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<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>
<br>
CONTACT:<br>
</b>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>
<a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br>
<br>
<div align="center"><b>National Federation of the Blind Announces Release
of Unified English Braille Version of <i>The McDuffy Braille Reader<br>
</i></b></div>
<br>
<b>Baltimore, Maryland (October 14, 2014):</b>
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/">The National Federation of the Blind</a>
announced today the release of a new version of<i> The McDuffy Reader: A
Braille Primer for Adults</i> by Sharon L. Monthei, which is designed to
guide students through the Unified English Braille (UEB) code. The
primer, first published by the National Federation of the Blind in 1989,
has been used as an effective Braille teaching tool in many
rehabilitation settings around the country. Ms. Monthei has revised this
popular Braille instructional manual in light of the coming changes to
the Braille code. By January 2016, Unified English Braille will be the
official Braille code used in the United States. <br>
<br>
Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
The National Federation of the Blind is proud to make this new
instructional tool available to adult Braille students. With the rollout
of Unified English Braille only a little more than a year away, we
believe that programs that teach Braille to blind adults will find this
new version of our classic Braille instructional manual to be an
invaluable aid for their students.<br>
<br>
Jennifer Dunnam, Manager of Braille Programs for the National Federation
of the Blind, said: <i>The McDuffy Reader </i>has been a widely utilized
and acclaimed guide for adults learning Braille for twenty-five years and
counting. This update ensures that this excellent primer will continue to
be a helpful resource for Braille students across the nation.<br>
<br>
The Unified English Braille Edition of The <i>McDuffy Reader: A Braille
Primer for Adults</i> is the first UEB instructional guide for beginning
adult Braille readers to be published in the United States. The book
presents first uncontracted Braille, then the Braille contractions in
logical groups. The author has crafted the text in the contracted section
of the manual so that words are used only when students have learned all
of the contractions that apply to them. The book contains eighty-nine
Braille pages in one volume, which is comb-bound with plastic covers.
<br>
<br>
The UEB edition of the <i>McDuffy Reader</i> is available from the
National Federation of the Blind Independence Market for $20.00 plus
shipping and handling. You may contact the NFB Independence Market via
email at
<a href="mailto:independencemarket@nfb.org">independencemarket@nfb.org</a>
and via phone at (410) 659-9314, extension 2216. <br>
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About the National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
</b> <br><br>
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.<br>
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