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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> Monday, December 20, 2010 9:01
AM<BR><B>To:</B> Alpidio Rolon; Amy Buresh; Angela Wolf; Art Schreiber; Beth
Rival; Bill Packee; Bob Kresmer; Carl Jacobsen; Cassandra McNabb; Cathy Jackson;
Charlene Smyth; Christine G. Hall; Dan Hicks; Daniel Burke; Don Galloway; Donna
Wood; Elsie Dickerson; Frank Lee; Franklin Shiner; Fred Schroeder; Garrick
Scott; Gary Ray; Gary Wunder; Grace Pires; J.W. Smith; James Antonacci; Jennelle
Bichler; Jennifer Dunnam; Joe Ruffalo; John Batron; John Fritz; Joyce Scanlan;
Ken Rollman; Kim Williams; Larry Posont; Lynn Majewski; Mary Willows; Melissa
Riccobono; Michael Barber; Michael Freeman; Mika Pyyhkala; Nani Fife; Pam Allen;
Parnell Diggs; Patti Chang; Rena Smith; Ron Brown; Ron Gardner; Sam Gleese;
Scott LaBarre; Selena Sundling-Crawford; Terry Sheeler<BR><B>Subject:</B>
National Federation of the Blind Announces Winners of 2010 Onkyo Braille Essay
Contest<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4 face=Arial><STRONG>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><STRONG>CONTACT:</STRONG><BR>Chris
Danielsen<BR>Director of Public Relations <BR>National Federation of the
Blind<BR>(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<BR>(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<BR></FONT><A
href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org"><FONT
face=Arial>cdanielsen@nfb.org</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=4 face=Arial><STRONG>National Federation of the
Blind Announces <BR>Winners of 2010 Onkyo Braille Essay
Contest</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG><EM><FONT face=Arial>Competition Encourage<SPAN
class=014455613-20122010>s</SPAN> Braille Usage Among the
Blind</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV><FONT face=Arial>
<DIV align=left><BR><STRONG>Baltimore, Maryland (December 20, 2010):</STRONG>
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.
<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><BR><FONT face=Arial>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.”</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>The seven winners from the North
America/Caribbean Region were as follows:<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>OOTSUKI PRIZE</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>Nijat Worley; Colorado, U.S.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><BR>EXCELLENT WORK AWARD, SENIOR</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>Barbie Elliott; Utah, U.S.<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>FINE WORK AWARDS, SENIOR</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>April Davis; Louisiana, U.S.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>Penny Leclair; Ontario, Canada</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>EXCELLENT WORK AWARD, JUNIOR</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>Madeline Link; Pennsylvania, U.S.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>FINE WORK AWARDS, JUNIOR</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>Ashley Gonzalez; Texas, U.S.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>Ana Gschwend; Manitoba, Canada</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><BR><FONT face=Arial>For more information about the National
Federation of the Blind, please visit </FONT><A href="http://www.nfb.org"><FONT
face=Arial>www.nfb.org</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><BR><FONT face=Arial>###</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><BR><FONT face=Arial><STRONG>About the National Federation of
the Blind</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=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 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: </FONT><A
href="http://www.nfb.org"><FONT face=Arial>www.nfb.org</FONT></A><FONT
face=Arial>.<BR></FONT></DIV>
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