[Fopbc] National Federation of the Blind Congratulates Blind Driver Experience Participants

Sat Jun 25 12:03:28 UTC 2011

FOR IMMEDIATERELEASE

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 Congratulates
Blind Driver Experience Participants

Baltimore, Maryland (June 24, 2011): The National Federation of theBlind (NFB), the oldest and largestnationwide organization of blindpeople, today congratulated thethirty people who won the honor of participating in the Blind DriverExperience.  On Tuesday, July 5, from1–6:00 p.m., as part of the NFB National Convention in Orlando, thewinners will get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride in the BlindDriver Challenge™ car equipped with nonvisual technology (the same carthat was driven on the famed Daytona International Speedway on January29, 2011).  

The participants of the Blind Driver Experience will be driven in theofficial Blind Driver Challenge™ vehicle by Mark Riccobono, executivedirector of the NFB Jernigan Institute, and the first blind person todrive a street vehicle in public.  

The Blind Driver Experience is an initiative of the NFB Imagination Fund,which supports the education, technology, and research projects of theNFB Jernigan Institute, as well as programs conducted by the fifty-twoaffiliates and over seven-hundred local chapters of the Federation. 

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:“We greatly appreciate the hard work of our Blind Driver Experienceparticipants, as well as our other Imagination Fund contributors. With their help, we are able to create innovative research, training,education, and technology programs that improve the lives of the blindand move us closer to our ultimate goal of full integration into societyon a basis of equality.”

Parnell Diggs, chairman of the Imagination Fund, said: “We congratulateour Blind Driver Experience participants, and thank them for a job welldone.  It is vital that we raise the funds we need to operate theprograms of the National Federation of the Blind.  Those whoregistered to be Imaginators and raised at least $1,000 by June 15 haveour gratitude." 

The top ten individuals in overall dollars raised as of June 15 wereautomatically selected to participate in the Blind DriverExperience.  The remaining twenty spots were drawn at random fromthe pool of individuals who raised at least $1,000 for the ImaginationFund by June 15, and who plan to be in attendance at theconvention.  Each individual winner is invited to bring threeguests, and if for some reason a winner cannot participate, the ride istransferable. 

The Blind Driver Experience winners are listed below:

Top Ten
John Paré (MD) 
Mary Ellen Jernigan (MD) 
Parnell Diggs (SC) 
Jack & Pat Munson (CA) 
Patti Gregory-Chang (IL) 
Ann-Marie Laney (MD) 
Joe Ruffalo (NJ) 
Dwight Sayer (FL) 
Lindsay Adair (TX) 
Scott LaBarre (CO)

Eleven through thirty were drawn and announced Wednesday evening onThruOurEyes with Joe Ruffalo.

Ever Lee Hairston (CA) 
C. Edwin Vaughan (CA) 
Denise Avant (IL) 
Gary & Debbie Wunder (MO) 
Kim Diggs (SC) 
William Jacobs (MD) 
Debra Canty (SC) 
Dan Burke (MT) 
Carl & Mindy Jacobsen (NY) 
Patricia Maurer (MD) 
Barbara Pierce (OH) 
Kathleen Byrd (NM) 
Anthony Cobb (MD) 
Garrick Scott (GA) 
Dr. & Mrs. Capps (SC) 
Mark Riccobono (MD) 
Ed Morman (MD) 
Julaine Arient-Rollman (SD) 
Kayleigh Joiner (TX) 
Kimberly Flores (TX)

For more information about the Blind Driver Experience, please visitwww.blinddriverchallenge.org. 

###

About the National Federation of theBlind

With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind isthe largest and most influential membership organization of blind peoplein the United States.  The NFB improves blind people’s lives throughadvocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouragingindependence and self-confidence.  It is the leading force in theblindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind.  InJanuary 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind JerniganInstitute, the first research and training center in the United Statesfor the blind led by the blind.

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