Penny Forward Calls on Department of Education to Reinstate Braille and Deaf-Blind Training Grants
On September 12, 2025, Penny Forward founder and CEO Chris Peterson sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education urging the immediate reinstatement of federal grant funding for critical programs supporting the blind and deaf-blind communities.
The Department of Education recently canceled IDEA Part D programs and RSA 235E grants, which had funded Braille literacy training for instructors and supported four deaf-blind technical assistance centers across the country. These cuts directly threaten opportunities for blind and deaf-blind youth to receive quality education and employment preparation.
Chris emphasizes that access to Braille instruction and specialized support is essential for breaking the cycle of poverty among blind individuals. Today, 95% of people who are blind or have low vision live below the federal poverty line, a reality that Penny Forward is working to change through accessible financial education and advocacy.
“Those of us who learn Braille from trained instructors go on to receive good educations, get good jobs, and contribute more to the nation’s tax base. Those of us who don’t learn Braille risk being dependent on public benefits and our families for the rest of our lives.”
— Chris Peterson, CEO of Penny Forward
Penny Forward joins other blindness-related organizations and individuals in calling for the restoration of these vital programs. We also urge blind individuals and allies to raise their voices and make sure the Department of Education understands the urgent need for this funding.
Full Text of the Letter
Hello,
My Name is Chris Peterson. I’m an Accredited Financial Counselor, AFC®, and the founder and CEO of Penny Forward: Financial Education for the blind. I and my sister, Jessica, were born totally blind. After a 20 year career in software development, I am now leading a fast growing nonprofit organization working to provide high quality accessible financial education to people who are blind. I left my successful career to do this because 95 percent of people with blindness or low vision live below the federal poverty line. I don’t think that is acceptable and I’m determined to solve that problem.
My success, that of my sister, and others like us, didn’t come from privilege or luck, it came directly from quality education. And, just like sighted students who learn to read and write well have better educational and employment outcomes later in life, blind students, like me, who learn to read and write in Braille have better educational and employment outcomes later in life. In other words, those of us who learn Braille from trained Braille instructors go on to receive good educations, get good jobs, and contribute more to the nation’s tax base. Those of us who don’t learn Braille risk being dependent on public benefits and our families for the rest of our lives.
I’m writing to demand that Secretary McMahon and the Department of Education reinstate the recently-canceled grant funding for IDEA Part D programs as well as the RSA 235E grants. This funding is critical to support increased Braille literacy for teachers of blind students and the blind youth of America. Additionally, I also demand that you reinstate funding for the four deafblind technical assistance centers in Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. This grant funding is an investment in blind and deaf-blind youth who, if given the chance, will help make America even greater than it already is.
Sincerely,
Chris Peterson
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