RESOLUTION 2000-02

WHEREAS
the National Federation of the Blind of Florida is an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind and, as such, we believe in and actively promote equality, security, and opportunity for the blind; and

WHEREAS
blind individuals with adequate and proper training are able to travel by using the adaptive tools or methods of their choice – including a white cane or guide dog – to travel independently and make use of accommodation which are open to the public; and

WHEREAS
blind persons are entitled to enjoy the same freedoms and rights as any other American living within the United States and should not be should not be unduly harassed, embarrassed, or humiliated as they travel about Florida and the country; and

WHEREAS
the United States of America has been described as a “melting pot” for peoples from many other lands and cultures, with Florida being one of the states with the largest populations of recent immigrants; and

WHEREAS
many of our recent immigrants come to this “Land of Opportunity” from other nations, with governments and cultures which do not place a high degree of value on the liberties and freedoms of the disabled, including the blind; and

WHEREAS
this diversity of culture may be one of the reasons that the right of blind persons, to travel freely and independently using guide dogs and white canes, have been repeatedly violated; and

WHEREAS
law enforcement officers can and should be expected to know the basic tenants of the laws they are assigned to uphold, especially those laws granting rights of free and equal access to all individuals: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED
by The National Federation of the Blind of Florida,  in convention assembled, this third day of September, 2000, in the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that this organization will not tolerate the unlawful discrimination against blind persons; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
that we renew our efforts to educate the public about the equality of the rights of blind persons to travel freely and enjoy public accommodations, when using their preferred mode of mobility aid, be it white cane, guide dog, or sighted guide; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
that we redouble our efforts to educate communities of new immigrants to the State of Florida, who may not be aware of the rights and abilities of the blind in this free society; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
that we make it known to police departments and law enforcement agencies throughout the state, that we will not tolerate, those instances when, through ignorance or apathy, a law enforcement officer allows the rights of a blind person to be violated.