[Fopbc] FW: [Brl-coordinators] Unable to Read or Write, New High School Graduate Details Struggle

[Sherrill O'Brien]

Hello to all,

When I think about how Braille has been a necessary and joy-giving part of
every day of my life since I was six, my heart goes out to  the boy
mentioned here, and to so many others.  But a new generation of parents can
help change this situation.  Go for it!

Sherrill O'Brien
Nfb Florida BRL Coordinator
Florida Association of Guide Dog Users President
Tampa Bay Chapter Vice President

 -----Original Message-----
From: brl-coordinators-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:brl-coordinators-bounces at nfbnet.org]On Behalf Of Freeh, Jessica (by
way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)
Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 5:49 PM
To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Brl-coordinators] Unable to Read or Write, New High School
Graduate Details Struggle


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


Unable to Read or Write, New High School Graduate Details Struggle
Baltimore, Maryland (August 25, 2009): Denzel Ferges graduated from high
school on June 6.  But when he was asked to address a gathering of students
on July 29, he had to memorize his speech rather than reading it.  Denzel
does not have enough vision to read print effectively, and he was not taught
to read Braille.  For all practical purposes, he graduated from high school
unable to read.



 “I wish that I could be reading my remarks to you in Braille, but I am not
able to do so because I was not given the opportunity to learn Braille in
school,” Ferges told an audience of two hundred blind students and their
mentors gathered for the National Federation of the Blind Youth Slam, a
summer science academy for blind high school students.  “So with that being
said, I have to seek further training to learn Braille and other important
blindness skills.”



Denzel is not alone.  In fact, nine out of ten blind children in America’s
public schools do not know and are not being taught how to read and write
using Braille.  But reading Braille, especially when learned at an early
age, is just as effective as reading print.  Braille is also the only system
that allows blind people to write and to read what they have written with
speed and efficiency.  That is why the National Federation of the Blind
wants to make sure that young people like Denzel graduate from high school
with the ability to read and write, and that every blind child in America
and every adult losing vision is given the opportunity to learn Braille.
But blind Americans need your help to address the crisis in Braille
literacy.



Congress authorized the minting in 2009 of 400,000 Louis Braille
Bicentennial Silver Dollars to mark the two-hundredth anniversary of the
birth of Louis Braille (1809–1852) and to support the efforts of the
National Federation of the Blind­the nation’s leading advocate for
Braille­to promote literacy among blind Americans.  This unique and
beautiful commemorative coin is the first U.S. currency to feature tactile,
readable Braille.  These coins will no longer be available after December
31, 2009.  Today the National Federation of the Blind is kicking off a
national campaign in which its affiliates in each state (plus the District
of Columbia and Puerto Rico) and over seven hundred local chapters will sell
100,000 coins by November 1, 2009.  A portion of the money from sales of the
2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar will be used to support the
NFB’s “Braille Readers are Leaders” campaign, a national initiative created
to double the number of blind children learning Braille by 2015, improve
certification standards for teachers of Braille, and conduct innovative
programs to support Braille literacy.



Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
“The Braille Readers are Leaders literacy campaign and the sale of these
beautiful Louis Braille silver dollars are among the most important
initiatives the National Federation of the Blind has ever undertaken.  The
education of tens of thousands of blind children across the nation and the
successful rehabilitation of adults who are losing vision depend on our
success.  We are asking all Americans to help us in ensuring literacy,
education, productivity, and success for every blind American by purchasing
a Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar today.”



Those interested in ordering a Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar
should visit www.braille.org or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).  For more
information about the National Federation of the Blind and the Braille
Readers are Leaders campaign, visit www.braille.org.






###






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.




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