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Relationships Old and New on the Hill

Anil Lewis, one of our most thoughtful and energetic leaders, has made the observation on many occasions that “it is all about relationships.” One of the reasons Congressman Gregg Harper agreed to consider supporting the Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act, now the Transition to Integrated and Meaningful Employment Act, was that his friend Sam Gleese, the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Mississippi, asked him to do it. As year after year we come to the capital and use the time between visits in DC to talk with our members of Congress in the districts where we live, we build these relationships; we build trust; we create a climate that promotes and results in positive change. This is what we did on Capitol Hill, and this is what we do every day as we continue to educate the public about what it really means to be blind. Whether in lunchrooms, libraries, or the halls of Congress, we continue to tell people that our biggest problem in dealing with the world is not our lack of eyesight but the reaction to it that gets in our way. It is through relationships that the statements become more than just words and allow us to show that with love, hope, and determination, we and our friends and supporters transform dreams into reality.

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