Building a Museum Beyond Expectations: Blueprints for Change

“Our biggest dream is to eliminate the persistent misconceptions and low-expectations within the average person about blind people, our equality, and our capacity. We seek not merely to effect minor changes but to accelerate significant shifts in society. Thus, we have taken on a big dream—one that will not be easy, will demand resources and new talents, and that will stretch our aspirations for the future—a dream that needs to be pursued even as we do all of the other work needed in our movement. This is our dream of building the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement,” shared President Mark Riccobono.

And, as we plan the Museum, our guiding question is simple yet powerful:

What stories can we tell to transform visitors’ expectations of blind people?

Under Construction: Shaping Our Plans

There are millions of fascinating stories about blindness—stories of innovation, activism, resilience, and everyday life. Over the past year, our blind-led team has made tremendous progress in curatorial planning—shaping the topics, themes, and narratives that will challenge beliefs and inspire new understanding. So before we can build exhibits, we have:

• Developed key messages that Museum visitors will learn and carry with them after they leave.
• Identified widespread misconceptions about blind people that will be challenged that we are determined to dispel.
• Defined the scope of topics to be covered and determined themes to highlight throughout the Museum. From employment and education to activism and innovation, our themes highlight the full spectrum of blind people’s lives and achievements.

We know that Museum visitors will explore activism, employment, education, innovation, and more. These decisions drive our plans for exhibits and visitor experience. We are planning three interactive galleries as well as an innovative retail space, and the entire Museum will be accessible and inclusive. Each story and every step of the journey at the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement will challenge visitors’ expectations. Most importantly, visitors will walk away with one transformative truth:

Vision is not required to live the life you want.

We are excited to share this work, the wins, and how you can help across the National Federation of the Blind communications and publications. If you haven’t already, subscribe to receive the latest updates on the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement via email by accessing the form linked from https://nfb.org/museum.

State News: Maryland Supports the Museum

The dynamic, physical space of the Museum will be in Baltimore. On May 21, the Maryland Board of Public Works voted to approve grants for $250,000 to the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement.

John Paré, Executive Director of Advocacy and Policy at the National Federation of the Blind, spoke to the Board about the museum and presented historic artifacts from the NFB archives, including a letter from Thurgood Marshall to Jacobus tenBroek. Governor Wes Moore declared the letter “amazing.” The Museum will allow us to share these stories of our movement with people from around the world. We will share more of John’s remarks, the letter, and the story behind it in future communications.

Campaign Update: Tune into the Presidential Report

Thanks to the amazing generosity of our community, we have continued to grow our support for the Museum! Tune into the following 2025 National Convention sessions to hear more updates:

• Presidential Report on July 11, 2025, when President Riccobono will present our progress of the organized blind movement including the developments on the Museum from the past year.
• General Session V on July 13 for the panel, “Museum of the Blind People’s Movement: Building Support to Shatter Misconceptions”

The Presidential Report and convention general sessions will be streamed through the NFB25 Virtual Experience. Access the full convention agenda at nfb.org/convention. If you are reading this after the live stream, the recordings and transcripts will be made available on the convention webpage.

ICYMI: Read the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Presidential Reports to catch up on how far we’ve come. Access those at nfb.org/publications in the August/September issues of the Braille Monitor for the corresponding year.

If you have questions or are interested in making a pledge of financial support, contact [email protected].

Take Action: Share with Your Museum Enthusiast Friends!

Invite a friend to learn about the journey to build the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement. Share the Museum Email Subscription Form, linked from https://nfb.org/museum, or send an email to [email protected] asking to subscribe. We will share updates on the development, stories of the movement, and what visitors can expect.

You can share your ideas, feedback, and suggestions for the Museum to [email protected].

About the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement

The National Federation of the Blind advances the lives of its members and all blind people in the United States. The Museum of the Blind People’s Movement will center blind people, challenge expectations, awaken understanding, spark action, and shatter barriers. Stay tuned for more exciting developments on the stories we will tell, the beliefs we will transform, and the steps we are taking to build the Museum.