Striving to remove barriers that prevent us from building Vibrant, Diverse, Inclusive, Accessible Communities!
At the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Jernigan Institute on December 5, 2025, members of Maryland’s congressional delegation announced legislation introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 6467) and the United States Senate (S. 3371) to designate the Museum of the Blind People’s Movement as the National Museum of the Blind People’s Movement. The article frames this as a civil rights moment grounded in “collective action,” insisting that blind people’s central role in advancing civil rights belongs in the nation’s official story—not treated as optional or “undershared.”
President Mark Riccobono stresses that blind people’s “history, lived experience, and contributions” are often not understood, and the bill directly names the barriers: systemic discrimination, low expectations, and exclusion from equal participation. The planned museum is presented as a corrective that goes beyond storage—bringing archives and exhibits to life in “fully inclusive, and accessible ways,” teaching cultural institutions what true accessibility demands, and creating digital platforms so these stories can be shared globally to change how blindness is understood.
The article also highlights how discrimination shows up in everyday gatekeeping, including Ever Lee Hairston’s account of a college professor who dismissed her blindness as an excuse to avoid an exam—until she took and passed it. Her message and the press conference call readers toward action, urging people to “advocate vigorously” for the museum designation legislation as part of the ongoing struggle for equal opportunity led by blind people themselves, not as charity and not on anyone else’s terms.
In the official statement, leaders describe the designation as long-overdue national recognition for blind Americans’ contributions and for a first-of-its-kind museum that will be blind-owned, operated, and led, serving “students, researchers, veterans, workers, and families.” The article closes by insisting this is “not merely a ceremonial gesture,” but a platform for dialogue, education, and inclusion—calling Community Builders to match words with action that will “uplift and honor the blind community” by expanding access, raising expectations, and defending equal participation as a core civil right.
Read the Full Article: A National Home for Our Stories: Members of Maryland Congressional Delegation Introduce Legislation to Designate the National Museum of the Blind People's Movement.
By: Alison Tyler
