide range of human rights for people with disabilities around the world–check out RatifyNow.org. Ratification of the CRPD is very much consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with the bonus that it could help expand human rights protections into areas not currently covered in the ADA.
Obama’s administration can be contacted via his new Office of Public Liaison.
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Posted on 31 October 2008. Filed under: Advocacy | Tags: Americans with disabilities, Biden, deaf rights, Deaf voters, disability rights, disabled americans, disabled veterans, disabled voters, human rights, Mccain, Obama, Palin, people with disabilities, voters with disabilities |
Note that, of course, Deaf people would be affected by McCain-Palin disability policies just as much as Americans with disabilities generally. (See press release further below) This is one of a great many reasons (not all related to disability policy) that I will be voting for the Obama-Biden ticket this coming Tuesday.
Simply put, I trust Obama to be more attentive to Deaf rights and disability rights as a HUMAN RIGHTS issue–not just another code word for “welfare” or “charity” or so called “special needs.” From the primary stage onwards, Obama was the only leading candidate to have a comprehensively written disability platform that includes a strong endorsement of the Americans with Disability Act, and a clear commitment on Obama’s part to sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Read this FAQ for more information about the CRPD. And you can read Obama’s disability platform in PDF format for yourself; it’s only 62 Kb, so even slow modems shouldn’t have too much trouble downloading it.
ADAWatch.org
National Coalition for Disability Rights
NEWS RELEASE
October 31, 2008
Disability Rights Organizations Express Outrage Over Attacks at McCain-Palin Rally
(Washington, DC) The National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR) pushed back today against the McCain-Palin campaign for ridiculing the legal rights of people with disabilities. News reports describe McCain-Palin campaign representative Senator Kit Bond (R-Mo), joining Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin at a rally in Rush Limbaugh’s hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, mocking Presidential candidate Senator Barak Obama for stating that he’s looking to nominate judges who empathize with “the disabled.”
“It’s Halloween and it seems that Sarah Palin’s mask of support for people with “special needs” is slipping. Despite past pandering to people with disabilities, McCain-Palin are actually opposed to vital disability legislation like the Community Choice Act and they want to appoint judges who will further roll back the civil rights protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act,” declared NCDR’s founder and president, Jim Ward.
NPR’s Nina Totenberg has reported that McCain-Palin’s and conservatives’ “most oft-mentioned prospects” for nomination to the Supreme Court include Ohio Judge Jeffrey Sutton. Sutton was opposed by hundreds of disability organizations when he was nominated by President Bush after successfully weakening the ADA with states’ rights arguments. As a sitting judge, he has recently supported the execution of criminals with developmental disabilities and has undermined the Help America Vote Act(HAVA).
Disability rights advocates are further incensed that the McCain-Palin campaign has reframed this civil rights struggle, one founded in concepts of equality, dignity and self-respect, as an issue of “special needs.”
Disability rights advocate, Steve Gold states, “Yes we need support services. Yes we need inclusive education. Yes we need integrated employment. Yes we need equal rights. This not “special”. These needs are based on us, people with disabilities, equal members of our communities. We are not inspirational nor are we “special”. We are PROUD PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES who should push back when anyone describes us as anything but equal members of our communities.”
The National Coalition for Disability Rights is a nonpartisan nonprofit that does not endorse political candidates. We are a coalition of national, state and local disability, civil rights and social justice organizations united to protect and promote the human rights of children and adults with physical and mental disabilities.
###
This press release was circulated via the ADA Watch email list.
