Presidential Document2024-24163
Blind Americans Equality Day, 2024
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 17, 2024
Signed
October 11, 2024
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 201 (Thursday, October 17, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 201 (Thursday, October 17, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 83609-83610]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24163]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 201 / Thursday, October 17, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 83609]]
Proclamation 10840 of October 11, 2024
Blind Americans Equality Day, 2024
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
This Blind Americans Equality Day, we honor the immense
contributions of blind and low vision Americans, who
help power our economy and push our Nation forward. And
we recommit to ensuring every blind and low vision
person in this country has a fair shot at the American
Dream.
Throughout my decades in public service, I have strived
to build an America that works for all Americans. It is
why I was proud to co-sponsor the landmark Americans
with Disabilities Act--a civil rights law that banned
discrimination against people with disabilities in many
areas of public life. I remain proud of its lasting
legacy today. However, there is still more to do to
ensure that blind and low vision Americans have the
resources and opportunities they need to thrive. From
transportation to online job applications, public
services are too often designed in ways that are
inaccessible for people with disabilities. And less
than half of blind or low vision Americans are
employed.
My Administration is committed to ensuring blind and
low vision Americans have equal opportunities. To that
end, I signed an Executive Order to prioritize
diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the
Federal Government and to identify the barriers faced
by job applicants and employees with disabilities. We
are also requiring Federal agencies to prioritize
website accessibility so the Government can truly
deliver for all Americans. These are important steps
toward making the Federal Government the gold standard
for fair, accessible, and decent practices in the
workplace. Furthermore, my Administration is ensuring
that blind and low vision Americans hired by the
Federal Government are paid a fair wage. That is why we
ended the use of unfair sub-minimum wages in Federal
contracts. At the same time, we are working to increase
hiring for people with disabilities in every sector by
helping governments, businesses, and nonprofits access
Federal funds to hire more disabled Americans.
I am also working to make public spaces more accessible
for blind and low vision Americans. Through my
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are investing $1.75
billion--the largest amount ever--in making transit and
rail stations more accessible. The General Services
Administration also adopted the United States Access
Board's new guidelines to ensure people with
disabilities have access to the over 300,000 Federal
Government buildings. And the National Institutes of
Health designated people with disabilities as a
population with health disparities, opening up new
research opportunities that will focus on health issues
and unmet needs for blind and low vision Americans.
This Blind Americans Equality Day, may we recommit to
advancing accessibility and opportunities for blind and
low vision Americans, who do so much for our Nation and
deserve every opportunity to thrive.
By joint resolution approved on October 6, 1964 (Public
Law 88-628, as amended), the Congress authorized
October 15 of each year as ``White Cane Safety Day,''
which is recognized today as ``Blind Americans Equality
Day,'' to honor the contributions of blind and low
vision Americans.
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NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 15,
2024, as Blind Americans Equality Day. I call upon all
the people of the United States--including all
government officials, educators, and volunteers--to
mark this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies,
and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
ninth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-24163
Filed 10-16-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 17, 2024.
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