An Address Delivered by
Mark A. Riccobono
National Federation of the Blind
Austin, Texas
July 6, 2026
During the past year, blind Americans have strengthened the fabric of our nation, advanced our work to contribute fully to our communities, and enriched our individual lives by continuing to build bonds with each other. As we gather together to review our progress, we acknowledge that two days ago, our nation reached a significant milestone—250 years of work to stitch together a more perfect union. When the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, it expressed a hope for the future and a pledge to work together, as independent individuals, for a common purpose.
It did not promise that it would be easy nor that it would be complete in one, two, or ten generations—simply that we would work together to strengthen the quilt that is the American experiment. The promise of equality was not fulfilled in 1776 nor has it been fulfilled today for many Americans. It certainly has not for those of us who happen to be blind.
We also acknowledge that today is the 115th anniversary of the birth of Jacobus tenBroek, a man whose blindness at the age of seven started him on a path that forever changed American history. Jacobus tenBroek could have remained a solitary story like so many others before him, but he was fortunate to form a bond with other blind people who also wanted more for the blind of this nation. While he became a renowned constitutional law scholar, Dr. tenBroek’s greatest contribution to our country came in 1940, when he led a declaration of independence for blind Americans. He and fifteen others set into motion a vehicle for collective action by the blind of the nation. More importantly, they formed the first connections in our network.
For more than eighty-five years, we, the blind, have been building the bonds that have propelled a movement across generations. When discrimination threatens to divide us, when low expectations deny us equal opportunity and equal treatment, we find strength in the bonds we share. After 250 years, America has not yet fully realized the value blind people offer our nation, but every day we raise expectations for the blind, because we believe in blind people, and we act on that truth. The bonds we share are our strength. We are the National Federation of the Blind.
Earlier this year, a blind eleven-year-old Braille reader in Minnesota named Silas was told by his school district that he would no longer be receiving services. The district said he could see too much, so it was the opinion of the professionals that continuing specialized services was not a good use of resources. The district would no longer provide materials in Braille, large print, or accessible electronic text, and they would reduce service minutes by half. Fortunately, this blind student has a second-generation bond to the Federation as his parents, who are both blind, are long-time active members of our movement.
The parents self-advocated through the mediation process, but their requests were viewed as unreasonable, and the district responded by repeatedly lowering expectations. The family knew that the Federation had their back, and we showed up to help. We filed due process against the district in June, and, with amazing speed, the district has settled the case. Because of the strength of their bond with the Federation, Silas will receive all of the appropriate services and supports that his family knew were needed to give him the equal educational opportunities he deserves.
Through membership engagement within our local chapters, programs to develop our state affiliates, outreach efforts led by our national divisions, training for emerging leaders, and communication channels that disseminate our stories, our strongest moments are when we connect blind people to other blind people. Continuing to invest in the tools and infrastructure to support our connections is critical to our success.
Across the Federation, blind people exchange ideas, solve problems, compare strategies, and lift one another up millions of times each year. One of the most important tools supporting these connections is NFBnet. Through more than three hundred email lists, over twelve thousand users exchange approximately 1.2 million messages every month. During the past year, we invested in improving the security and reliability of this system so that it remains a trusted space where blind people can share their experiences, learn from one another, and discover the organized blind movement for the very first time.
In the coming months, we will be planning for the next generation of our primary website, NFB.org. We have also established a stakeholder group to design and plan for a future Membership Action Platform (MAP) to further customize communications and resources for member engagement. Meanwhile, our existing tools like our Membership Profile, Member Management module, and NFB Portal are already helping us strengthen the connections.
During the past month, we completed a major modernization of the telephone system at our national headquarters. This upgrade gives our staff and leaders fully accessible communication tools wherever they are in the world, improves our resilience against outages, and expands our ability to support affiliates and divisions with advanced technology at reduced cost. Yet the most important feature is not found in the hardware or software; it is the certainty that when a blind person reaches out to the Federation, someone will answer to provide information, understanding, and hope.
Consider just one example from the hundreds of calls we receive at our offices. Recently, a young woman reached out from Tennessee. Her husband is thirty-four, and he lost his job due to his progressing blindness. She called to seek resources in their community, and she expressed fear for the future of her family. After talking to our staff and learning about Federation connections, she was audibly relieved. At the end of the call, she expressed her excitement about being connected with blind people in a meaningful way and her eagerness to share this newfound treasure with her husband. The bonds we share are our strength.
