[nfbwatlk] NFB President Marc Maurer to Receive Honorary Doctorate from University of Notre Dame
Freeh, Jessica
JFreeh at nfb.org
Wed May 12 00:20:44 UTC 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
NFB President Marc Maurer to Receive Honorary Doctorate
from University of Notre Dame
Baltimore, Maryland (May 11, 2010): The National Federation of the
Blind (NFB), the largest organization of blind people in the United
States, today announced that its president, Dr. Marc Maurer, will
receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of
Notre Dame at the 2010 commencement ceremony on May 16, 2010. Maurer
is a 1974 graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: "I am pleased and privileged to receive an honorary degree from
my alma mater. As president of the largest organization of blind
people in the United States, I have been fortunate to play a role in
many exciting and life-changing developments for blind people in
America. 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 accept this
honor on behalf of blind Americans and pledge to work harder than
ever to ensure that the blind are not left behind in today's society."
Maurer earned his law degree from Indiana University in 1977 and
began focusing on representing blind individuals in the courts. A
member of the Bar in Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Maryland, and the Bar of
the Supreme Court, Maurer is one of the most experienced lawyers in
the field of civil rights and discrimination against the blind.
Maurer has been president of the National Federation of the Blind
since 1986. In that capacity, he has joined President George W. Bush
in the Oval Office in 2001 to celebrate the organization's Everest
Expedition, and was present for Bush's signing into law the Help
America Vote Act of 2002. He has promoted new technology for the
blind, including the knfbReader Mobile (a revolutionary cell phone
application that scans and reads aloud most printed material) and the
prototype vehicle for the Blind Driver Challenge. He has overseen
the visionary expansion of the NFB Jernigan Institute, the first
training and research institute for the blind, led by the blind. He
has also previously served as president of the North
America/Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union. In November 2009,
Dr. Maurer was awarded the Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, C.S.C., Award for
outstanding contributions in the field of public service from the
University of Notre Dame Alumni Association.
For more information about the National Federation of the Blind,
please visit <http://www.nfb.org/>www.nfb.org.
###
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.
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