[Iabs-talk] National Federation of the Blind Announces Dr. Jacob Boloti...

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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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