Membership is at the heart of our connection. During the past year, we have onboarded approximately eight hundred new members to the Federation, and we recently began gathering data from those new members, so we can provide local leaders with stronger insights into effective onboarding and engagement practices. A central strategy continues to be our investment in leadership development through nationwide seminars, our yearlong Kenneth Jernigan Leadership-In-Service Program, and special projects targeting segments of our membership.
Another important component of making connections is ensuring that blind people have the tools to be successful. Earlier this year, in partnership with the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, we improved our Tools for Independence Program, available online at tools.nfb.org. This program allows blind people to receive, at no charge, a long white cane for travel and a slate and stylus for writing Braille. While the tools are important, the connection to blind people who can mentor a person on those tools is critical. Thus, our new web presence facilitates stronger follow-up by Federation affiliates. In all of our programs, it is the personal connection that makes all the difference. The bonds we share are our strength.
Once we get blind people connected, we work to transform those connections into opportunities. But education continues to be a space where we are frequently denied equal opportunity. Previously I have reported to you about our structured negotiations with Oregon State University on behalf of blind students like Natalie Charbonneau. Natalie, and other blind students at OSU, had their career pursuits jeopardized and unnecessarily delayed due to the university’s failure to provide timely and fully accessible materials—particularly in very advanced scientific courses. We are pleased to report that, in April, we finalized an agreement with OSU that improves educational opportunities for all blind students at that university and serves as a model for other universities interested in offering equal educational opportunities to the blind.
As a result of our settlement, the university has hired a consultant to transform the disability student services office, committed to stronger technology procurement practices, and will collaborate with blind students to ensure that educational materials are delivered in an equally effective and timely manner. OSU also agreed to pay 475,000 dollars in damages and attorneys’ fees, fully reimbursing the Federation for our legal work, and providing damages to Natalie for the unequal treatment. Natalie, who serves as an officer in our Washington affiliate, is now back at OSU, pursuing her PhD in marine mammal science, and she is here at this convention.
Meanwhile, after almost a decade, we are continuing to pursue equality from the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), which is recognized as the largest community college district in the United States. In March the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted us yet another favorable ruling against LACCD. The court issued a published decision ordering the trial court to reinstate the jury’s damages award in full.
This decision is notable because it’s the first appellate decision in the country to hold that plaintiffs in disability rights cases against public entities can obtain damages for lost opportunities, even without a precise dollar figure or introducing expert testimony. We will continue to pursue educational opportunities for blind students and celebrate when we create opportunities for all disabled people. The bonds we share are our strength.
Families of young blind children often lack access to guidance, tools, and the resources needed to nurture independence and literacy from the earliest developmental stages. In order to create opportunities for connection, we offer the NFB Early Childhood Initiatives. During the past year, we have connected more than five hundred families with newsletters, activity mailings, and family engagement support. Our Braille Reading Pals program normalizes Braille in the home and creates opportunities for early literacy skills. Our Early Explorers program builds confidence, curiosity, and early mobility skills that promote full participation in the wider world.
Through the NFB Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning® Academy and NFB STEM2U, our state affiliates can create meaningful connections to local mentors and resources. By providing a national framework, combined with support from blind mentors in local communities, these programs are raising the next generation of blind inventors, creatives, professionals, and adventurers. When we give blind youth opportunities to discover for themselves that blindness does not define them, we are giving them critical tools for success that blind students rarely receive in America’s K-12 educational system. But we want to continue to bring our success to a national scale.
To that end, we have announced our plan to host the National Federation of the Blind Youth Slam in the summer of 2027. At this convention twenty years ago, we announced our first NFB Youth Slam—representing one of the largest weeklong gatherings of blind youth in history. From July 25-31, 2027, we will do the same for the next generation by hosting the next NFB Youth Slam at Loyola University Maryland. Students will stay on campus and experience a week of dynamic learning opportunities designed and led by blind professionals in a variety of careers.
Some may say that blind students can’t learn STEM, that we’ll never make it to the C-suite, that you’ll never find a blind chef, electrician, or carpenter. But we have made the connections, and we know how to build the opportunities for ourselves. To those who doubt us, we say, “slam that!” Now is the time for each of our state affiliates to mobilize new youth engagement efforts in support of creating new opportunities for the next generation of blind leaders. You will hear more about our plans later in this convention.
We have recently onboarded the third cohort of our NFB IEP Advocacy Academy, which is the most extensive, coordinated network of volunteers bringing blind-centered expertise to improve services for blind children. To date, forty-five families have directly benefited from the program and are reporting greater educational opportunities for their blind child. These families are feeling the power of collective action. The bonds we share are our strength.
