[blindkid] Fwd: Presidential Proclamation -- Blind Americans Equality Day, 2013
Carol Castellano
carol_castellano at verizon.net
Tue Oct 15 16:22:26 UTC 2013
Hi Everyone,
This is a great proclamation!
Carol
Carol Castellano
Parents of Blind Children-NJ
Director of Programs
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
973-377-0976
carol_castellano at verizon.net
www.blindchildren.org
www.nfb.org/parents-and-teachers
>Subject: Presidential Proclamation -- Blind Americans Equality Day, 2013
>Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 11:57:44 -0400
>From: "Pamela Gaston" <Pamela.Gaston at dhs.state.nj.us>
>
>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
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