RESOLUTION 2000-2

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.