<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18812"></HEAD>
<BODY style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" id=role_body
bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 rightMargin=7 topMargin=7><FONT id=role_document
color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial><BR> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><BR><BR>-----Original
Message-----<BR>From: Maurer, Patricia <PMaurer@nfb.org><BR>To:
david.andrews@nfbnet.org<BR>Sent: Thu, Aug 6, 2009 11:58 am<BR>Subject:
[Nfbf-l] How many children in America are not taught to read?<BR><BR>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff; MARGIN: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif; COLOR: #000; FONT-SIZE: 12px"
id=AOLMsgPart_0_d643b4ba-d89c-439a-a9be-aa59a804d1ef>---------- <BR>From:
Marc Maurer [<A title=mailto:outreach@nfb.org?
href="mailto:outreach@nfb.org?">mailto:outreach@nfb.org</A>] <BR>Sent:
Thursday, July 30, 2009 3:14 PM <BR>To: Maurer,
Patricia <BR>Subject: How many children in America are not taught to
read? <BR> <BR>The answer is 90 percent if the children are blind.
Most Americans are shocked to hear this statistic. And we should be. The blind
read and write using Braille, so why is our educational system failing to
teach Braille to so many children? Why are these children being denied the
opportunities that come with a proper education? What if you could not read
and write? Where would you be today? <BR> <BR>There are three
primary reasons for this educational crisis: (1) there are not enough Braille
teachers; (2) some teachers of blind children have not received enough
training; and (3) many educators do not think Braille instruction is even
necessary. <BR> <BR>To bring critically-needed attention to this
educational crisis, the United States Congress authorized the minting of the
2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar with a portion of the sale of
each coin going toward a revolutionary and comprehensive Braille literacy
campaign. <BR> <BR>Learning to read and write is fundamental to
education, which in turn is paramount to full and equal participation in
American society. This coin, the first U.S. coin to have proper tactile
Braille, symbolizes independence, opportunity, and the potential of blind
people to make significant contributions to society when they are taught to
read and write using Braille. To learn more, read our report <<A
title="http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=yeymcYhMheQ-y7-mcNDRWg..>The"
href="http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=yeymcYhMheQ-y7-mcNDRWg..>The"
target=_blank>http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=yeymcYhMheQ-y7-mcNDRWg..>The</A>
Braille Literacy Crisis in America, or watch our video <<A
title="http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=8AWBxYZpjpELqegcgZlFhg..>Making"
href="http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=8AWBxYZpjpELqegcgZlFhg..>Making"
target=_blank>http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=8AWBxYZpjpELqegcgZlFhg..>Making</A>
Change with a Dollar. <BR> <BR><<A
title="http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=oU7TznrVm6kt3P1O7AWYDg..>Please"
href="http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=oU7TznrVm6kt3P1O7AWYDg..>Please"
target=_blank>http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=oU7TznrVm6kt3P1O7AWYDg..>Please</A>
purchase this unique and beautiful coin now and help solve this educational
crisis for blind children in America. <BR> <BR>The law authorizing
this 2009 silver dollar requires that any coins not sold by midnight on
December 31, 2009, be melted down. Time is of the essence--a 90 percent
illiteracy rate is not acceptable and the opportunity to purchase this coin
will soon be gone. <BR> <BR>Be part of the solution. Give the gift
of literacy. Create new opportunities. <<A
title="http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=nMVjIeI1iave6Nk717B4dA..>Buy"
href="http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=nMVjIeI1iave6Nk717B4dA..>Buy"
target=_blank>http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=nMVjIeI1iave6Nk717B4dA..>Buy</A>
the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar today. <BR> <BR>Marc
Maurer, President <BR>NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE
BLIND <BR> <BR></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff; MARGIN: 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif; COLOR: #000; FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 size=4 face=Pegasus PTSIZE="14"><I>Lenora J. Marten,
President<BR></I>FOPBC NFBF-Parents Division<BR>NFB-Jacksonville Chapter
Secretary<BR>NOPBC/PLP<BR><A href="mailto:FOPBC@aol.com">FOPBC@aol.com</A>
<BR>904-777-5976 / 904-229-9554<BR><A
href="http://www.nfbflorida.org/parents">www.nfbflorida.org/parents</A>
</FONT></DIV></DIV><!-- end of AOLMsgPart_0_d643b4ba-d89c-439a-a9be-aa59a804d1ef --></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT><DIV CLASS="aol_ad_footer" ID="fccb045488dd7f23cf6d156225c2b06f"><br/><font style="color:black;font:normal 10pt arial,san-serif;"> <hr style="margin-top:10px"/></font></DIV></BODY></HTML>