[nfbmi-talk] Fw: [Brl-coordinators] National Federation of the Blind Commends UnitedStates Mint on Release of Braille Education Set

[Mary Ann Rojek]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Fredric Schroeder 
To: 'Braille Readers are Leaders contest support list' 
Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 9:15 AM
Subject: [Brl-coordinators] National Federation of the Blind Commends UnitedStates Mint on Release of Braille Education Set


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 Commends United States Mint
on Release of Braille Education Set
Set Features the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar


Baltimore, Maryland (October 8, 2009): The National Federation of the Blind, the nation's leading advocate for Braille, is pleased to announce that the United States Mint released today the limited edition Braille Education Set.  The set will include a beautiful 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar presented in a collectible folder designed to highlight the life and legacy of Louis Braille, as well as the importance of Braille in the lives of blind people all over the world.
Congress authorized the minting in 2009 of 400,000 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars to mark the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille (1809-1852) and to support the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind to promote literacy among blind Americans.  This unique and beautiful commemorative coin is the first U.S. currency to feature tactile, readable Braille.  

 

A portion of the proceeds from sales of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar  and Braille Education Set will be used to support the NFB's "Braille Readers are Leaders" campaign, a national initiative created to double the number of blind children learning Braille by 2015, improve certification standards for teachers of Braille, and conduct innovative programs to support Braille literacy.

 

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "We are pleased that the United States Mint is recognizing the critical importance of Braille literacy for the blind by releasing this limited edition Braille Education Set.  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; yet only one in ten blind children in the United States are currently learning it.  We are asking all Americans to help us in ensuring literacy, education, productivity, and success for every blind American by purchasing a 2009 Braille Education Set today."

 

Those interested in ordering a 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar or the Braille Education Set should visit www.braille.org or www.usmint.gov or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).  The Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar and the Braille Education Set will only be available until December 11, 2009.   For more information about the National Federation of the Blind and the Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, visit www.braille.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.