The Significance of Washington Seminar 2025

by Mark Riccobono

“We the people,” the first three words of the fifty-two-word preamble to the United States Constitution, establish ownership in the structures and principles of our nation by the people, all the people, who live within our democracy. In operation since 1789, the United States Constitution is the world’s longest surviving written charter of government. It is notable that the laws and systems that have grown out of this charter have not always been informed by “all” of the people, and those systems have often been crafted from low expectations and misunderstanding about the capacity of certain groups of people. We know this to be true because we, the blind of this nation, had limited access to the halls of power during the first 150 years of the development of our democracy. We had not yet organized, we had not raised our collective voice, and the centuries of misunderstanding about us became the basis for action within the three branches of government.

However, in 1940 we, the blind, formed our own constitution and mobilized to influence the systems built upon the fundamental rights established under the United States Constitution. From the beginning of the National Federation of the Blind, we have asserted that our nation’s Constitution incorporates us on terms of equality, and we have joyfully accepted the responsibility of helping to shape our nation. We established our movement on the guiding principles that blind people have an inalienable right to independence, that blind people have equal capacity, and that only blind people themselves can legitimately speak for the blind community. From the beginning, our blind elected representatives have been dispatched to influence leaders in all branches of the government. As we grew our movement, we made an annual commitment to show up to be heard in the first branch of government. We have faithfully fulfilled that commitment year after year through all forms of weather, government shutdowns, and even a worldwide pandemic—we have consistently come to make our voice heard.

It is not lost on us that the preamble of the United States Constitution is fifty-two words, our movement has fifty-two state affiliates, and our collective Washington Seminar has been sustained for fifty-two years. In honor of this, we offer our own preamble to our annual gathering in Washington, DC, which goes like this:

"We, the blind of the United States, in order to shape a more perfect union, enhance justice, improve domestic tranquility, contribute to the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, have come to exercise our rights under the Constitution of this nation."

Yes, we come with hope for our tomorrow, we come with solutions to the problems we face, and we come with determination to be part of making our nation better. We know that there are challenges. But, we’re standing strong, we’ll fight it all together. Working every day, we’re gonna make it better. We know we’re not alone. We are the National Federation of the Blind.

As our country quickly approaches its 250th anniversary, we are overdue to make meaningful changes that will allow our nation to take full advantage of the talents that blind people have to offer. We seek a nation where we can participate fully and equally in all forms of digital commerce, education, government, and leisure. We seek a nation that protects our ability to manage our own health, in our own homes, without extra expense, delay, or invasion of our privacy. We seek a nation that supports our independence, incentivizes our advancement in the workplace, and affords us the opportunity to contribute more to the tax base of our nation. We seek a nation that gives us the power to choose and purchase the tools we need to maximize our participation in all aspects of society. We seek a nation that prioritizes nonvisual access in the deployment of future innovations in transportation in order to expand our freedom of movement. We seek a nation that eliminates legalized unequal pay for people with disabilities. We seek a nation that will never go back on its commitment to and enforcement of our rights to live and work on terms of equality in this nation.

We seek this future by bringing our authentic lived experience to the halls of power. We have sacrificed our money, our time, and our energy to make this nation better. In return, we only seek to eliminate the disadvantages placed in our way by the systems that have been established without us. We bring one voice, one heart, and one unwavering commitment to Washington, DC.

This is why the blind will never again be left out of the decision-making in our nation. This is why we will not set aside the progress we have made. This is why we will not allow misunderstanding about us to hold us down any longer. We come together, we raise our voice together, in order that we, the blind, can fulfill our rightful place among “we the people.” This is the significance of the 2025 Washington Seminar of the National Federation of the Blind.