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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=446062522-25082009>Hello to
all,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=446062522-25082009></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=446062522-25082009>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!</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=446062522-25082009></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=446062522-25082009>Sherrill
O'Brien</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=446062522-25082009>Nfb Florida BRL
Coordinator</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=446062522-25082009>Florida Association
of Guide Dog Users President</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=446062522-25082009>Tampa Bay Chapter
Vice President</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT
size=2><SPAN class=446062522-25082009><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT
size=2><SPAN class=446062522-25082009> </SPAN>-----Original
Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> brl-coordinators-bounces@nfbnet.org
[mailto:brl-coordinators-bounces@nfbnet.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Freeh, Jessica
(by way of David Andrews <dandrews@visi.com>)<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday,
August 25, 2009 5:49 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
david.andrews@nfbnet.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> [Brl-coordinators] Unable to Read or
Write, New High School Graduate Details Struggle<BR><BR></DIV></FONT></FONT>
<H1><B>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</B></H1> <BR><BR><B>CONTACT:<BR><BR></B>Chris
Danielsen<BR><BR>Director of Public Relations<BR><BR>National Federation of the
Blind<BR><BR>(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<BR><BR>(410) 262-1281
(Cell)<BR><BR><FONT color=#0076cc><A
href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</A><BR><BR></FONT>
<DIV align=center>
<H1><B>Unable to Read or Write, New High School Graduate Details
Struggle</B></H1></DIV><B>Baltimore, Maryland (August 25, 2009):</B> 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.
<BR><BR> <BR><BR> “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.”<BR><BR> <BR><BR>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.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>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.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>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.”<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Those interested in ordering a Louis Braille
Bicentennial Silver Dollar should visit <A href="http://www.braille.org./"><FONT
color=#0076cc>www.braille.org</A></FONT> 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 <A
href="http://www.braille.org/"><FONT
color=#0076cc>www.braille.org</A></FONT>.
<BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR>
<DIV
align=center><B>###<BR></B></DIV><X-TAB> </X-TAB><BR>
<DIV align=center><B><BR><BR> </DIV>About the National Federation of the
Blind<BR><BR></B>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.<BR><BR>
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