American Council of the Blind
                        Resolution 66-01

     WHEREAS, the history and records of outstanding sports
celebrities have been preserved by installing such individuals in
various halls of fame throughout the country; and

     WHEREAS, a number of blind persons have achieved outstanding
success in their fields throughout history namely Louis Braille,
John Milton and Helen Keller to name a few; and

     WHEREAS, it is felt that recognition of such persons would not
holy honor their achievements, but would also aid in educating the
sighted public as to the abilities of blind persons; and 

     WHEREAS, necessary publicity and recognition of these
accomplishments can only be achieved by establishing a physical
setting in which historical documents and displays could be
presented to the viewing public;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the American Council of the
Blind in convention assembled this 23rd day July, 1966, at the
Biltmore Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia, that the Board of Directors is
hereby instructed to investigate the feasibility of such a project,
and to investigate whether or not we could obtain necessary co-
operation from descendants and heirs of deceased persons eligible
for installation in such a hall of fame, and to report their
results to the 1967 convention of this organization.

Resolution rejected.                  American Council of the Blind
                        Resolution 66-02

     WHEREAS, the Federal-State vending programs created by the
Randolph-Sheppard Act are successfully employing more than 2,800
blind persons on federal and other property; and

     WHEREAS, the U.S. Post Office Department and some other
executive departments have arbitrarily excluded substantial
portions of federal property from the administration of these
Federal-State vending programs thereby denying and defeating the
employment purpose of the Randolph-Sheppard Act; and

     WHEREAS, these arbitrary exclusions have permitted the
encroachment upon the concession services on federal property by
private profit-making vending machine companies; and

     WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind supports and wishes
to protect the Randolph-Sheppard Act and the employment
opportunities thereby afforded to blind operators of vending stands
and machines and further wishes to pledge its support and active
assistance to blind operators, to state licensing agencies, and to
state and local organizations of blind persons in their efforts to
protect the employment opportunities of blind persons, and the
extension of vending programs to all federal property, and

     WHEREAS, an opportunity exists for the American Council of the
Blind to participate in negotiations with officials of federal
departments which offer the promise of solutions which will protect
the employment opportunities provided for in the Act; and

     WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind recognizes the need
for a single representative system through which the rights and
interests of blind operators of vending stands and machines can be
protected;

     THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the American Council of the
Blind in convention assembled this 23rd day July, 1966, that:

1.   The officers of the American Council of the Blind give support
     and active help to blind operators, to state licensing
     agencies, and to state and local organizations of the blind in
     their efforts to protect and to extend the Randolph-Sheppard
     stand and machine programs on federal and other property;

2.   The president appoint representatives of the American Council
     of the Blind to work with other interested persons and to
     negotiate with federal departments to effect the protection of
     the employment opportunities of blind persons, and the
     extension of vending programs to all federal property; and

3.   The officers of the American Council of the Blind formulate,
     organize and implement a single representative system through
     which the rights and the interests of blind persons affected
     by the Randolph-Sheppard Act can be expressed and protected.                  American Council of the Blind
                        Resolution 66-03

     WHEREAS, the National Advisory Council on Public Welfare has
made its report to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
recommending in part that federal minimum standards be required of
the several states relating to the rights and benefits of
recipients of public welfare; and

     WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind believes that the
lack of such minimum federal standards relating to resources of
recipients of public welfare and imposition of a "Means Test" upon
such recipients has directly and purposely perpetuated the poverty
of such persons; and

     WHEREAS, recipients of public welfare cannot undertake to
escape from their poverty without the threat of being penalized by
official policies requiring that certain resources be deducted from
their welfare grants; and

     WHEREAS, social security benefits payable to welfare
recipients are often accompanied by corresponding reductions in
their welfare grants thereby further perpetuating and enforcing
their poverty;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the American Council of the
Blind in convention assembled this 23rd day July, 1966, at the
Biltmore Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia, that its officers support the
establishment of federal minimum standards for welfare recipients
which will provide for them a greater degree of security and which
will alleviate their poverty and further that the President of the
United States, the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and
the Congress be notified of this organization's position on such
matters and that each of them be urgently requested to take prompt
and effective action to alleviate their poverty, and particularly
to take necessary and immediate action to prohibit the deduction of
any amounts paid as social security benefits from welfare grants.

Referred to committee for study.                  American Council of the Blind
                        Resolution 66-04

     WHEREAS, the Post Office Department has prescribed in its
regulations and in its official manual that local Postmasters
should not recognize or confer with any agent or attorney of a
licensed blind operator of vending concession in a postal facility
on any matters relating to his operation of such concession; and

     WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind believes that such
restrictions deprive the licensed blind operator of the same rights
accorded to federal employees and other citizens of the United
States;

     THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the American Council of the
Blind in convention assembled this 23rd day July, 1966, that a
strong protest be made to the President of the United States and to
the Postmaster General requesting the deletion of all
discriminatory regulations and manual sections which purport to
deny licensed blind operators of vending concessions their rights
to be represented by an attorney or agent of their choice.
                  American Council of the Blind
                        Resolution 66-05

     WHEREAS, the General Services Administration promulgated on
June 25, 1965 a regulation relating to federal buildings under its
control and jurisdiction purporting to exempt postal facilities
located in some os such buildings from the provisions of the
Randolph-Sheppard Act; and

     WHEREAS, the same regulation purports to extend to regional
directors of the General Services Administration and the
Commissioner of Vocational Rehabilitation Administration the
authority to make further exemptions to the application of the
Randolph-Sheppard Act to vending facilities on federal property;
and

     WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind is informed and
believes that the provisions of the regulation complained of are
contrary to the letter and spirit of the Randolph-Sheppard Act and
that such provisions when applied, will destroy the employment
opportunities for blind operators of vending stands and machines on
such federal property;

     THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the American Council of the
Blind in convention assembled this 23rd day July, 1966, that the
General Services Administration and the Director of the Bureau of
the Budget be notified of our concern and objection to that
regulation and further that an immediate rescission thereof be
requested.                  American Council of the Blind
                        Resolution 66-06

     WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind understands that
the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration has issued
instructions to state rehabilitation agencies requiring them to
obtain signed requests for services and written notices of case
terminations (except for those closed as "employed") be sent to
clients; and

     WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind believes that this
new requirement is both desirable and consistent with the right of
the client to be informed; and

     WHEREAS, the American Council of the Blind believes that the
right of the client also includes the right to know by written
notice when his case has been closed as "employed";

     THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the American Council of the
Blind in convention assembled this 23rd day July, 1966, that the
Vocational Rehabilitation Administration be commended for its
aforementioned instruction to state rehabilitation agencies and
that it be urged to add to its instructions the requirement that
blind clients be notified in writing when their cases have been
closed as "employed" provided that, at the time of any closure, the
client be advised of his rights of appeal.