National Museum of the Blind People’s Movement Act

Chris Van Hollen

Democrat · MD · Senator

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Angela D. Alsobrooks (D-MD)Original· 2025-12-04

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.

2026-07-21

Source: Congress.gov

This bill would establish a national museum dedicated to the history and achievements of the blind rights movement in the United States. The museum would preserve and share stories about blind people's efforts to gain equal rights and opportunities in education, employment, and daily life. It would serve as an educational resource for the public and help recognize the contributions blind individuals have made to American society.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 3371 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 3371 To designate the Museum of the Blind People's Movement in Baltimore, Maryland, as the ``National Museum of the Blind People's Movement''. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 4, 2025 Mr. Van Hollen (for himself and Ms. Alsobrooks) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To designate the Museum of the Blind People's Movement in Baltimore, Maryland, as the ``National Museum of the Blind People's Movement''. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``National Museum of the Blind People's Movement Act''. SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE BLIND PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT. (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following: (1) Equal treatment under the law and equal access to all the rights, privileges, and protections of the Constitution are core tenets of the philosophy of the United States of America. (2) Those noble and lofty ideals have not always been met throughout the course of this country's shared national history and its movement toward a more perfect Union. (3) People with disabilities have faced unique challenges pertaining to accessibility and civil rights. (4) Blind individuals have experienced systemic discrimination and low expectations but, despite these barriers, have historically made significant contributions to society which have often gone underrecognized. (5) Blind people self-organized on a national basis in 1940 to establish the National Federation of the Blind which has served as a vehicle for collective action by the blind themselves to raise expectations in society. (6) The National Federation of the Blind has served as the model and inspiration for the development of blind-led organizations the world over and sparked the creation of the International Federation of the Blind which later became part of the World Blind Union. (7) Throughout the course of its eight-decade crusade to ensure the full integration of the blind into society on the basis of equality, the National Federation of the Blind has acquired innumerable artifacts, documents, and literature detailing the individual and collective accomplishments and struggles of blind people and how those individuals have contributed to the broader American society. (8) The United States has no cultural institution that centers the experience of blind people and elevates the understanding of how those individuals have worked together to improve society and to change the negative misconceptions about the blind in the Nation and around the world. (9) The National Federation of the Blind has chosen to commit to the collection, preservation, and curation of this history through the Museum of the Blind People's Movement located inside the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. (10) This will be the first museum owned and operated by the blind of America. (11) The museum, as well as the existing archive which is currently available to researchers, will serve as a national platform to explore the struggles and successes of the blind as individuals, as collectives, and as a movement. and to encourage understanding of the past, and facilitate awareness and evoke dialogue in the present, while inspiring respect, determination, and action for an equitable future. (b) Designation.--The museum known as the Museum of the Blind People's Movement, located at 200 East Wells Street in Baltimore, Maryland, is designated as the ``National Museum of the Blind People's Movement''. <all>

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