[Nfb-or] Coin toss at the Civil war game

[Renee Squier]

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
University of Oregon Will Use Braille Coin in Coin Toss
Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar 
 Will Be Used in Coin Toss at Civil War Game


Eugene, Oregon (December 2, 2009): The National Federation of the Blind, the nation's leading advocate for Braille, is pleased to announce that the University of Oregon will use a 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar in the coin toss at the Civil War football game on Thursday, December 3.  The renowned Oregon Ducks, who are currently ranked at number 7 in the Associated Press Poll, will host in Eugene the Oregon State Beavers in their annual Civil War.  For the first time in the 113-year history of the Civil War, the game will decide the PAC-10 championship and the winner will go on to play in the Rose Bowl. Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "We are pleased that University of Oregon is recognizing the critical importance of Braille literacy for the blind in a fun and exciting way by including the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar in the prestigious Civil War football game on December 3.  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; yet only one in ten blind children in the United States are currently learning it.  We are asking all Oregon college football fans and all other Americans to help us in ensuring literacy, education, productivity, and success for every blind American by purchasing a 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar today."

 

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) 

 

National Federation of the Blind Announces
University of Oregon Will Use Braille Coin in Coin Toss
December 2, 2009

Page two

 

 

and to support the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind to promote literacy among blind Americans.  This unique and beautiful commemorative coin is the first U.S. currency to feature tactile, readable Braille.  

 

A portion of the proceeds 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.

 

Those interested in ordering a 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar or the new Braille Education Set, which features the coin in a collectible folder designed to highlight the life and legacy of Louis Braille, should visit www.braille.org or www.usmint.gov or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).  The Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar and the Braille Education Set will only be available until December 11, 2009.  For more information about the National Federation of the Blind and the Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, visit www.braille.org.  

 

 

This is a corrected version of a press release issued earlier today by the National Federation of the Blind. This version should be referenced in any news items about the coin toss.

 

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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.