The Federation’s employment initiatives have also made connections for hundreds of blind students, jobseekers, and transitioning professionals. This has happened through Career Quest programs in Nebraska, Mississippi, and at our national convention; during regional student seminars in partnership with our National Association of Blind Students; as part of our quarterly Where the Blind Work webinars, and within a variety of career fairs. In addition, we expanded opportunities for blind entrepreneurs through our online marketplace, featuring sixty-four blind-owned businesses. Across these efforts, participants consistently reported increased independence, stronger self-advocacy, expanded career aspirations, and a deeper connection to the organized blind movement.
Despite our demonstrated success, many employers continue to discriminate against blind people. We must use the strength of our bonds together to break these harmful practices. In September 2023, a blind physical therapist, who had more than fifteen years of experience, applied and was hired for a new position. A day after he informed them that he was legally blind and needed certain reasonable accommodations, the offer was rescinded. With our support, a suit was filed against the employer for its failure to accommodate, and in March of this year, we secured a favorable settlement.
In another case, we secured a positive outcome for a man in Virginia who went blind two months after being onboarded by a contractor doing work for the US State Department. The employer refused to provide accommodations that the man needed to complete his job, but he connected with the Federation, and together we navigated the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) process. We will not let low expectations hold us back.
In other employment situations, the problems relate to the inaccessibility of workplace systems. But when the employer values the connection with the Federation and operates in good faith, we can make positive progress. One example is Williams-Sonoma, where we have supported blind customer service representatives who have struggled to meet work requirements because of inaccessible call-center tools. With the strength of the Federation, the company has made significant headway on improving accessibility, and we expect the progress to continue.
And then there is Amazon—an employer we have attempted to partner with, and whose discrimination against blind people persists. This is not just our opinion; the EEOC agrees. Doug Langley is a member of the National Federation of the Blind of California’s River City Chapter. Amazon hired him to work in one of its fulfillment centers—a job other blind people were already performing in similar facilities across the nation. When he showed up for work on the first day, management immediately sent Doug home, telling him that he would not be scheduled for further work at the facility. Despite his attempts to educate the management, they maintained their position and referred him to a corporate accommodations team to find an alternate placement.
After experiencing many months without pay and failed attempts to adequately accommodate him, Amazon finally assigned him to a light-duty position (handing out safety shoes to other employees). With the support of the Federation, Doug filed a complaint on behalf of himself and a class of similarly situated employees at Amazon. In April 2026, the EEOC determined that there was reasonable cause to believe that Amazon violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by denying Doug Langley a reasonable accommodation and placing him on excessive unpaid leave.
More significantly, the EEOC further determined what blind people have already known to be true—since at least 2020, Amazon has discriminated against a nationwide class of associates with disabilities, failed to provide reasonable accommodations, made unlawful disability-related inquiries, retaliated against associates, and interfered with their rights as protected by law. We will continue to pursue equal treatment and equal opportunity with major employers like Amazon. When faced with systemic discrimination, the bonds we share are our strength.
Another pernicious problem is inappropriate driving requirements, as outlined in Federation resolution 2022-05. Why are employers obsessed with candidates having a driver’s license even when it does not relate to the core skills and competencies needed to be successful in a job? One example is Federation member Jaclyne Atoigue, a blind, licensed clinical social worker. She enrolled as a graduate student at UC Berkeley to participate in a special program with the understanding that she would be required to work in a qualifying child-protective services (CPS) position for two years after graduation. During enrollment, she disclosed her blindness. As part of the program, UC Berkeley has a formal clinical internship partnership with CPS for the City and County of San Francisco.
Furthermore, San Francisco CPS usually hires these students after they graduate. Jaclyne was awarded one of these competitive graduate clinical placements. When the hiring manager discovered that Jaclyne did not have a driver's license, the manager sent an email to UC Berkeley staff telling them, in essence, the blind need not apply. Among other things, the email from the hiring manager went as far as to say that placing an intern who lacked a driver’s license was wasting a spot for someone else who could be hired after graduation.
“The blind need not apply,” says San Francisco, which has a policy that requires its social workers to have driver’s licenses—no exceptions, no accommodations, no thank you. With the support of the Federation, Jaclyne has filed a lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco. Together, we intend to prove that driving is not required to serve as a social worker and is not an appropriate screening tool. We will continue to open new opportunities by driving through old barriers that attempt to close us out. The bonds we share are our strength.
