We Should All Live Ambitiously
by John G. Paré
From the Editor: John is the executive director of our Advocacy and Policy Team, and he led the team in providing information about the programs he supervises and the legislative proposals we support. Along with his team, which some call the four J’s (John, Justin, Jeff, and Jesse); they gave us both our progress and our marching orders. Here is what John said to the 2023 National Convention:
CNBC recently began promoting the tagline “Live Ambitiously.” Their website includes a video where each of their anchors and newscasters describe how their ambition helped get them to where they are today. I wonder how many people think about blind people when they think about living ambitiously. Do they think we have dreams of a good education, rewarding jobs, a welcoming home, and a family? Or are their expectations so low that they think we are happy to just sit at home fighting inaccessible websites, applications, and technology?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines ambition as “a strong wish to achieve something.” That’s exactly what I observe with the members of the National Federation of the Blind. We are determined to live the lives we want and we are willing to work as hard as necessary to ensure all blind Americans have this opportunity.
This concept is not new for us. In his 1956 speech, “Within the Grace of God,” Dr. tenBroek said: “Our access to the mainstreams of community life, the aspirations and achievements of each of us, are to be limited only by the skills, energy, talents, and abilities we individually bring to the opportunities.” Not only are we individually ambitious, but we, the whole of the National Federation of the Blind, have collective ambition as well.
One example is our effort to pass laws and influence regulations that would improve opportunities and protect the civil rights of blind Americans. You will be hearing more about our specific bills in a few minutes.
On May 18, Tony Coelho, the father of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the House from 1995 to 1999, published an article on Websites and Software Applications Accessibility. They said: “It’s about time that businesses embraced digital accessibility as a key brand imperative and took ownership of the role that web and software design play in the employee and customer experience. People with disabilities should be able to universally access technology even as new innovations occur.” We could not agree more.
We are working with Senator Duckworth and Representative Sarbanes to get the Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act reintroduced in both the Senate and House respectively. Regarding ADA website accessibility regulations, the DOJ must move forward on both the Title 2 and Title 3 NPRM. They began this work in 2010. Twelve years is long enough. The DOJ Civil Rights Division must move forward NOW.
On March 27, 2023, Elizabeth Schoen, a member of the National Association of Blind Students, was scheduled to fly on JetBlue from Minneapolis to Boston. But JetBlue refused to let her board her plane because she was traveling with a guide dog. They said there was a problem with her paperwork but refused to work with her to resolve the issue. JetBlue employees even mocked her when she took the initiative to call customer service. While she did not fly that day, Elizabeth did not stop advocating for herself. She reported the problem to JetBlue and filed a complaint with the US Department of Transportation.
On April 27, 2023, Al Elia, Justin Young, and I accompanied Elizabeth to the Department of Transportation in Washington, DC, to meet with Blane Workie, the Assistant General Counsel for the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection. Elizabeth told her story once again reliving each traumatic moment. It is because of Elizabeth and so many others who have reported airline discrimination that we now have the attention of the Department of Transportation. Blind people who travel with guide dogs have the right to travel on airlines and we will do everything in our power to protect that right.
California SB581 is a bill that would dramatically hinder our legal advocacy in that state. Tim Elder, the president of the NFB of California wrote the bill sponsor with our concerns and offered edits to rectify the issue. At the last moment, the state legislature scheduled a hearing on this and other bills. We contacted Shannon Dillon, who coordinates our California state-level advocacy, and asked her if she could attend and speak at the hearing. She dropped everything she had planned and went to the state legislature for the morning hearing. After several hours, the hearing was adjourned until the evening. Shannon went home and then returned at 5:00 p.m. to learn that nearly forty bills would be discussed. She had to wait until 10:30 p.m. to testify. As a result of Shannon’s perseverance and persuasive testimony, I am happy to report the bill was suspended.
Scott White is responsible for our NFB-NEWSLINE® service. NFB-NEWSLINE is the largest and most effective newspaper and information service available to the blind anywhere in the world. It is available via the telephone, the web, the Victor Reader Stream, the NLS digital talking book player, the Amazon Echo, and the IOS app. There are 577 publications and some portion of NFB-NEWSLINE is accessed every 1.4 seconds. Recent additions include the Modesto Bee, Bismarck Journal, Hickory Daily Record, Shanghai Daily, and Kiev Independent. There are also TV listings for every cable and satellite provider, seven-day weather forecasts, emergency alerts, and job listings. If you do not already use NFB-NEWSLINE, I urge you to sign up.
Sean Seward is our manager of the Independence Market. He, along with our organizational technology group, is working hard to launch our eCommerce system. In the meantime, you can browse our catalog on our website and order items by calling our main number. We have over 400 items in our catalog including white canes, Braille and audio watches, kitchen aids, measuring tools, and games. We also have NFB logoed shirts, jackets, and hats. If you don’t already have any NFB logoed attire, check out our catalog.
United States Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens, once said: “We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” Our dream is a world where blind people can live the lives we want as valued and respected members of society.
We will not let low expectations of blind people diminish our dreams for an equal education.
We will not let low expectations diminish our dreams for employment and career advancement. We will not let the discrimination we experience diminish our ambition. When we encounter an inaccessible website, we will demand that it is fixed. When we encounter an inaccessible medical device, we will strengthen our advocacy. When regulations hinder our opportunities, we will demand that they are changed.
This work is not easy but we are up to the task. Our resolve is steadfast, our determination is relentless, and our ambition is strong. We will work together with love, hope, and determination, and we will live the lives we want ambitiously.