FYI from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nancy Lynn" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "CCB List" <[log in to unmask]>; "OurPlace List" 
<[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 3:07 PM
Subject: [bardtalk] Presidential Proclamation -- Blind AmericansEquality 
Day, 2013


I got this from another list.

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
October 11, 2013
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