When discrimination appears in new forms, we meet it with the same determination that has defined our movement for generations. This year has been a clear call for the organized blind movement to be even more aggressive in protecting our right to live and participate fully in twenty-first-century America. One unprecedented attack has been to the Randolph-Sheppard priority which, for ninety years, has provided meaningful opportunities for the blind, and outstanding service to our nation. The attack on this program has been based completely upon false and misleading claims about blind entrepreneurs and the requirements for opportunities guaranteed under the law.
This misinformation has been promoted by federal officials who have sworn to protect and defend the policies and principles of our nation. This misinformation is so outrageous that I refuse to repeat it in this report. In response, we mobilized immediately—educating policymakers, bringing blind vendors directly to Congress, and refusing to allow misinformation to go unanswered. Yet at the end of 2025, the Secretary of Education quietly waived the Randolph-Sheppard Act priority at every Army dining facility nationwide. But our resolve for the new year only grew stronger. With four blind vendors and our National Association of Blind Merchants, we are pursuing a federal lawsuit challenging the Department of Education’s unprecedented decision to ignore our rights.
The attacks have not stopped there. For decades, blind Americans have argued that inaccessible websites and mobile apps violate our rights under existing laws. In turn, state and local governments, as well as health care providers, repeatedly asked for clear federal standards to define exactly what the law required. After years of study, public comment, and careful consideration, the federal government finally answered the call. Rules scheduled to take effect in the spring of 2026 promised that blind Americans would no longer be forced to fight the same battles, one inaccessible website at a time, until our government openly broke that promise without cause.
After sixteen years of waiting, and only days before compliance deadlines took effect, implementation was postponed through interim final rules that denied the public any opportunity to comment before the delay was in force. Apparently, the government now believes that more time with ambiguity is preferable to certainty, and that postponing America’s promise of equal opportunity is in the best interest of our nation. Outrageous! Equal access delayed is equal access denied, and blind Americans have waited long enough. It is outrageous that federal agencies would postpone rules they themselves spent years developing.
It is even more alarming that they have signaled a willingness to further weaken these overdue protections. Every day that passes without accessible digital services is another day that blind people face barriers to voting, making medical appointments, accessing educational programs, applying for government jobs, obtaining professional licenses, or securing vital public benefits. Let us not forget that the delay is more costly to covered entities and puts them at greater risk of being sued for violating the law. That is not good for America or any of its citizens.
The National Federation of the Blind will no longer accept tomorrow’s promises of accessibility while exclusion is endorsed today. We will not stand by while government programs and services—funded by our tax dollars and intended to serve all Americans—remain inaccessible to us. That is why we have taken the bold step of filing suit under the Administrative Procedure Act, challenging these unlawful delays and demanding that the government honor both the law and its obligation to provide equal access. At the same time, we have coordinated the collection of stories from blind people about the barriers they have encountered so we can educate others about the harmful effects of inaccessibility in our society. We are not asking for special treatment. We are insisting on what should have been ours all along—the full and equal opportunity to participate in every aspect of American life.
In addition to this federal assault, individual states have attacked other aspects of our hard-won equality. Last year I reported that we slowed down an attack by seventeen states that sought to have Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 deemed unconstitutional. Earlier this year, nine states renewed the attack by challenging the right of people with disabilities to receive government services in their communities—literally our right to live in the world. These states do not challenge our confinement to sheltered workshops, nursing homes, and other institutions. They simply do not want us in their communities. But the Federation is once again fighting back. Our coordinated response has included specific, state-level strategy as well as mobilizing the entire membership of the Federation to call the attorneys general of these nine states to urge them to withdraw the suit. We are making a difference.
One example is in South Dakota, where our affiliate president, Izzy Collazo, persisted until he secured a meeting with the state’s deputy attorney general. Izzy made it clear that this case was not about legal theory; it was about blind people in South Dakota meaningfully contributing to the fabric of that state and our nation. Not long after the meeting, South Dakota withdrew from the case. Now only six states remain. We have signed on to a friend-of-the-court brief opposing the states’ case, and we will continue to pursue an aggressive, coordinated strategy to protect our right to live in the world. No matter the attack, we will overcome the adversity, because the bonds we share are our strength.
