[il-talk] FW: [NFB of Nebraska Announce] National Federation of the Blind Announces Winners of 2010 Onkyo Braille Essay Contest

Sun Dec 26 17:28:29 UTC 2010

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From: "Roberthansen1970 at gmail.com" <roberthansen1970 at gmail.com>
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Subject: FW: [NFB of Nebraska Announce] National Federation of the Blind Announces Winners of 2010 Onkyo Braille Essay Contest

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From: "NFB of Nebraska" <info at ne.nfb.org>

Sent: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 19:46:48 Pacific Standard Time

To: roberthansen1970 at gmail.com

Subject: [NFB of Nebraska Announce] National Federation of the Blind Announces Winners of 2010 Onkyo Braille Essay Contest

-------- NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2010 ONKYO

         BRAILLE ESSAY CONTEST -----------------------------------------------

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 mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org

National Federation of the Blind Announces Winners of 2010 Onkyo Braille  

Essay Contest

Competition Encourages Braille Usage Among the Blind

Baltimore, Maryland (December 20, 2010): The National Federation of the Blind  

(NFB), the oldest and largest organization of blind people in the United  

States, is proud to announce the winners of the 2010 Onkyo Braille Essay  

Contest. The NFB administered the Onkyo Braille Literacy Essay Contest in the  

U.S. on behalf of the North American/Caribbean Region of the World Blind  

Union. The essay contest, sponsored by Onkyo Corporation, a Japanese consumer  

electronics manufacturer, and the Braille Mainichi, part of the Mainichi  

Newspaper Company in Japan, was created to promote Braille literacy and to  

encourage the sharing of social and cultural information among blind and  

visually impaired persons.

The essays were required to be written in Braille and to pertain either to  

how the individual gains knowledge or independence through Braille or to an  

individual concept about world peace from the viewpoint of persons with  

disabilities. There were two groups of competitors: a junior category for  

persons up to age twenty-five and a senior category for persons over age  

twenty-six. Each winner received a substantial cash prize, a plaque, and  

other gifts from the Onkyo Corporation.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:  

?We are very pleased to have been a part of this important contest. There  

can be no doubt that the ability to read and write Braille competently and  

efficiently is the key to education, employment, and success for the blind.  

Despite the undisputed value of Braille, however, only about 10 percent of  

blind children in the United States are learning it. We congratulate the  

contest winners and commend them for demonstrating the impact Braille has had  

on their lives through their essays and also for raising awareness of the  

importance of Braille literacy throughout their everyday lives.?

The seven winners from the North America/Caribbean Region were as follows:

OOTSUKI PRIZE

Nijat Worley; Colorado, U.S.

EXCELLENT WORK AWARD, SENIOR

Barbie Elliott; Utah, U.S.

FINE WORK AWARDS, SENIOR

April Davis; Louisiana, U.S.

Penny Leclair; Ontario, Canada

EXCELLENT WORK AWARD, JUNIOR

Madeline Link; Pennsylvania, U.S.

FINE WORK AWARDS, JUNIOR

Ashley Gonzalez; Texas, U.S.

Ana Gschwend; Manitoba, Canada

The NFB encouraged all countries in the North America Caribbean Region to  

participate in the Onkyo Braille Essay Contest. Thirty-nine essays were  

submitted from the United States, and three from Canada. The United States  

selection committee was established by inviting member organizations from the  

United States to have a representative participate on the committee. The  

selection committee then forwarded the top five essays from the U.S. to be  

considered in the regional selection process. The Canadian essays were ranked  

by a committee designated by the coordinating agency for Canada, and all of  

those essays were forwarded for regional consideration. The regional  

selection committee consisted of all of the members of both national  

selection committees, and it met to choose the prize winners on August 18,  

2010.

For more information about the National Federation of the Blind, please visit  

www.nfb.org http://www.nfb.org.

###

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 http://www.nfb.org.

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