[blindkid] FW: [nfbwnews] INTRODUCTORY PRICES GOING AWAY, DON'T MISS OUT!!!

[Carrie Gilmer]

FYI: 
Carrie Gilmer, President
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
A Division of the National Federation of the Blind
NFB National Center: 410-659-9314
Home Phone: 763-784-8590
carrie.gilmer at gmail.com
www.nfb.org/nopbc
-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwnews-bounces at nfbwis.org [mailto:nfbwnews-bounces at nfbwis.org] On
Behalf Of Fuehrer Stacy L
Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2009 1:57 PM
To: nfbwnews at nfbwis.org
Subject: [nfbwnews] INTRODUCTORY PRICES GOING AWAY, DON'T MISS OUT!!!

Hi every one.  In case any one is planning to order Louis Braille coins in 
the near future, thought you might want to see this message.
Best,
Stacy
----- 

> Introductory prices for the Louis Braille commemorative coin  will go away
> at the completion of business on Sunday April 26. Pricing information is
> below.
>
> The National Federation of the Blind will have Louis Braille coins 
> available
> through the NFB Independence Market as a convenience to members beginning
>
> March 26.  For your information, below are the prices that they will sell
> coins for.
>
> March 26-April 26: $33 uncirculated and $40 proof plus actual shipping 
> costs
>
> After April 26: $34 uncirculated and $42 proof plus actual shipping costs
>
> Independence Market 410 659-9314 Ext. 2216
>
> USA Mint Pricing
>
> Introductory Price
>
> Regular Price
>
> Uncirculated Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar
>
> Introductory price: 31.95
>
> Regular Price: 33.95
>
> The uncirculated Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar will also be
> offered in an easy-to-open
>
> capsule for those who would like to feel the tactile elements offered by 
> the
> coin
>
> design.
>
> Uncirculated Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar in Easy-Open Capsule
>
> Introductory price: 31.95
>
> Regular Price: 33.95
>
> Proof Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar
>
> Introductory price: 37.95
>
> Regular price: 41.95
>
> You can order coins online at the U.S. Mint:
>
>
> http://www.usmint.gov
>
> or by phone at: 1-800-USA-MINT (800) 872-6468)
>
> TTY: 1-888-321-MINT (6468)
>
> Outside the 50 United States: 001-202-898-MINT (6468)
>
> Available seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight (Eastern
> Daylight Time).
>
> Remember, if you don't order before April 26, the coins will still be
> available, but only until the end of this year. After that they will only 
> be
> available from collectors.
>
> Fred Olver
>
> Missouri Coordinator Louis Braille coin initiative
>
> Email:
> goodfolks at charter.net
>
>  Braille Readers are Leaders
>
> Braille equips the blind with literacy in the exact same manner that print
> empowers the sighted.  Yet, today fewer than 10 percent of blind children
> are learning Braille. The National Federation of the Blind is introducing
> the "Braille Readers are Leaders" Literacy Campaign to improve Braille
> literacy and double the number of young Braille readers by 2015.
>
> Background
> The Braille code, the primary system of reading and writing used by people
> who are blind, is a relatively modern invention that has frequently met 
> with
> opposition.  The code is named after its creator, Louis Braille 
> (1809-1852),
> who developed and published the first manual on his code at the age of
> eighteen.  Blind students enthusiastically took to the Braille code as 
> until
> then the only means of reading independently, was using embossed letters.
> The embossed letters were slow and difficult to use, and no easy way to
> write using this system existed.  Essentially, the embossed letter system
> was invented by fully sighted individuals as a means of helping blind 
> people
> to be normal.  Despite the clear advantages of Braille and the 
> enthusiastic
> support for the system among young blind students, using the code was
> challenged by sighted schoolmasters who viewed it as simply another 
> barrier
> between blind and sighted individuals.  The Braille code was first
> introduced in the United States in 1869 but faced many struggles before 
> its
> adoption as the Standard English Grade Two Braille code, in 1932.
>
>>From that point until the early 1960s, many blind people were routinely
> taught to read and write Braille from an early age.  However, by the 
> 1980s,
> the Braille literacy rate among blind people was reported to be near 10
> percent.  This meant that the vast majority of blind people were
> illiterate-they could not effectively use print or Braille to read and
> write.  A number of causes led to the decline in Braille literacy,
> including:
>
> .        The emphasis, since approximately 1965, on teaching children with
> some remaining vision to read print, to the exclusion of Braille;
>
> .        Negative attitudes toward blind people and the communication 
> skills
> they need;
>
> .        Lack of standardized Braille teaching methods and of quality
> control to ensure high standards of teaching;
>
> .        The misguided notion that technological advances, such as 
> cassette
> tapes, were a viable substitute for Braille;
>
> .        Discouragement of newly blinded adults from learning Braille 
> under
> the false belief that it cannot be mastered after childhood;
>
> .        Not giving older individuals the opportunity to explore how some
> Braille might help them maintain their independence and manage their own
> medications; and
>
> .        Underestimation of and view of Braille as unusual, thus, the 
> blind
> themselves are viewed in a similar fashion.
>
> A Much Needed Shift
>
> Led by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), a number of initiatives
> were undertaken, beginning in the 1980s, to change the decline in Braille
> literacy.  These included raising public awareness about the benefits of
> Braille and an effort to adopt state laws that strengthened access to
> Braille instruction and instructional materials for blind children.  While
> significant progress was made in the 1990s in changing public policies
> related to Braille and raising awareness of the importance of Braille to 
> the
> blind, the literacy statistics for the blind show that far too few blind
> people have access to quality instruction in Braille.  This is true 
> despite
> the fact that research conducted during this period demonstrates a
