[Ohio-talk] Congratulations Deborah

[Eric Duffy]

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 Announces Winners
of 2014 Onkyo Braille Essay Contest
 
Competition Encourages Braille Usage Among the Blind
 
Baltimore, Maryland (December 17, 2014): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), <http://www.nfb.org/> the oldest and largest organization of blind people in the United States, is proud to announce the winners of the 2014 Onkyo Braille Essay Contest. The National Federation of the Blind once again administered the Onkyo Braille Literacy Essay Contest on behalf of the North American/Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union. The essay contest, sponsored by Onkyo Corporation, a Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer, and the Braille Mainichi, part of the Mainichi Newspaper Company in Japan, was created to promote Braille literacy and to encourage the sharing of social and cultural information among blind and visually impaired persons.
 
The essays were required to be written in Braille and to pertain either to how the individual gains knowledge or independence through Braille or to an individual concept about world peace from the viewpoint of persons with disabilities. There were two groups of competitors: a junior category for persons up to age twenty-five and a senior category for persons age twenty-six or over. Each winner received a substantial cash prize, a plaque, and other gifts from the Onkyo Corporation.
 
Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “We are very pleased to continue to be a part of this important contest. There can be no doubt that the ability to read and write Braille competently and efficiently is the key to education, employment, and success for the blind. Despite the undisputed value of Braille, however, only about 10 percent of blind children in the United States are learning it. We congratulate the contest winners and commend them for demonstrating through their essays the way Braille allows them to live the lives they want, and also for raising awareness of the importance of Braille literacy in their everyday lives.”
 
The seven winners from the North America/Caribbean Region were as follows:
 
OTSUKI PRIZE
Helen Kobek, Massachusetts, USA
 
EXCELLENT WORK AWARD, SENIOR
Deborah Kendrick, Ohio, USA
 
EXCELLENT WORK AWARD, JUNIOR
Kristen Steele, Iowa, USA
 
FINE WORK AWARD, SENIOR
Penny MacPherson, Florida, USA
Thea Ramsay, Ontario, Canada
 
FINE WORK AWARD, JUNIOR
Amy Albin, New Jersey, USA
Lindsay Kerr, California, USA
 
The National Federation of the Blind encouraged all countries in the North America Caribbean Region to participate in the Onkyo Braille Essay Contest. Essays were submitted from the United States and Canada.
 
 
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About the National Federation of the Blind
 
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.