Most Significant Event of the Decade for People Who Are Blind

Everyone is looking back on the first decade of the new Millennium and
talking about things that changed our lives. As a person who is blind, I
thought I'd do some looking back on the thing that most changed the world
for people who are blind.

Maybe others have different thoughts, but I think the 2000 Presidential
Election and the resulting Help America Vote Act is the most significant
thing that changed life for people who are blind. This is because for the
first time, Congress took seriously the fact that we who are blind have a
right to a secret, independently verifiable ballot. The 2000 election
exposed many of the flaws in our nation's election system, and forced us to
think of new ways to record and count votes. This brought new, electronic
technology into the voting booth and with it, increased access for those of
us who are blind.

Certainly, there were other events this decade that changed the lives of
people who are blind in significant ways. From continued advances in
technology to political changes, we've come a long way. But independent
access to exercise one of our most inalienable rights, the right to vote is
to me the most significant event that changed the lives of people who are
blind this decade.