Blind Americans Equality Day, 2013

Proclamation 9042 of October 11, 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.