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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>fyi</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=dandrews@visi.com href="mailto:dandrews@visi.com">David Andrews</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=nfbnet-master-list@nfbnet.org
href="mailto:nfbnet-master-list@nfbnet.org">nfbnet-master-list@nfbnet.org</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, October 15, 2013 2:47 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [Nfbnet-master-list] Presidential Proclamation -- Blind
AmericansEquality Day, 2013</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>The White House<BR>Office of the Press Secretary<BR>For Immediate
Release <BR>October 11, 2013 <BR>Presidential Proclamation -- Blind Americans
Equality Day, 2013<BR>
<DIV align=center>BLIND AMERICANS EQUALITY DAY, 2013<BR>- - - - - - -<BR>BY THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA<BR>A PROCLAMATION<BR></DIV>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.<BR>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.<BR>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.<BR>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.<BR>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.<BR>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.<BR>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.<BR>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.<BR>
<DIV align=center>BARACK OBAMA<BR></DIV>
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