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<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica" size=4><b>FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE<br><br>
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CONTACT:<br><br>
</b>Chris Danielsen<br><br>
Director of Public Relations<br><br>
National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<br><br>
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<br><br>
<a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br><br>
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NFB Executive Mark Riccobono Honored <br>
by Wisconsin Alumni Association<br><br>
<br>
</font><i>Named a 2011 Forward under 40 Honoree<br><br>
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Baltimore, Maryland (March 9, 2011): </b>The National Federation of the
Blind (NFB), the oldest and largest organization of blind people in the
United States, today announced that Mark Riccobono, executive director of
the NFB Jernigan Institute, has been named a 2011 Forward under 40
honoree by the Wisconsin Alumni Association. The Forward under 40
award program honors University of Wisconsin graduates under age forty
who are making a positive impact on the world. Riccobono is a 1999
graduate of the University of Wisconsin. <br><br>
<br><br>
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
“We are very pleased and proud to see Mark Riccobono receive this
tremendous honor from his alma mater. Under his exemplary
leadership of the NFB Jernigan Institute, countless innovative programs
that tackle critical issues of importance to blind people have been
developed, including science academies and advocacy programs for blind
youth and initiatives that seek to improve the Braille literacy rate
among blind people both young and old. He truly exemplifies the NFB
motto: ‘changing what it means to be blind.’”<br><br>
<br><br>
Mark Riccobono said: “As the executive director of the first research and
training institute on blindness led by the blind, I have been fortunate
to play a role in many exciting and life-changing developments for blind
people in Americaincluding getting behind the wheel of a car equipped
with a nonvisual interface that allows the blind to drive
independently. While we have made much progress, there is still
more to be done. Only 10 percent of blind children are learning
Braille in this country, and this directly contributes to a 70 percent
unemployment rate among blind people in the United States. I humbly
thank the Wisconsin Alumni Association for this great honor and hope that
it will create interest in the work of the Federation among my fellow
Wisconsin Alumni as well as those from other great
universities.”<br><br>
<br><br>
Riccobono was the first director of the Wisconsin Center for the Blind
and Visually Impaired, a state agency that serves Wisconsin’s blind
children. Since coming to the headquarters of the National
Federation of the Blind in 2003, he has spearheaded many initiatives,
including educational programs designed to engage blind youth in the
fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. He
currently serves as executive director of the NFB Jernigan
Institute. <br><br>
<br><br>
On January 29, 2011, Riccobono became the first blind person to drive a
street vehicle in public without the assistance of a sighted
person. He was behind the wheel of a Ford Escape hybrid equipped
with nonvisual technology and successfully navigated 1.5 miles of the
road course section of the famed track at the Daytona International
Speedway. This successful demonstration was part of the NFB’s Blind
Driver Challenge™ initiative, which challenges universities, technology
developers, and other interested innovators to establish NFB Blind Driver
Challenge<b>™</b> (BDC) teamsin collaboration with the NFBto build
interface technologies that will empower blind people to drive a car
independently. <br><br>
<br><br>
Riccobono and his wife Melissa, who has worked as a school counselor and
serves as president of the Maryland affiliate of the NFB, live in
Baltimore with their two small children, Austin and Oriana.<br><br>
<br><br>
For more information about the National Federation of the Blind, please
visit <a href="http://www.nfb.org/">www.nfb.org</a>.<br><br>
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<b>About the National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
</b>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. <br>
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