[nfbmi-talk] Presidential Proclamation

[Terry D. Eagle]

Presidential Proclamation -- Blind Americans Equality Day, 2013. 

 

BLIND AMERICANS EQUALITY DAY, 2013. 

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 

 

A PROCLAMATION:

 

Blind and visually impaired persons have always played an important role in
American life and culture, and today we recommit to our goals of full access
and opportunity. Whether sprinting across finish lines, leading innovation
in business and government, or creating powerful music and art, blind and
visually impaired Americans imagine and pursue ideas and goals that move our
country forward. As a Nation, it is our task to ensure they can always
access the tools and support they need to turn those ideas and goals into
realities.

 

My Administration is committed to advancing opportunity for people with
disabilities through the Americans with Disabilities Act and other important
avenues. In June of this year, the United States joined with over 150
countries in approving a landmark treaty that aims to expand access for
visually impaired persons and other persons with print disabilities to
information, culture, and education. By facilitating access to books and
other printed material, the treaty holds the potential to open up worlds of
knowledge. If the United States becomes a party to this treaty, we can
reduce the book famine that confronts the blind community while maintaining
the integrity of the international copyright framework.

 

The United States was also proud to join 141 other countries in signing the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, and we are
working toward its ratification. Americans with Disabilities, including
those who are blind or visually impaired, should have the same opportunities
to work, study, and travel in other countries as any other American, and the
Convention can help us realize that goal.

 

To create a more level playing field and ensure students with disabilities
have access to the general education curriculum, the Department of Education
issued new guidance in June for the use of Braille as a literacy tool under
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This guidance reaffirms my
Administration's commitment to using Braille to open doors for students who
are blind or visually impaired, so every student has a chance to succeed in
the classroom and graduate from high school prepared for college and
careers.

 

We have come a long way in our journey toward a more perfect Union, but we
still have work ahead. We must fulfill the promise of life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness and expand the freedom to make of our lives what we
will. On this day, we celebrate the accomplishments of our blind and
visually impaired citizens, and we recommit to building a Nation where all
Americans, including those who are blind or visually impaired, live with the
assurance of equal opportunity and equal respect.

 

By joint resolution approved on October 6, 1964 (Public Law 88-628, as
amended), the Congress designated October 15 of each year as "White Cane
Safety Day" to recognize the contributions of Americans who are blind or
have low vision. Today, let us recommit to ensuring we remain a Nation where
all our people, including those with disabilities, have every opportunity to
achieve their dreams.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America,
by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of
the United States, do hereby proclaim October 15, 2013, as Blind Americans
Equality Day. I call upon public officials, business and community leaders,
educators, librarians, and Americans across the country to observe this day
with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of
October, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
thirty-eighth.

 

BARACK OBAMA