Reunion and Recommitment: The Blind Return to Washington, DC

by Gary Wunder

Since 1973 the National Federation of the Blind has been traveling to Washington, DC, so that the lawmakers of our land will understand who the blind are, what we’re doing, and all of this leading to progress and first-class citizenship. In 2021 and 2022 we came to DC virtually, but in 2023 we were back in our hundreds to speak as the voice of the nation’s blind, to show how representative democracy works in our organization, and to encourage it to work in the United States of America.

Our meetings began on January 30, 2022, and they featured a lively student seminar, a job fair with sixteen employers and more than fifty jobseekers, a training session in the afternoon to become familiar with our issues, and the highlight of the day, our Great Gathering-In which began at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. That meeting was kicked off with a keynote presentation by President Riccobono, and his remarks immediately follow this article.

Stephanie Cascone is our director of communications, and for the first time she addressed the Washington Seminar live. She wanted those who gathered in-person and through Zoom to know that we have generated several public service announcements that are now available for download and distribution. The PSA played for the group was about changes in vision, and those in-person reacted with enthusiasm.

Again this year the seminar was active on social media and used the tag #nfbindc. Anyone can read what was shared using the hashtag, and we are also encouraged to share our stories about the need for the legislation we are supporting at [email protected]. As Stephanie said, “We firmly believe that more stories make more progress.”

For many years the coordinator of our Washington Seminar Team was Diane McGeorge. Her successor is Buna Dahal, and she was invited to the microphone to discuss seminar logistics and Team 275, the newly renamed crew who previously ran the Mercury Room. Buna has been attending these seminars since 1995 and is an active participant in Washington State and in any other place we need her. She gave a shoutout to all of those who help in the logistics, from the national staff to the volunteers that make things flow smoothly. She reminded us that the Washington Seminar is just one way that we change lives so that people like her can say that they truly are living the lives they want.

The day that we held this event marked the nineteenth anniversary of the opening of the Jernigan Institute. That opening represented a significant commitment on our part, and we met it. Another commitment looms, that being to create the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement. Because we have a story to tell and many stories that are yet to be written, we need both a physical place and a virtual place to tell them. Very soon we will be asking members to make pledges and donations to building something that not only tells our story but demonstrates the ultimate in accessibility. Whether that means making things physically touchable in our museum or virtually accessible on the Internet, we have the knowledge, the desire, and the commitment to make it happen. All members of our National Board of Directors have made contributions, they have been joined by our executive staff, and our Nevada affiliate made a $50,000 pledge with a challenge to all other affiliates. Accepting that challenge is the National Federation of the Blind of Utah, the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota, and the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois. Although we have a long way to go, currently we have raised $2.1 million.

Anil Lewis is our director of blindness initiatives, having come to the staff after serving as a state president in Georgia and on the National Board of Directors. He began by asking the group how many would classify themselves as Make America Great Again advocates. A fair number applauded. He asked how many people in the room subscribed to the slogan “Build Back Better.” Again, a large segment of the room responded. He suggests that our goal is not to Make America Great Again but to Make America Greater. Similarly, he believes that our goal is not to Build Back Better. Instead, we will Build a Better America. Both of these things we will do with the full participation of the blind.

Our programs are designed to help individuals and at the same time to address the systemic problems that have created difficulty and limited our opportunity. As Americans, we are not broken sighted people; instead, we are a part of the population who has of necessity developed a skill set designed for problem-solving and creating success. Conveying this message is not limited to our trip to DC; it is why we exist. By tapping our inner resources, we make our country stronger and more resilient.

A man with many titles was the next person invited to the microphone. Everette Bacon is the chairman of our Jacob Bolotin Award Committee, the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Utah, and the corporate secretary of the National Federation of the Blind. He talked about the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award and encouraged all of us to nominate individuals and organizations worthy of recognition, prestige, and the money that comes with being granted this award. The application can be found on the NFB website at https://nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/dr-jacob-bolotin-awards/application-information, and those with questions can write to [email protected].

