[Blindtlk] National Federation of the Blind to Award $50, 000 in 2009

[David Andrews]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

cdanielsen at nfb.org

National Federation of the Blind Announces Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards

National Federation of the Blind to Award $50,000 in 2009

Baltimore, Maryland (January 7, 2009): The National Federation of the 
Blind today announced that applications are now being accepted for 
the 2009 Dr. Jacob
Bolotin Award Program.  Each year the National Federation of the 
Blind presents cash awards to individuals and organizations that have 
made outstanding
contributions toward achieving the full integration of the blind into 
society on a basis of equality.

Dr. Jacob Bolotin was a blind physician who lived and practiced in 
Chicago in the early twentieth century.  He was widely known and 
respected in Chicago
and throughout the Midwest during his career, which spanned the 
period from 1912 until his untimely death at the age of thirty-six in 
1924.  He was particularly
recognized for his expertise on diseases of the heart and 
lungs.  Bolotin used his many public speaking engagements to advocate 
for the employment of the
blind and their full integration into society.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, 
said: "Dr. Jacob Bolotin was a pioneer who overcame low expectations 
and discrimination
to become a renowned member of the medical profession without the 
benefit of the support services and civil rights protections 
available to blind people
today.  He was also a fierce advocate for greater opportunity for the 
blind in his time, and doubtless would have been a leader in the 
organized blind
movement had he lived to see it come into being.  The Jacob Bolotin 
Award Program celebrates his pioneering spirit by recognizing and 
supporting outstanding
programs, technologies, and individual efforts that promote 
independence and opportunity for blind Americans."

Recipients of the 2009 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards will be determined by 
the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee of the National Federation of 
the Blind.  Online
applications are due by April 15, 2009.  Individuals or organizations 
are encouraged to apply on behalf of themselves or others.  The award 
recipients
will be announced at the 2009 National Federation of the Blind 
Convention in Detroit.  A total of $50,000 will be distributed to the 
award recipients.

The Jacob Bolotin Award Program is funded through the generosity of 
Dr. Bolotin's nephew and niece, Alfred and Rosalind Pearlman.   In 
addition to establishing
the Alfred and Rosalind Pearlman Trust to endow the awards, the late 
Mrs. Pearlman also wrote The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin 
Story.   The book has
been published by Blue Point Books and can be ordered directly from 
the publisher at
www.bluepointbooks.com
.  Proceeds from book sales will also benefit the award program.  For 
more information or to fill out the online application, please visit
www.nfb.org.

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About the National Federation of the Blind

With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind 
is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind 
people in the United
States.  The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy, 
education, research, technology, and programs encouraging 
independence and self-confidence.
It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of 
the nation's blind.  In January 2004 the NFB opened the National 
Federation of the
Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in 
the United States for the blind led by the blind.  Please visit our Web site:
www.nfb.org.

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