The official policy statements of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois are established every year with annual resolutions adopted at the state convention.

The resolutions committee meets early during the convention. Each proposed resolution is read, spoken for by the authoring member, considered, and then ultimately withdrawn or recommended for passage or disapproval by the Convention.

At times, resolutions may also be presented and adopted during an affiliate board meeting when timely action is needed between conventions. These resolutions hold the same official weight and reflect the affiliate’s ongoing commitment to addressing current issues affecting blind Illinoisans.

Resolution 2025–01: Commending the Illinois Attorney General regarding Texas v. Kennedy

WHEREAS, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a foundational civil rights statute protecting individuals with disabilities from discrimination in federally funded programs; and

WHEREAS, seventeen states filed Texas v. Kennedy (formerly Texas v. Becerra) alleging that Section 504 is unconstitutional and seeking injunctive relief limiting its scope; and

WHEREAS, despite public statements to the contrary, the complaint explicitly includes Count 3, which calls for Section 504 to be declared unconstitutional and permanently barred from enforcement; and

WHEREAS, a February 2025 joint status report contained language stating plaintiffs do not intend to seek relief declaring Section 504 unconstitutional, yet the complaint still includes those explicit demands; and

WHEREAS, this discrepancy causes confusion and threatens blind and disabled individuals’ rights across education, employment, healthcare, housing, and other areas of civic participation: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of October, 2025, in the city of Naperville, Illinois, that this organization commend the Illinois Attorney General, Kwame Raoul, for refraining from participation in Texas v. Kennedy due to the potential harmful effects on Section 504 protections for blind and disabled people.

RESOLUTION 2025-02: Commending the Illinois Legislature for the passage of the Dignity in Pay Act

WHEREAS, in 1938, the US Congress passed into law Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, often referred to as the Javits Wagner O’day Act; and

WHEREAS, the intended purpose for this legislation was to create job opportunities for people with disabilities, including blind people; and

WHEREAS, this legislation led to the creation of special wage certificates that allowed agencies and companies to hire blind adults for less than the minimum wage; and

WHEREAS, though these job opportunities were intended to provide training and sustenance for blind people, they failed to offer training that would allow blind workers to transition into mainstream employment; and

WHEREAS, these individuals did not receive vacation time or benefits such as sick days, personal leave, or health insurance; and

WHEREAS, in 2015, Maine became the first state to eliminate Section 14C of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the special wage certificates that accompanied it; and

WHEREAS, since that time, seventeen additional states passed legislation that eliminates special wage certificates, along with Section 14C of the Fair Labor Standards act; and

WHEREAS, Over several legislative sessions, dating back to 2018, the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, Access Living, and several other organizations worked to pass a law prohibiting the payment of subminimum wages in Illinois: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of October, 2025, in the city of Naperville, Illinois, that this organization commend the Illinois legislature for passing HB793, the Dignity in Pay Act; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that upon full implementation of this act, this organization urge that programs be created to help those blind persons in need of job placement to transition into the general workforce.

Resolution 2025-03: Calling on the Governor and Legislature to support public transportation integration throughout the state.

WHEREAS, affordable public transportation is crucial for people who cannot drive or who cannot afford personal vehicles to go to work, school, medical appointments and other essential life activities; and

WHEREAS, The availability of a robust reliable public transportation system, including a paratransit system that meets the needs of those whose disabilities keep them from using the fixed route system, is essential for those who are unable to drive, including blind persons, to meet their needs or participate in the activities of their communities; and

WHEREAS, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has, for years, operated under a considerable budget deficit in order to maintain adequate service in the short term; and currently has three proposed budgets as follows:
Budget A – Baseline budget that assumes typical state funding levels that solely address the existing structural funding gap.
Budget B – Growth budget that fixes the funding disparity and allows CTA to close its budget gap, plus make significant investments and accessibility improvements to deliver services being requested by riders.
Budget C – Reduced budget that has no additional funding to address the structural funding gap, resulting in a significant cut to service.; and

WHEREAS, inadequate funding over several years compared to the area’s transportation needs has resulted in unsustainable debt referred to as the “fiscal cliff” in which CTA, PACE and paratransit services with the selection and adoption of the CTA’s Reduced Budget C will be cut by over 40 percent, which cuts will have devastating consequences to the Chicago Metropolitan area and threaten the independence and quality of life of those who rely on public transportation; and

WHEREAS, The once robust network of bus and rail transportation that connected cities and towns throughout Illinois has been neglected and underfunded, leading to the unavailability or inadequacy of public transportation within or between Illinois communities; and

WHEREAS, restoration of an integrated public transportation system would strengthen Illinois economically by allowing people to travel among communities, address the social and economic divisions within Illinois, and allow blind persons and others who cannot drive to participate more fully in the state’s social life and economy; and

WHEREAS, An integrated public transportation system would make Illinois a more appealing destination for tourism and investment: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of October, 2025, in the city of Naperville, Illinois, that this organization call on the Governor and Illinois General Assembly to enable the CTA to pass its Growth Budget B to reimagine what a restored integrated public transportation system in Chicago and throughout Illinois could mean for Illinois and the lives of its residents and visitors.

RESOLUTION 2025-04: REGARDING AN IMMEDIATE MOTION TO DISMISS TEXAS V. KENNEDY

WHEREAS, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a landmark civil rights provision for people with disabilities, protecting us from discrimination by federal agencies and recipients of federal funding in public education, work readiness programs, healthcare, elections, the court system, and more; and

WHEREAS, seventeen states’ attorneys general have filed suit in Texas v. Kennedy alleging that Section 504 is unconstitutional and should be entirely or partially enjoined, limiting it only to those programs, services, and activities directly funded by and through the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and

WHEREAS, in a status report submitted on April 11, 2025, the seventeen states wrote that they “have no intention to seek any relief from this Court on Count 3 (Section 504 is Unconstitutional) of their Complaint . . .. And nothing in Plaintiffs’ Complaint seeks to restrain the disbursement of federal funds from the Department [of Health and Human Services] on the basis that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is unconstitutional”; and

WHEREAS, the Plaintiffs also seek for the Court to declare the Final Rule titled “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance” released by the United States Department of Health and Human Services on May 9, 2024, and which contains valuable website accessibility rules pertaining to federal government websites, as illegal and unconstitutional; and

WHEREAS, if Plaintiffs’ demand is granted, it will have a devastating impact on blind Americans’ rights to effective communication and reasonable accommodation in connection with government programs, services, and activities, including but not limited to education, employment, housing, healthcare, and other forms of civic life: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois in Convention assembled this eighteenth day of October, 2025, in the city of Naperville, Illinois, that this organization immediately call upon Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to move to dismiss the Texas v. Kennedy lawsuit because of the far-reaching and harmful effects the lawsuit could have on Section 504 and the lives of blind and other disabled Americans.