> significant relationship between Braille and employment.  That is, better
> than 80 percent of the blind people who are gainfully employed utilize
> Braille in their daily lives.  This is contrasted with an unemployment 
> rate
> among the blind that is often cited to be 70 percent.  Braille,
> independence, confidence, success, and literacy are all tied together.
>
> "Braille Readers are Leaders" Literacy Campaign
> The National Federation of the Blind-the oldest and largest organization 
> of
> blind people in the United States-will establish an unprecedented and
> comprehensive initiative in Braille literacy beginning in July 2008 to
> coincide with the unveiling of the design for the Louis Braille
> Commemorative Coin from the United States Treasury in honor of Braille's
> 200th birthday.  This initiative will be marked by the most significant
> investment in literacy for the blind ever-raising $8 million for Braille
> literacy programs into the future-and an innovative network of programs 
> that
> dramatically enhance opportunities and education for the blind.
>
> The campaign has aggressive goals:
>
> 1.      The number of school-age children reading Braille will double by
> 2015
>
> 2.      All 50 states will enact legislation requiring special education
> teachers of blind children to obtain and maintain the National 
> Certification
> in Literary Braille by 2015.
>
> 3.      Braille resources will be made more available through online 
> sharing
> of materials, enhanced production methods and improved distribution.
>
> 4.      The American public will learn that blind people have a right to
> Braille literacy so they can compete and assume a productive role in
> society.
>
> The first phase of the campaign is raising sufficient funds to fund such
> future programs as:
>
> Braille.org: The Superhighway to Literacy
>
> A new website,
> www.braille.org
> , will be launched as a clearinghouse "portal"
> to become the premier Internet resource on Braille and educate the public
> about the capabilities of the blind well into the future.
>
> Braille Outreach Projects
>
> Big ideas begin with grassroots innovation.  The NFB includes seven 
> hundred
> local chapters located in each of the fifty states, the District of
> Columbia, and Puerto Rico.  Thousands of blind people come together in 
> these
> local chapters to establish programs in partnership with members of the
> community to improve the integration of the blind into society on terms of
> equality.  A significant focus of the Braille literacy campaign will be
> providing local grants to innovative outreach and education programs 
> around
> the country that have a clear emphasis on Braille.
>
> "That the Blind May Read": An Educational Documentary
>
> The National Federation of the Blind will raise awareness of the 2009
> Braille campaign by helping to produce a one-hour documentary about 
> Braille,
> its history, and the role it plays in empowering the blind all around the
> world.  Never before has an accurate, and in-depth educational look at
> Braille been produced in a multi-media form for a wide audience.
>
> Braille Reading Pals
>
> A Braille reading-readiness program for blind infants, toddlers,
> preschoolers, and older students with reading delays will enhance literacy
> through early exposure to Braille. The program will equip parents with 
> early
> literacy materials and will connect them with resources to support their
> child's literacy development throughout the years such as mentoring from
> other parents of blind children and free Braille books.
>
> "Braille Readers Are Leaders" Contest
>
> A dynamic program encouraging Braille reading at all grade levels (K-12) 
> and
> awarding prizes in a number of categories to students reading significant
> amounts of Braille each year.
>
> "Braille Is Beautiful" Curriculum
>
> An innovative curriculum to teach sighted students how to read and write 
> the
> Braille alphabet code and increase students' sensitivity to and
> understanding of blind persons will be introduced.  This modular 
> curriculum
> will be flexible, with components to serve different age ranges.
>
> Braille Certification Training Program
>
> NFB will undertake an aggressive outreach effort to significantly expand 
> the
> pool of teachers certified in standardized teaching of Braille and
> individuals certified in transcribing and proofreading Braille in all
> Braille codes (literary, math/science, and music).
>
> Braille Research in Literacy
>
> The National Federation of the Blind will help improve Braille- related
> programs by filling gaps in the Braille knowledge base, designing studies 
> to
> evaluate the effectiveness of currently available Braille curricula and
> teaching strategies for blind people of all ages, measuring the blind
> population and Braille readership, and disseminating accurate information
> about Braille- related research.
>
> Braille Technology Development
>
> In the 21st century, literacy requires the integration of and 
> accessibility
> to technologies that facilitate reading, writing, and access to 
> information.
> Tremendous potential exists for stimulating such development and
> incorporating the use of Braille into technologies in order to enhance
> literacy for the blind.  Electronic refreshable Braille displays, dynamic
> tactile pads, new Braille writing technologies, and machines for producing
> tactile graphics are all examples where technology development is 
> required.
> New, low-cost, Braille writing technologies are also needed as the current
> tools have not been significantly improved in decades.  The National
> Federation of the Blind will establish a technology development team made 
> up
> of strategic university, industry, and other supporters to generate new
> Braille-related technologies and bring them to market at an affordable
> price.
>
> As this imaginative campaign develops during 2008 with its focus on
> fundraising, many new opportunities, innovative programs, and great
> partnerships will emerge to further shape the scope of this literacy
> initiative.  The NFB is the leader in Braille education, awareness, and
> advocacy and the literacy campaign will build on that leadership to build
> previously unimagined opportunities.  With imagination and innovation, we
> will build a future full of opportunities with Braille.
>
>
>
> 


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