[Nfbf-l] Fwd: FW: Presidential Proclamation -October 15, 2013, as Blind Americans Equa...

[MisterAdvocate at aol.com]

Dwight D.  Sayer
12516 Hammock Pointe Circle
Clermont, Fl.  34711
352-988-5583


 
  
____________________________________
 From: Robert.Doyle at dbs.fldoe.org
To:  DBS_Rehab_Counclcil at dbs.fldoe.org
Sent: 10/15/2013 9:41:22 A.M. Eastern  Daylight Time
Subj: FW: Presidential Proclamation -October 15, 2013, as  Blind Americans 
Equality Day



 
 
From: Carrin, JoAnn  
Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 9:39 AM
To:  #$DBS_ALL_USERS; #$DBS_CRP_Service_Providers_2
Subject: Presidential  Proclamation -October 15, 2013, as Blind Americans 
Equality  Day
Importance: High

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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