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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br><br>
<br><br>
CONTACT:<br><br>
Chris Danielsen<br><br>
Director of Public Relations<br><br>
National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
<a href="tel:(410)%20659-9314">(410) 659-9314</a>, extension
2330<br><br>
<a href="tel:(410)%20262-1281">(410) 262-1281</a> (Cell)<br><br>
<a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br>
<br>
<br><br>
National Federation of the Blind Awards $50,000<br><br>
Ninth Annual Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards Presented at 2016
Convention<br><br>
<br><br>
Orlando, Florida (July 5, 2016): The National Federation of the Blind
(NFB) today presented $50,000 in cash awards to individuals and
organizations that have made outstanding contributions toward achieving
the full integration of the blind into society on a basis of equality. At
the National Federation of the Blind annual convention in Orlando, the
ninth annual Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards honored four innovators who are
helping blind people live the lives they want.<br><br>
<br><br>
A $5,000 award was presented to Audio & Braille Literacy Enhancement,
Inc., a Wisconsin-based transcription service that converts textbooks for
school children into Braille, and is able to provide immediate
transcription services for other classroom materials. A $10,000 prize was
awarded to Oskar & Klaus Publishing, a company that produces
children’s books detailing the adventures of a real blind cat (Oskar)
and his feline pal (Klaus), with the message of accepting those with
different characteristics and not allowing blindness to prevent a cat, or
person, from embarking upon extraordinary adventures. A $15,000 award was
presented to Winston Chen for his creation of the mobile application
Voice Dream Reader, which makes reading and navigating a variety of
electronic documents possible using synthetic speech and an innovative,
accessible user interface. A cash prize of $20,000 went to the Semitic
Scholars, a group of three blind academics who created a Braille code for
ancient Biblical languages so that source documents of religious texts
can be studied independently by blind students in their original
context—a feat that was previously impossible.<br><br>
<br><br>
Dr. Jacob Bolotin, the namesake of the award program, was a blind
physician who lived and practiced in Chicago from 1912 until his untimely
death at age thirty-six in 1924. Dr. Bolotin was especially recognized
for treating diseases of the heart and lungs. Despite his rigorous
schedule tending to his patients’ needs at all hours of the day and
night, Dr. Bolotin also became known as a public speaker and advocate for
the employment of the blind and their full integration into
society.<br><br>
<br><br>
Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: “Dr. Jacob Bolotin was a pioneer who overcame low expectations
and discrimination to become a renowned member of the medical profession
without the benefit of the support services and civil rights protections
available to blind people today. The National Federation of the Blind is
proud to honor the memory and spirit of Dr. Bolotin by recognizing and
financially supporting those individuals and organizations, both from
within the blindness field and outside of it, who are doing exceptional
work to help achieve the shared dream of Dr. Bolotin and the National
Federation of the Blind—a society in which the blind,, like all other
Americans, can pursue their goals and live the lives they
want.”<br><br>
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The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards Program is funded through the generosity of
Dr. Bolotin’s nephew and niece-in-law, Alfred and Rosalind Perlman. The
late Mrs. Perlman established the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust to
endow the awards. Income from the trust is distributed to the National
Federation of the Blind and the Santa Barbara Foundation for the purpose
of administering the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards Program. For more
information about the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards Program—including more
information about this year’s winneers, as well as eligibility criteria
and application procedures—please visit
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/">www.nfb.org</a>.<br><br>
<br><br>
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<br><br>
About the National Federation of the Blind <br><br>
<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.</blockquote></body>
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