Central to claiming our rightful place in American society is showing up, being actively engaged, and amplifying our stories. This often means we must strategically adjust our approaches to best utilize the advocacy efforts of our diverse membership across the country. In the days leading up to our 2026 Washington Seminar, our annual in-person educational advocacy event on Capitol Hill, we experienced record-breaking cold and ice across the nation. This required us to use our creativity and teamwork, which, once again, made all the difference. Federation members who were in Washington, DC, coordinated with members back home, and we held a combination of in-person and virtual meetings with members of Congress.
During our annual Congressional reception, we heard from Senator Dan Sullivan from Alaska who noted that there were more blind people on Capitol Hill than members of the US Senate. He went on to share that it was clear to him that this coordinated network of blind Americans knew the law, knew what was good for blind people, and had practical solutions that were good for our nation. Individual efforts, collectively focused and strategically coordinated, make a difference.
This year we also hosted smaller, single issue, fly-in advocacy events to gain support for key initiatives. In November, our event focused on the Department of Education’s reduction in force notice and its effects on programs for the blind. Shortly after our coordinated effort, the reduction in force for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services was rescinded. In early May, members of our national Seniors Division, led by division president Glenn Crosby, traveled to Washington to meet with members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to advocate for a dramatic expansion of the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind program.
For more than a decade, this program has been flat-funded and provides approximately 6.38 dollars per eligible blind person each year—not enough to purchase a white cane, much less provide the training, skills, and confidence that allow older blind Americans to remain independent and engaged in their communities. We know that investing in independence reduces isolation, strengthens communities, and saves taxpayer dollars over time. We will continue pressing forward until older blind Americans have access to the tools, training, and support they need, because they deserve the opportunity to live the lives they want. A full report on our advocacy and policy efforts will be given later in this convention. We are certain about our right to live in the world, to contribute equally to this nation, because the bonds we share are our strength.
The right to vote privately and independently is a cornerstone of American democracy, yet as another midterm election approaches, blind Americans continue to face barriers to full participation. This year, we took direct action to protect and expand accessible absentee voting across the nation. In Alabama, we are appealing an adverse federal court decision after challenging three counties that deny blind voters access to the same electronic absentee voting system available to military and overseas voters. In California, we continue pressing the state to provide an accessible method for blind voters to return absentee ballots electronically, so they can independently verify their votes.
In Harris County, Texas, we are litigating to secure accessible, electronic absentee voting and have already defeated an effort to dismiss our claims. And in Wisconsin, we filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting accessible, electronic absentee voting and ballot return—drawing on the previous success our movement has achieved in other states. Whether through education, advocacy, or litigation, we remain steadfast in our belief that blind Americans must have the same opportunity as everyone else to cast a ballot securely, privately, and independently.
For more than a decade, the National Federation of the Blind has refused to accept discrimination against blind people in rideshare services. We have pursued every available strategy, and, during the past year, we mobilized members across the country to file hundreds of complaints with the Department of Justice. Our coordinated effort was essential in laying the groundwork for the government’s landmark lawsuit seeking 125 million dollars in damages.
More and more states and localities are using rideshare services as part of their paratransit programs. Yet the paratransit systems are not holding rideshare drivers accountable for refusing service to guide dog users. So we have filed administrative complaints against Uber and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on behalf of Kristina Constant and Laurie Mattioli under Title II of the ADA and state law. But we know lasting change requires more than government action; it requires empowering blind people to enforce their own rights. That is why, at this convention, we are announcing a new self-advocacy toolkit to help blind Americans use small claims courts to hold rideshare companies accountable when discrimination occurs.
The process does not require an attorney and has already produced meaningful victories in our pilot testing in California. The toolkit will be rolled out over the course of the next year with templates for states with laws that provide for damages in discrimination cases. This toolkit is more than a resource—it is a declaration that blind people do not have to wait for others to defend our rights. We will not accept any transportation system that leaves blind people behind.
The strength of our bonds is also shown through our work to connect blind people to knowledge and innovation. Technology is transforming nearly every aspect of modern life at a pace few could have imagined even a decade ago. The National Federation of the Blind is determined that blind people will not simply react to these changes—we will help shape them. During the past year, we have further developed our accessibility excellence initiatives, built around the principles previously discussed at this convention.
We launched a new accessibility excellence advocate model, beginning with specialists in education and employment as well as home and independent living, to deepen our expertise and strengthen our advocacy. We have expanded our partnerships with technology companies, product developers, and researchers, ensuring that blind people are present at the earliest stages of innovation rather than being asked to accept accessibility as an afterthought.