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Posted on 6 February 2008. Filed under: ADA Restoration Act of 2007, Advocacy, Audism, Blogroll, On the ADA Restoration Act of 2007, US Chamber of Commerce | Tags: ADA Restoration Act, American diabetes association, Americans with disabilities, Association on Higher Education and disability, Diabetesauthor, disabled americans, Employer's Lawyer, Fridawrites, George's Employment blawg, Heritage Foundation, John Kline, Justice for all, Lawyers USA, Ohio employer's law blog, people with disabilities, planet for the blind, road to freedom, veterans with disabilities |
Have you been sitting quietly on the sidelines watching the ADA Restoration Act work its way through congress? The Deaf community and others cannot afford complacency in this battle. Large organizations such as the Heritage Foundation have now come out strongly against the Restoration Act. And many bloggers have followed suit in blogging against the ADA Restoration Act. That means it’s time for Deaf people to take action. And also for people–deaf or hearing, with or without disabilities–to write to their senators.
I’m looking for people (deaf or hearing, I don’t care) to please help by writing good rebuttals to some of the arguments used by the Heritage Foundation, the US Chamber of Commerce, or some of the bloggers around the web. If you can help out, please contact me at ashettle [at] patriot.net and I’d be happy to post your response at Reunify Gally. First, browse as many of the links below as you have the time or interest for:
Tell Your Representatives to Support the ADA Restoration Act Jan 31 ’08, Crip Chronicles. Presents a letter from the Association on Higher Education and Disability supporting the Restoration Act, with quotes from the recent House testimony on the legislation. Links to further information on the bill and to a web page that can help you contact your legislators. Worth reading.
Not Everybody is Working for the Passage of the ADA Restoration Act Jan 31 ’08, blogger Ron Graham at Access Ability reminds readers that, even though most Americans with disabilities see the ADA Restoration Act as “obviously” correct, many others are working hard against it. He summarizes and links to some of the key opposition. All the more reason why supporters of the Restoration Act should write to your senators!
ADA Restoration Act making way through congress Jan 31 ’08, Greg links to a story about an electrician who was fired after his employer discovered he had a disability even though he had already been successfully performing at his job for 20 years. (Another story about the same man was also posted here.) Makes the case for why we should support the Restoration Act. Encourages other workers with disabilities to consider starting their own companies as an alternate path to employment.
ADA Restoration Act The HR Cafe, Jan 31 ’08. Links to the Heritage Foundation letter opposing the ADA Restoration, and links to a letter from the ACLU supporting the Restoration, then opens up discussion for Human Resources personnel at various companies.
Hurting by Helping: The Law of Unintended Consequences Jan 30 ’08, Jottings by an Employer’s Lawyer. This one argues that the ADA Restoration Act could end up hurting Americans with disabilities more than it helps. But there is an interesting rebuttal in the comments. If anyone reading this has further rebuttals, please send them to me and I’d be happy to post them at ReunifyGally.
Americans with Disabilities Restoration 30 Jan ’08, Ohio Employer’s Law Blog; This blog post presents arguments AGAINST the Restoration Act. Most other writers opposed to the law tend to present arguments that are very poorly informed or else rooted in exagerated assumptions. This argument is better thought-out than most opposition that I have seen so far. Of course, one would expect that an EMPLOYER’S blog would tend to end up against the Restoration Act, in about the same way one would expect most disabled people, like me, to respectfully disagree. If anyone reading this has a good rebuttal for them, I’d be interested in posting it here at ReunifyGally: please contact me at ashettle [at] patriot.net.
Witnesses Call on House Labor Committee to Pass ADA Restoration Act Jan 30 ’08, the Road to Freedom blog reports on the recent Jan 29 hearing held by the Education and Labor Committee in the House of Representatives. Also has links to further information about the Road to Freedom road trip across the country bringing information about the ADA and the Restoration Act to local communities across the United States.
ADA Restoration Hearing in House Ed & Labor — Who Showed Up and What Went Down Jan 29 ’08, the Justice For All blog reports on what happened at the Jan 29 ’08 House Hearing, with a list of all the representatives who showed up (both Democrats and Republicans were represented) and a summary of the testimony. WELL WORTH READING. This could also be a good reference to use when discussing the ADA Restoration Act with anyone who opposes it because it helps correct some common misunderstandings.
