[Nfbv-announce] National Federation of the Blind Awards $50,000

[Fredric Schroeder]

 ---- Original Message ------
From: "Freeh, Jessica" <JFreeh at nfb.org
Subject: National Federation of the Blind Awards $50,000
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:34:35 -0400

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 <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org


National Federation of the Blind Awards $50,000


Second Annual Dr.  Jacob Bolotin Awards Presented at 2009 
Convention




Baltimore, Maryland (July 13, 2009): The National Federation of 
the
Blind 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.  
The
second annual Dr.  Jacob Bolotin Awards honored eight innovators 
in the
blindness field at the National Federation of the Blind annual
convention in Detroit on Wednesday, July 8.



Awards in the amount of $10,000 were given to Opportunities 
Unlimited
for the Blind and Diane Croft.  A joint award of $10,000 was also 
given
to the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) 
and
the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB) 
for their
Braille Readers Are Leaders contest.  Abe Nemeth, John Andrew 
English,
the Princeton Braillists, and the American Action Fund for Blind
Children and Adults were each awarded $5,000.



Dr.  Jacob Bolotin--the namesake of the award program--was a 
blind
physician who lived and practiced in Chicago in the early 
twentieth
century.  He was widely known and respected in Chicago and 
throughout
the Midwest during his career, which spanned the period from 1912 
until
his untimely death at the age of thirty-six in 1924.  He was
particularly recognized for his expertise on diseases of the 
heart and
lungs.  Bolotin used his many public speaking engagements to 
advocate
for the employment of the blind and their full integration into 
society.




Dr.  Marc Maurer, 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 who are doing exceptional work 
to help
achieve the shared dream of Dr.  Bolotin and the National 
Federation of
the Blind--a society where the blind are treated as productive,
independent, and equal citizens."



The Dr.  Jacob Bolotin Award Program is funded through the 
generosity of
Dr.  Bolotin's nephew and niece, Alfred and Rosalind Perlman.  
The late
Mrs.  Perlman established the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust 
to endow
the award.  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 Award Program.  Mrs.  
Perlman also
wrote The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story.  The book was 
published
by Blue Point Books and is available through the National 
Federation of
the Blind.  A portion of the proceeds from book sales will also 
benefit
the award program.  For more information about the Dr.  Jacob 
Bolotin
Award Program, including more information about this year's 
winners, as
well as eligibility criteria and application procedures, visit
www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/> .



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