[nfb-talk] National Federation of the Blind Announces Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards

[Freeh, Jessica]

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 2010



<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = 
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Baltimore, Maryland 
(October 7, 2009): The National Federation of the Blind today 
announced that applications are now being accepted for the 2010 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 2010 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, 
2010.  Individuals or organizations are encouraged to apply on behalf 
of themselves or others.  The award recipients will be announced at 
the 2010 National Federation of the Blind Convention in Dallas.  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 <http://www.nfb.org/>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: <http://www.nfb.org/>www.nfb.org.