[Arizona-students] Fw: Terry Bradshaw to Serve as National Ambassador for Braille Literacy

[Allison (NFB of Arizona)]

FYI,
Allison.
> Terry Bradshaw to Serve as National Ambassador for Braille Literacy
>
>
>
> Baltimore, Maryland (November 3, 2008): The National Federation of the
> Blind (NFB), the nation's leading advocate for Braille literacy, announced
> today that Terry Bradshaw, Hall of Fame NFL quarterback and current
> football analyst and co-host of FOX NFL Sunday, will serve as a National
> Ambassador for Braille literacy.  As an ambassador, Terry will help
> advance the NFB's Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, a national
> initiative to promote the importance of reading and writing Braille for
> blind children and adults.  The Braille Readers are Leaders campaign
> kicked off in July of 2008 with the unveiling of the design of a
> commemorative coin to be minted in 2009 in recognition of the two
> hundredth anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille (1809-1852), the
> inventor of the reading and writing code for the blind that bears his
> name.
>
>
>
> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
> "The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to have Terry Bradshaw as
> part of this historic initiative to bring Braille literacy to all of the
> blind children and adults in America who need it.  As one of the most
> popular personalities in America, Terry Bradshaw's impact as a national
> spokesperson for Braille literacy will surely be huge.  There can be no
> doubt that the ability to read and write Braille competently and
> efficiently is the key to education, employment, and success for the
> blind.  Despite the undisputed value of Braille, however, only about 10
> percent of blind children in the United States are currently learning it.
> Society would never accept a 10 percent literacy rate among sighted
> children; it should not accept such an outrageously low literacy rate
> among the blind.  The Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, with the
> support of influential Americans like Terry Bradshaw, will reverse the
> downward trend in Braille literacy and ensure that equal opportunities in
> education and employment are available to all of the nation's blind."
>
>
>
> Terry Bradshaw said: "I am honored and pleased to serve as a National
> Ambassador for the Braille Readers are Leaders campaign.  I strongly
> believe in the importance of literacy for everyone, and I am excited to
> help make a difference in the lives of blind children and adults
> throughout the country."
>
>
>
> For more information about the Braille Readers Are Leaders campaign and
> the Louis Braille commemorative coin, please visit
> <http://www.braille.org/>www.braille.org.
>