Knowledge is power, and our movement remains the most trusted source of information about accessible technology. Through our International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, we curate the world's largest collection of access technology, which is tested and assessed by blind people for the diversity of needs found in our blind community. Beyond our headquarters, we share knowledge every week through the Federation’s Access On podcast, now among the top five percent of English-language podcasts. Through our webinars, we cover topics ranging from artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to wayfinding, Braille displays, and the smart home. We are not simply consuming technology. We are building a culture where blind people teach one another, evaluate products critically, and confidently embrace innovation.
But leadership also means accountability. We maintain productive relationships with many companies, and increasingly those relationships allow us to solve accessibility problems before they reach consumers. We successfully pressed Microsoft to restore flexibility around the Copilot key and are partnering with the company to create audio training modules on Copilot for Microsoft Office. We successfully advocated for broader adoption of plug-and-play Braille standards by major technology companies and encouraged Meta to open its smart-glasses platform so blind consumers would have meaningful choices among accessible applications.
At the same time, we are willing to challenge companies when they fail to properly serve the blind community. This year we spoke forcefully to Vispero about product direction, affordability, privacy, and the importance of blind leadership. We welcomed meaningful changes in response, but our message remains clear: blind people are not passive consumers. We are innovators, experts, and equal partners in creating the future. The bonds we share are our strength.
There is much more work and accomplishment from the past year than I have had time to share with you today. While our efforts in the moment are critical, we must recognize that it is the future that we strive to improve. We do so because of our own aspirations but also because of the gift that has been passed to us through the generations, starting with those blind people who founded the National Federation of the Blind in 1940. What gives us power, determination, and wisdom are the connections shared through the decades, made across time and place, linking blind people to a movement that has forever changed America and the world.
That is why we are investing in Blind Unbound, our bold storytelling initiative to reshape how society understands blindness. We seek to unbind the public from low expectations by sharing the wisdom, creativity, and lived experiences of blind people through art, media, technology, and public experiences. It encompasses the National Archives of the Blind People’s Movement, oral histories, educational programs, interactive exhibits, and creative partnerships that will bring our stories to audiences across America and around the world.
During the past year, we conducted dozens of new oral history interviews, preserving the experiences of blind people from every walk of life. We initiated exploration of new storytelling tools, including our first Unbound story-recording effort at this convention. We made significant improvements in cataloguing artifacts in our national archives, and we began new efforts to digitize and share our collections more broadly. Champions for our plans introduced legislation in Congress to designate our headquarters as the National Museum of the Blind People's Movement, and we began planning for historical artifacts in our building to be discoverable through a guided or self-guided experience.
Blind Unbound is more than an archive, a museum, or a collection of stories. It is the current Federation declaration that blind people will no longer allow others to tell our story for us. We know the truth of our lives. We know the power of our movement. And we are determined to ensure that future generations inherit not myths about blindness, but the authentic stories of blind people who dared to dream, organize, and transform the world. To every blind person, we invite you to dare, organize, and transform with us. The bonds we share are our strength.
Before I conclude, I must share my immense pride in what we have achieved together in the past year. But I stand here today without any illusions about our road ahead. We face challenges, real threats to our participation in society, and tremendous pressure to select different priorities. I do not take the responsibility that you have given to me lightly, especially in these times. The present day may include more uncertainty for us than any other during my thirty years as a member of this movement. Yet as I stand in this convention hall and consider where we have been and where we aspire to go, I have absolutely no doubt about our resolve to make our dreams come true. In crafting this report, I explored the strength found in our shared bonds. I have asked myself whether I continue to be prepared every day to do what this movement needs and what our future demands.
For me, the answer continues to be a resounding “yes.” Serving as your President continues to be among the greatest and most humbling honors of my life. Yet it is the power of the connections we share that gives me the strength to meet this moment and hope for the future. I pledge to continue giving my time, energy, imagination, talent, and heart to this movement whenever and wherever you believe I can best serve. As I have before, I commit that I will not ask you to take actions or make sacrifices that I am not willing to ask of myself.
To build the future we seek, it will take each of us, working together, contributing to each other, giving and receiving, in order to create the connections that allow us to improve the fabric of America—a nation that is better because we have bonded together. A bond of faith that makes us stronger, gives us the power to overcome the barriers, and illuminates the truth that there is no limit to what we can do together.
My Federation family, this is my report for 2026. This is what comes from the strength of our bonds together. This is the progress toward the future we build for ourselves with love, hope, and determination. This is the blind people’s movement.