Our next presenter was first elected to the senate by the citizens of Maryland in November of 2016. Senator Van Hollen is now serving in his second term, and his commitment to seeing that everyone receives a quality education and then has a good shot at a job is one we share. He is known for introducing bipartisan legislation and working across the aisle, and one of his most notable accomplishments was the passage of the ABLE Act.

In his remarks, Senator Van Hollen noted that he is a cosponsor of the Accessible Technology Affordability Act and believes deeply that the assistive technology that exists must be widely deployed, and that means making it more affordable to blind people. "I've been in the Congress long enough to know that if you are not pushing year after year, you will never break down the door. Do not grow weary; it is fine to be frustrated at the pace of progress, but never give up, because when we pass legislation, it is the result of people pushing for a very, very long time." Senator Van Hollen continues to press for the full funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. He believes that the federal government did the right thing in the 1970s when it mandated that everyone in the country have access to an equal education. Where it has failed is that it has never funded these programs to the extent that it committed it would, meeting only about a third of its obligation. He continues to sponsor the Aim High Act so blind students can learn in accessible and inclusive environments. He said, “In terms of unemployment, we know that every American should have the opportunity to participate fully in our workforce, and we also know that blind people faced too many barriers in finding and retaining good paying jobs. We need to make sure we push employers in the right direction to encourage them, but one of the things we should not allow are subminimum wages. This practice is unacceptable. Everyone here knows that it needs to change, and I am proud that in my state of Maryland, the home to the NFB, we became the second state in the country to eliminate those minimum wages in 2020.”

“I was very proud to be the prime Democratic author in the House of Representatives for the ABLE Act. The ABLE Act, as you know, has allowed families to put away funds to support their loved ones.” Recently legislation has been adopted to change this age from twenty-six to forty-six. “We want to make sure that more people who are blind and more people with other disabilities who are over the age of twenty-six can still benefit from these ABLE accounts."

"I know that with your help we will succeed in achieving these important goals because what brings us together is making sure we fulfill the promise of America, which is the promise of equal rights and equal justice and equal opportunity. Throughout many different parts of our society, we have known that we’ve been traveling a long road. We've made progress, but we also know—and you are here in the nation's capital because we have a long way to go—we have a long journey still ahead to make good on those promises in so many parts of our country and so many parts of our laws. Your voice matters!”

John Paré next came to address the Great Gathering-In. He is excited enough about this once again in-person Washington Seminar that he tells almost everyone he knows. This year some of his closest friends have been cautioning him not to expect too much, keeping in mind the divisions in Congress and the difficulty those divisions will pose for us as we try to encourage the passage of good legislation. As is his nature, John courteously acknowledges their advice, but in his head and heart he knows that tough odds are often faced by the National Federation of the Blind as we go about making changes in society. He remembers how daunting the task of getting quiet cars to make sound was. At the outset, no one supported the effort. But through our persistence, government and industry came together to craft a law that makes our streets safer for blind pedestrians. He also remembers the uphill battle to gain passage of the Marrakesh Treaty and the advice of powerful people in and outside government that said getting a treaty that would involve changing the copyright act would be almost impossible. We changed the act, we got the treaty, and reasonableness and persistence prevailed over the gloomy predictions about our efforts.

The long and the short of things is that we are here to advocate and educate, realizing that this is an ongoing process and vowing that we will not stop until it is done.

Summaries of the bills followed, and fact sheets are found elsewhere in this issue.

Denise Avant was next recognized in her capacity as the co-chair of the Membership Committee. She acknowledged her co-chair, Tarik Williams, and the member of the national staff directly supporting the committee’s efforts, Danielle McCann. Last year we onboarded 496 new members, and the cheer from new members attending their first Washington Seminar was very moving.

We have been reaching out to other organizations as a part of our work to address the intersecting characteristics of our members, and with us was the president of the National Organization of Women, Christian Nunes. Coming to understand our intersecting characteristics is in part an internal process, but part of our work is reaching out to other organizations and letting them know about our efforts along with encouraging them to make similar ones.

