Braille Flag Monument:
Introduction | National Tour and Additional Information | Senate Bill | Additional Pictures
The American Braille flag was designed by KBTI to give blind and visually-impaired veterans the opportunity to own and appreciate the American flag. A bill to authorize the placement of a Braille American flag memorial at Arlington National Cemetery was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Todd Tiahrt (R-KS 4th District) on November 13, 2007 as the American Braille Flag Memorial Act. It passed by a unanimous vote of 396-0 on February 14, 2008. The bill was subsequently entered into the Senate, and is currently under discussion in the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. Meanwhile, the monument itself has been installed at Arlington.
KBTI Executive Director Randolph cabral with the completed monument, installed at the Arlington National Cemetery Visitor Center
The completed monument with stone base, at Granite Transformations
National Tour and Additional Information:
A replica of the Braille flag monument will be touring the United States! Please check back soon for updates and schedules.
Replicas of the Braille flag monument installed at Arlington National Cemetery have also been installed at veterans' memorials in Wichita, Topeka, and El Dorado, Kansas.
The stone base of the monument was designed and created by Granite Transformations.
The original text of the American Braille Flag Memorial Act is as follows.
American Braille Flag Memorial Act (Referred to Senate Committee after being Received from House)
HR 4169 RFS
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4169
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 25, 2008
Received
April 29, 2008
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
AN ACT
To authorize the placement in Arlington National Cemetery of an American Braille tactile flag in Arlington National Cemetery honoring blind members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and other Americans.
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 `American Braille Flag Memorial Act'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) There are more than 175,000 blind veterans.
(2) The Department of Defense estimates that 16 percent of the members of the Armed Forces who have been injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom have severe vision loss as a result of their injuries.
(3) The American Braille tactile flag was created by the Kansas Braille Transcription Institute in Wichita, Kansas, to allow blind Americans and blind veterans to experience the American flag.
(4) Arlington National Cemetery, visited by approximately 4,000,0000 people annually, is a national place of remembrance and honor for the Nation's veterans.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF PLACEMENT OF AN AMERICAN BRAILLE TACTILE FLAG IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY HONORING BLIND MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES, VETERANS, AND OTHER AMERICANS.
(a) In General- The Secretary of the Army is authorized to place in Arlington National Cemetery an American Braille tactile flag in Arlington National Cemetery honoring blind members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and other Americans.
(b) Approval of Design and Site- The Secretary of the Army shall have exclusive authority to approve an appropriate design and site within Arlington National Cemetery for the memorial authorized under subsection (a).
Passed the House of Representatives February 14, 2008.
Attest:
LORRAINE C. MILLER,
Clerk.
