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<DIV><SPAN class=078433623-03052012><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial>Good
things going on regarding Braille literacy. read below.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=078433623-03052012><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=078433623-03052012><FONT color=#0000ff size=2
face=Arial>Cathy</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<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> Wednesday, May 02, 2012 4:07
PM<BR><B>To:</B> Adelmo Vigil; Alpidio Rolon; Amy Buresh; Beth Rival; Bill
Packee; Bob Kresmer; Carl Jacobsen; Cassandra McNabb; Cathy Jackson; Charlene
Smyth; Christine G. Hall; Dan Hicks; Daniel Burke; Donna Wood; Duane Iverson;
Elsie Dickerson; Frank Lee; Franklin Shiner; Fred Schroeder; Garrick Scott; Gary
Ray; Gary Wunder; Grace Pires; J.W. Smith; James Antonacci; James Brown; Jeannie
Massay; Jennifer Dunnam; Joe Ruffalo; John Batron; John Fritz; Joy Harris; Joyce
Scanlan; Ken Rollman; Kimberly Flores; Larry Posont; Lynn Majewski; Mary
Willows; Melissa Riccobono; Michael Barber; Michael Freeman; Mika Pyyhkala; Nani
Fife; Pam Allen; Parnell Diggs; Patti Chang; Patty Estes; Rena Smith; Ron Brown;
Gardner, Ron; Sam Gleese; Scott LaBarre; Shawn Callaway; Terry
Sheeler<BR><B>Subject:</B> National Federation of the Blind Commends Senator
Murray for Braille Literacy Letter<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face=Helvetica><FONT size=4>FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=5
face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT
face=Helvetica>CONTACT:<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>Chris
Danielsen<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>Director of Public
Relations<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>National Federation of the
Blind<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>(410) 659-9314, extension
2330<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>(410) 262-1281
(Cell)<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><A
href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org"><FONT
face=Helvetica>cdanielsen@nfb.org</FONT></A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=5
face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face=Helvetica><FONT
size=4>National Federation of the Blind Commends <BR>Senator Murray for Braille
Literacy Letter<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><o:p><FONT face=Calibri></FONT></o:p> </P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT
face=Helvetica>Letter to Secretary of Education Urges Department to <BR>Ensure
Access to Braille Instruction for Blind
Students<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></I></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></I></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Helvetica><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Baltimore,
Maryland (May 2, 2012): </SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The National
Federation of the Blind, the nation’s leading advocate for Braille literacy,
today commended Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) who led a bipartisan group of
twenty-six senators in sending a letter to Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of
Education, regarding improving access to Braille instruction for blind
students.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The letter calls upon the
Department of Education to work with stakeholders to develop new regulations for
the individualized education program (IEP) of blind students and provide
guidance to school districts to clarify the requirement contained in the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that Braille be presumed appropriate
for blind students unless there is specific evidence that Braille is not
appropriate.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>The letter stated in part:
</FONT></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">“<SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Students with blindness or a visual
impairment who are inappropriately denied or delayed Braille instruction find
themselves struggling in middle and high school, falling further behind their
sighted peers. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As this achievement
gap persists, the student’s ability to compete with sighted peers for
post-secondary opportunities and employment is significantly compromised. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This literacy gap is both unnecessary and
preventable.” <o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Helvetica><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of
the Blind, said: “We applaud Senator Murray and her fellow senators for taking a
stand for the equal education of blind students.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Braille is the only reading and writing
method for blind people and there is overwhelming evidence that Braille readers
go on to lead more productive lives —and yet currently only 10 percent of blind
students are learning Braille. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This
cannot stand. <SPAN class=593280420-02052012> </SPAN>We urge the Secretary
of Education to heed this letter and begin work with the National Federation of
the Blind and other stakeholders to develop new regulations that will reverse
this downward trend in Braille literacy.”</SPAN><I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=5
face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">“This
is not just a problem for the blind community, this is a problem for our country
as a whole,”</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">said Senator Patty Murray in a statement from
her office.<B> <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></B><SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">“</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">If we allow this to continue, it won’t just
be one community that falls behind, we will all fall behind together. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Making sure that we offer all our kids,
regardless of disability, a world-class education is not only a moral
obligation, it is an economic imperative for the <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> to
succeed.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Senator
John Boozman (R-AR), one of twenty-six senators who signed <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Murray</st1:City></st1:place>’s letter, said:
</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">“As an optometrist, I
recognize the importance of providing our blind and visually impaired students
with the resources they need to learn how to read. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Evaluation of students with disabilities
is essential to providing an individualized education program that leads to
literacy and readies these students for college and a career.”</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Calibri; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=5
face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT
face=Helvetica>###<o:p></o:p></FONT></B></P>
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align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p><FONT size=5
face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></B></P>
<P
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"
class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang=EN>About
the National Federation of the Blind </SPAN></B></P>
<P
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"
class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN></SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang=EN>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:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region></st1:place> for the blind led by the
blind.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p><FONT size=5
face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></B></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>