[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 29644]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND ANNIVERSARY

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                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 10, 1999

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring a very special 
anniversary to the attention of my colleagues. This Saturday, November 
13, marks the 59th anniversary of the founding of the National 
Federation of the Blind. An historic plaque will be placed at the 
original meeting place in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Saturday 
afternoon, and I am proud to have been asked to participate in this 
historic celebration.
  In November of 1940, the first nationwide self-advisory group of 
persons with disabilities was founded at a meeting in the Reddington 
Hotel in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. At that time, the future for most 
blind people was bleak and employment often meant sheltered workshops 
for pennies an hour. With few educational opportunities available, the 
blind came together to organize. Elected to lead the fledgling group 
was Dr. Jacobus tenBroek, a young blind lawyer who would go on to 
become a prominent professor of constitutional law. This small group of 
people dedicated to the advancement of those with disabilities began a 
trend of advocacy for all people with physical and mental challenges.
  Mr. Speaker, today the National Federation of the Blind is the 
largest organization of its kind in America. Every state has a chapter, 
as do many communities across the nation. Several thousand activists 
attend the Federation's annual national convention. The Federation 
provides scholarships, discrimination assistance, newsletters, and 
legislative consultation. It supports and assists in the development of 
new technology to improve the lives of the visually impaired. The 
Federation champions civil rights for the blind and often intercedes 
when parents face interference from social service agencies who attempt 
to remove their children from their homes. Currently, the Federation is 
attempting to establish sound case law regarding custody rights of 
visually impaired parents.
  Today, the blind are employed in every profession there is, from the 
law to medicine. The National Federation of the Blind should take great 
pride in the extraordinary progress it has helped bring about since 
that day in November of 1940 when the founders gathered together for 
the first time. I am pleased to join with the citizens in Northeastern 
Pennsylvania and across the nation in congratulating the National 
Federation of the Blind and its local chapters as members gather at the 
organization's birthplace in my district in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 
to celebrate this historic event.

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