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<DIV dir=ltr class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left><FONT size=2
face=Tahoma>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Freeh, Jessica
[mailto:JFreeh@nfb.org]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, January 19, 2010 2:33
PM<BR><B>To:</B> Alpidio Rolon; Amy Buresh; Angela Wolf; Anil Lewis; Art
Schreiber; Beth Rival; Bill Packee; Bob Kresmer; Carl Jacobsen; Cathy Jackson;
Charlene Smyth; Christine G. Hall; Dan Hicks; Daniel Burke; Don Galloway; Donna
Wood; Elsie Lamp; Frank Lee; Franklin Shiner; Fred Schroeder; Gary Ray; Gary
Wunder; J.W. Smith; James Antonacci; James Broadnax; Jennelle Bichler; Jennifer
Dunnam; Joe Ruffalo; John Batron; John Fritz; Joyce Scanlan; Ken Rollman; Kevan
Worley; Larry Posont; Marie Johnson; Mary Willows; Matt Lyles; Matt Lyles;
Melissa Riccobono; Michael Barber; Michael Freeman; Mika Pyyhkala; Nani Fife;
Pam Allen; Parnell Diggs; Patti Chang; Rena Smith; Richard Gaffney; Ron Brown;
Ron Gardner; Sam Gleese; Scott LaBarre; Selena
Sundling-Crawford<BR><B>Subject:</B> National Federation of the Blind Announces
2010 Race for Independence<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Garamond>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">CONTACT:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Chris Danielsen<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Director of Public Relations<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">National Federation of the
Blind<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">cdanielsen@nfb.org<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<H1 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt" align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT face=Arial>National Federation of the Blind
<BR>Announces 2010 Race for <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Independence</st1:place></st1:City><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></H1>
<H2 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt" align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><EM><FONT face=Arial>Fundraising Effort to Focus on
Access to Technology for Blind Americans<o:p></o:p></FONT></EM></SPAN></H2>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Baltimore,
Maryland (January 19, 2010):</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> The
National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the oldest and largest organization of
blind people in the United States, today announced the 2010 Race for
Independence, a fundraising effort focused on improving access to technology by
blind Americans and supporting other NFB initiatives.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Race for <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Independence</st1:place></st1:City> is designed
to raise funds for the National Federation of the Blind Imagination Fund, which
supports the education, technology, and research projects of the NFB Jernigan
Institute, as well as programs conducted by the fifty-two affiliates and over
seven hundred local chapters of the Federation.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Race for <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Independence</st1:place></st1:City> will also
bring public attention to the need for full and equal access for blind Americans
to modern technology, in everything from home appliances to automobiles.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The initiative begins with a six-month
campaign to raise funds from NFB members and friends that will close on July 31,
2010.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation
of the Blind, said: “The Imagination Fund represents the hopes and aspirations
of blind Americans.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Through this
effort we are able to create innovative research, training, education, and
technology programs that improve the lives of the blind and move us closer to
our ultimate goal of full integration into society on a basis of equality.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The crisis in Braille literacy for blind
children and advances in technology that, if not properly designed, will
threaten the independence of the blind mean that time is of the essence.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But I am confident that with the help of
our members and friends, we will ensure that blind children are literate and can
pursue the <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">career of their choice; that blind people have access
to cutting-edge technology; and that opportunities for all blind Americans are
limited only by our capacity to dream.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Parnell Diggs, Chairman of the NFB Imagination Fund,
said: “The Race for <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Independence</st1:place></st1:City> is quite simply the expression of
our desire to speed toward our goal of achieving first-class citizenship status
in society at an ever-increasing pace. It is the anchor of the National
Federation of the Blind’s Imagination Fund, the annual campaign to raise
proceeds for NFB programs at the national, state, and local
levels.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">To sign up to be an Imaginator and help build the
Imagination Fund, please visit <A
href="http://www.raceforindependence.org/">www.raceforindependence.org</A> or
call (410) 659-9314, extension 2371</SPAN><FONT
face="Times New Roman">.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">###<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 15pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS'; COLOR: #333333"><BR></SPAN><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">About the
National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 15pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">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 <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region></st1:place>. 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 <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>
for the blind led by the blind.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV>
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