Letter: Meet the blind

To the editor:

This week, representatives of the Jayhawk Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Kansas received a proclamation from the Lawrence City Commission, signed by Mayor Bob Schumm, declaring October 2012 to be National Meet The Blind Month. On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., members of the community and visitors will find Jayhawk chapter members at our information booth in front of the U.S. Bank building at Ninth and Massachusetts streets.

These two events are part of NFB’s monthlong emphasis on bringing awareness to the general public of the normality and capabilities of the blind and to help people understand that the real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight; it’s the misunderstanding and lack of information about blindness.

The NFB has over 50,000 members who are blind or have low vision, are parents of blind children, and other interested people. Since its founding in 1940, NFB has worked to end discrimination against blind people and to advocate for their recognition as first-class citizens. Efforts to meet the needs of the 10 million blind people in the United States include providing information about advocacy, adaptive technologies, employment, and about products and services available to the blind.

We will offer such materials at our Meet the Blind booth Saturday. We hope to see you there.

Please visit our web page at http://www.nfb.org. for more information.