Action Center Jan 29 ’08, the American Diabetes Association urges people to contact their legislators to ask them to support the ADA Restoration Act.
The ADA Restoration Act: What We All Need to Know Jan 29 ’08, Planet for the Blind reports on some of the fierce opposition against the ADA Restoration Act and provides an accurate, good quality summary from Scott Lissner of the ADA Restoration Act and its probable effects. The full text of the ADA Restoration Act is also presented here.
Important Diabetes Legislation Jan 29 ’08; DiabetesAuthor points out that court mis-interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act have been particularly harmful to people with diabetes and urges readers to contact their legislators.
Debate Over Bill Broadening ADA Coverage Jan 29 ’08, Lawyers USA points to arguments on both sides of the ADA Restoration Act. However, although everyone will be able to follow links to articles arguing against the Restoration Act (or read a summation of their main points on this page), only subscribers to Lawyers USA will be able to access articles presenting pro-ADA Restoration arguments (with no summation here). I think the authors of this blog site were genuinely trying to be balanced, but the resulting effect has sadly fallen short.
Kline Lacks Support for Disabled Jan 29 ’08; the “Dump John Kline” blog argues that Kline “turns his back on our veterans with disabilities” by failing to support the ADA Restoration Act. Urges readers to contact Kline. Links to information about the Jan 29 ’08 House hearings on the ADA Restoration Act.
ADA Restoration Act: Undermining the Employee-Employer Relationship Jan 28 ’08, Heritage Foundation. In case you were complacently assuming that everyone supports the ADA Restoration Act (after all, most people with disabilities do), here is a long editorial lambasting the legislation. Unfortunately it is based in part on a distorted understanding of the actual original intent of both the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Restoration Act itself. ANY KNOWLEDEGABLE INDIVIDUALS ABLE TO WRITE A THOUGHTFUL REBUTTAL is urged to please submit your essays to me at ashettle [at] patriot.net and I would be delighted to publish it here at ReunifyGally.
Does the ADA Need Restoration? Jan 28 ’08; George’s Employment Blawg also takes a position against the ADA Restoration Act. PLEASE SUBMIT THOUGHTFUL, WELL-INFORMED REBUTTALS to me at ashettle [at] patriot.net and I would be delighted to publish it at ReunifyGally.
ADA in Balance: New Legislation Jan 26 ’08, FridaWrites points out that even non-disabled people should care about the ADA Restoration Act because anyone could become disabled at any time; links to information on the Restoration Act and how you can take action (most of which have also been featured here at ReunifyGally).
We’re So Close Now: Critical Days for ADA Jan 25 ’08, the ADA Restoration blog has an ACTION ALERT! for how YOU can help get the ADA Restoration Act passed. Even if you’ve already written to your representatives and senators, it can be worth writing them again.
PLEASE make an ASL vlog (or a written blog, if you like) on the ADA Restoration Act! If you do, I’d be delighted to link to you!
CCD has compiled an excellent collection of materials on the ADA and on the ADA Restoration Act of 2007, so it’s well worth following their link to www.c-c-d.org/ada. If you’re still new to the subject, this can help you understand why the ADA Restoration Act is critical to pass and why we should all be involved.
See my continually-updated list of blog entries from all over the web about the ADA Restoration Act of 2007, always available from the top navigation bar at “On the ADA Restoration Act.”
See examples of specific court cases that have served to undermine the spirit and intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act: click on “ADA Court Cases” under “categories” in the right-hand navigation bar. I still have one more ADA Court Caseto post in the coming few weeks.
Also, don’t miss these links: One group of activists has posted a short list of simple ideas of things you can do to help get the Restoration Act passed. And do check out the ADA Restoration Blog for updates. Or browse through background information on the ADA Restoration Act. Or contact your legislators. It is particularly important to write letters to your senators.
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Learn vocabulary and feed the hungry at freerice.com
ReunifyGally 