Accomplishments

 

Senate Bill 805 Bill Summary

View the legislation initiated by Vision First President Janet Hughes that sailed through the Illinois legislature with chief sponsor state Senator Christine Radogno without one opposing vote and without opposition except from the Illinois Department of Public Health vision screening program.  Read more…

 

Public Act 93-0504

View the full text of “Amy’s Law.”  Read more…

 

Illinois PTA Resolution

View the resolution prepared by Illinois PTA Member/Vision First President Janet Hughes, Required Vision Examination Before Entering Kindergarten.   The resolution referenced 106 pages of background material supporting each “WHEREAS” statement.  Vision First Board/Illinois PTA Members Dr. Floyd Woods and Nora Walicek also defended the resolution at the 2004 convention.  Included on the PTA website are the other resolutions adopted at the Illinois PTA Convention in 2004.  Read more…

 

National PTA Position Statement

View the full National PTA Position Statement—Elements of Comprehensive Health Programs.  Illinois PTA Member/Vision First President Janet Hughes authored the amended sections to include education regarding children’s eye and vision care and support for comprehensive eye and vision examinations. Read more…  For an excerpt of the National PTA Position Statement, click here...

 

Illinois Assoc. of School Board Proposed Resolution

View the resolution and references prepared by Vision First President Janet Hughes, which was adopted by the Board of Education from Morris Elementary School District 54 in 2004.  This resolution was presented by Janet Hughes and members of the District 54 Board of Education to the IASB Resolutions Committee in 2004 and 2005.  Read more…

 

Illinois Assoc. of School Boards Belief Statements

When Vision First President Janet Hughes and members of the Board of Education from Morris Elementary School District 54 met with the IASB Resolutions Committee in 2004 and 2005, IASB remained firm in their position to oppose all mandates.  However, IASB recognized the importance of children’s vision.  This resulted in the addition of the “twelfth” belief statement.  View the 12 beliefs supported by Illinois Association of School Boards.  Read more…

 

Letter written to JCAR on behalf of “Amy’s Law”

View the final letter written by Vision First President Janet Hughes to the Illinois Joint Commission on Administrative Rules during the rulemaking process of Public Act 93-0504 in 2005.  The Illinois Department of Public Health dropped their proposed changes following the receipt of this letter.  Read more…

 

Illinoios Federation of Teachers Resolution

View the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) resolution supported with Illinois PTA.  IFT Member/Vision First Board Member Nora Waliczek presented the PTA resolution to her West Suburban Teachers Union Local 571 with President Jane Russell in 2004.  The IFT adopted the resolution, Required Vision Examination Before Entering Kindergarten, at their annual convention in 2005.  It was this resolution that led the IFT in 2007 to initiate Senate Bill 641 requiring an eye examination before entering kindergarten in Illinois. Read Resolution No. 11 here...

 

Senate Bill 641 Bill Summary

View the legislation initiated by the Illinois Federation of Teachers with chief sponsors Senator Deanna Demuzio and Representative Jil Tracy.  Senate Bill 641 won unanimous support from the Senate and House Education Committees, the full Senate, and the full House of Representatives.  Read more…

 

Letter written to Governor Blagojevich

View the letter written by Vision First President Janet Hughes urging the Governor to sign Senate Bill 641 into Illinois law.  Read more…

 

Letter written to the 95th Illinois General Assembly

View the letter written by Vision First President Janet Hughes in response to the Governor’s amendatory veto of Senate Bill 641.  Read more…

 

Public Act 95-0671

View the full text of Illinois' eye exam law.  Read more...

 

Illinois Optometric Association Resolution

View the Illinois Optometric Association Resolution (IOA) adopted at their 2007 annual convention. The IOA resolved to: support the mission of Vision First; include continuing education (CE) in functional vision and learning related care; and recognize the Kids Eyes Count Campaign as a valuable program of education.  Read more...

 

North Dakota Optometric Association Resolution

View the North Dakota Optometric Association Resolution (NDOA) adopted at their 2007 annual convention.  The NDOA resolved to: support the mission of Vision First; include continuing education (CE) in functional vision and learning related care; and recognize the Kids Eyes Count Campaign as a valuable and approved program of education.  Read more...

"Show me someone who has

done something worthwhile and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.”
—Lou Holtz

Dr. Floyd Woods, Janet Hughes, and Nora Waliczek persuaded the Illinois PTA in 2004 to adopt a resolution to raise the standards of eye care for all children.