[il-talk] Fw: BRAL newsletter 1.7

Fri Dec 18 22:29:45 UTC 2009

FYI

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Shaheen, Natalie 
To: Shaheen, Natalie 
Sent: Friday, December 18, 2009 9:17 AM
Subject: BRAL newsletter 1.7


     Braille Readers Are Leaders                                            
       
     Volume 1, Number 7
     
       
            Dates to Remember

            ·      Reading Period: November 1, 2009-January 4, 2010

            ·      All contest entries must be submitted before January 22, 2010

             
     Pennies for Pages
      In addition to competing in the Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest, members of NABS are running a fund raiser. NABS members are collecting pledges from their friends and community members. People are pledging pennies for each page of Braille the contestant reads over the two month contest! Have you pledged pennies for anyone's pages yet, I have. I encourage you to support NABS and the importance of Braille literacy by pledging a few pennies! Half of the money raised through this effort will go to the NFB to support Braille literacy programs. The other half will go to NABS. If you have questions about Pennies for Pages contact Sean Whalen (608-332-4147 or smwhalenpsp at gmail.com). Visit www.nabslink.org for more information about NABS.

      Help Needed
      In commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary of Louis Braille's birth, the National Federation of the Blind has started a Braille Readers are Leaders Campaign to address the Braille literacy crisis. To help us address this crisis we need information from adult Braille readers.  You can help us by filling out a very short, seventeen-question, survey online. This survey is completely confidential and will not affect your participation in the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest. Donate five minutes of your time to help change the state of Braille literacy in this country. Note: this survey is designed for blind Braille readers; thus the sighted teachers and parents competing in the contest do not need to fill it out.

      Spotlight
      Noreen Grice--a sighted competitor in the contest--reported a few weeks ago that her chapter of the NFB (Central Connecticut Chapter) has made a goal of having EVERY member of the chapter literate in Braille. This includes sighted members! I think this is a marvelous goal! Keep reading central Connecticut!

      Is your team, chapter or state affiliate doing something noteworthy related to Braille literacy? If you would like your efforts spotlighted send an email to Nshaheen at nfb.org, Braille rocks!

      Did you know?
      There are 64 possible dot combinations in a six-dot Braille cell.

      There are 189 contractions in standard contracted Braille.

      Dream Big
      Brook Sexton, a life long Braille reader and a competitor in this contest, writes of her dream for every blind child to be afforded the same opportunities she was in her article "A Case for Teaching Braille" (Braille Monitor, January 2009). May we all continue to fight for the rights of blind youth in this country and the necessity of Braille literacy! Braille literacy shouldn't have to be a dream!

      Frequently Asked Questions
      Can teams enter data for the leader board?  Not yet, at this time there is not a team leader board. We are hoping to have this functionality available for the 2010-2011 contest. 

       
            Do you have questions?  Contact Natalie Shaheen:

            410.659.9314 x2293

            Nshaheen at nfb.org

            or visit our Web site

            www.nfb.org/bral
           

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