National Federation of the Blind staged march in Atlanta

On Tuesday, July 3rd, hundreds of blind people marched nearly half a mile through downtown Atlanta to prove a point: Blind people can do the same things sighted persons can do.

The event, organized by the National Federation of the Blind, was designed to improve access to jobs and education for the blind and visually impaired. According to Marc Mauer, federation president and a lawyer from Maryland, the blind population in the U.S. has a 70% unemployment rate and only 10% are taught to read and write braille in U.S. schools.

The march was led by U.S. Rep John Lewis (D). Organizers said 1,000 or more people took part. The Atlanta police estimate was 700.