Ryan Strunk was not able to be present but did join us electronically. He explained our Preauthorized Contribution (PAC) Plan. He said that people who want to get on the PAC Plan can do it by going to nfb.org/pac or can call 877-632-2722.

Patti Chang briefly addressed the crowd about the Dream Makers Circle, our way of giving to the Federation when we have passed. Although this is an uncomfortable subject, it certainly is our way of seeing to the future of the National Federation of the Blind, and those interested in participating can talk with Patty by dialing her at 410-659-9314, extension 2422, or by writing to her at [email protected].

Our National Association of Blind Students was introduced and provided information about the wonderful auction items that were available and a meeting that would take place later in the evening. Our Great Gathering-In meeting concluded with an upbeat announcement about doughnuts available on the following day thanks to the DC affiliate. On adjournment, those present went off to find dinner, strategize for the week to come, and role-play to be better prepared to address the issues before our nation's leaders.

At 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening, February 1, we held a congressional reception in the Kennedy Caucus Room, one of the most prestigious meeting spaces offered by the United States Senate. The senator responsible for helping us get this room is also a major proponent for eliminating the payment of subminimum wages for people with disabilities, and, most importantly, he has made a commitment to listen to the concerns of people with disabilities. Senator Bob Casey began by thanking us for the advocacy we are doing during the 2023 Washington Seminar but he stressed that the work we do year in and year out to advance the rights of all people with disabilities is equally important. He began by reviewing progress made in the last Congress, the passage of the ABLE Age Adjustment Act being first on his list of significant accomplishments. It is expected that this bill will affect six million people, one million of them being veterans. Also passed was the Twenty-First Century Assistive Technology Act to increase funding for state programs that provide access to assistive technology. The third major accomplishment he highlighted was the extension of the Money Follows the Person and The Spousal Impoverishment Protection Act. The former increases the ability of a disabled Medicaid recipient to live where they wish and still receive support from Medicaid.

In terms of where we go next, phasing out the payment of subminimum wages must continue to be a priority. This is why the senator supports the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act. This bill will ensure that people with disabilities can work in integrated work settings and be paid at least the minimum wage while at the same time continuing to receive the support they need in order to be independent. Senator Casey concluded his presentation by saying, "I know that when we get support across one party or both, it happens because of the good work that has been done by the people in this room. So I thank you for that. I ask you to keep helping us on these issues because your voice not only matters, your voice is not only relevant, your voice is not only persuasive, but it is what is crucial when it comes to getting support across the aisle for all of these issues."

President Riccobono took the opportunity to thank the autonomous company vehicle developer Cruise for their sponsorship of this reception. This company is committed to developing vehicles guided by technology that will help blind people achieve a level of independence we have never had before.

The last person to speak was Representative Marion Miller Meeks. While most of her work has focused on prevention of blindness, an effort we support, she assured us that she would be supporting us as we made what she viewed as a challenge in courage to come to Washington, DC. President Riccobono commended the representative for her work on prevention of blindness and vision restoration and asked that she join us in helping people who are blind to live the lives we want.

In the last formal meeting all of us held together on Wednesday evening, the crowd was enthusiastic in their reports about the response we got from Congress. It was clear that we got many direct visits with members, and whether it was from members or their influential staff, the clear message was that Congress was impressed by our visit, supportive of our issues, and one with us in our philosophical approach to what government's position regarding blindness should be. Many gave us good reason to believe that they will support our proposals once they have had a chance to review the language and when it has bill numbers attached to it.

Before the week was out, we had more than 450 in-person meetings and a goodly number that were held virtually. Although Congress has doubts about how much it will accomplish given the current mood and configuration of the bodies, we were applauded by representatives and senators of each party for crafting what they believe to be nonpartisan legislation. The consensus from the Congress seems to be that they are impressed with the kind of reform our proposals will bring to government, our philosophical orientation to incentivize work, our demand that we be given free access to the goods and services offered to our fellow citizens, and by the very fact that we came to see them in their offices. Their concluding message was we want to do right by you and see that some of this finds its way into the statutes of our country. Our message is that we will do everything we can to make their wish our country’s reality.