[Nfb-seniors] National Federation of the Blind and Onkyo Corporation Promote Braille Literacy

[Freeh, Jessica]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



CONTACT:

Christopher S. Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org



National Federation of the Blind and
Onkyo Corporation Promote Braille Literacy



Braille Essay Contest will Encourage Braille Usage Among the Blind





Baltimore, Maryland (February 3, 2009): The 
National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the 
oldest and largest organization of blind people 
in the United States, will administer 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 <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = 
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" 
/>Japan, was created to promote Braille literacy 
and to encourage the sharing of social and 
cultural information among blind and visually 
impaired persons.  Blind or visually impaired 
persons in the United States or Canada are eligible to apply.



  The essays must be written in Braille and must 
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 
will be two groups of competitors: a junior 
category for persons up to age twenty-five and a 
senior category for persons over age 
twenty-six.  Four cash prizes will be awarded at the end of the contest.



Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National 
Federation of the Blind, said: “We are very 
pleased to be 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.  This contest will not only be a fun way for 
blind and visually-impaired persons to 
demonstrate the impact Braille has had on their 
lives but will also raise awareness of the 
importance of Braille literacy in every day applications.”



Administering the Onkyo Braille Literacy Essay 
Contest in the United States is a facet of the 
National Federation of the Blind’s “Braille 
Readers are Leaders” campaign, a national 
initiative to promote the importance of reading 
and writing Braille for blind children and 
adults.  The Braille Readers are Leaders campaign 
kicked off in July of 2008 with the unveiling of 
the design of a commemorative coin to be minted 
in 2009 in recognition of the two-hundredth 
anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille 
(1809–1852), the inventor of the reading and 
writing code for the blind that bears his name.



The contest begins on February 1, 2009, and ends 
on April 30, 2009.  All entries must be received by April 30.



For more information about the Onkyo Braille 
Literacy Essay Contest, including application 
information, please contact Trisha Tatam by phone 
at (410) 659-9314, ext. 2510 or by e-mail at 
<mailto:ttatam at nfb.org>ttatam at nfb.org. For more 
about the National Federation of the Blind’s 
Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, please 
visit <http://www.braille.org/>www.braille.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: <http://www.nfb.org/>www.nfb.org.