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<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica" size=4><b>FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE<br><br>
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CONTACT:<br><br>
</b>Chris Danielsen<br><br>
Director of Public Relations<br><br>
National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<br><br>
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<br><br>
<a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br><br>
<br><br>
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NFB President Marc Maurer to Receive Honorary Doctorate<br>
from University of Notre Dame<br><br>
</font><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"><i> <br><br>
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<font face="Garamond">Baltimore, Maryland (May 11, 2010): </b>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</font><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> from the University of
Notre Dame at the </font><font face="Garamond">2010 commencement ceremony
on May 16, 2010. Maurer is a 1974 graduate of the University of
Notre Dame. <br><br>
<br><br>
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.”<br><br>
<br><br>
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. <br><br>
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
</font><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">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.<br><br>
</font><font face="Garamond"> <br><br>
For more information about the National Federation of the Blind, please
visit <a href="http://www.nfb.org/">www.nfb.org</a>.<br><br>
<br><br>
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<font face="Garamond"><b>About the National Federation of the
Blind<br><br>
</b>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. <br><br>
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