[Perform-talk] braille literacy program

[Donna Hill]

Have you seen this?  Super news!
Donna 
***
Terry Bradshaw to Serve as National Ambassador for Braille Literacy



Baltimore, Maryland (November 3, 2008): The National Federation of
the Blind (NFB), the nation's leading advocate for Braille literacy,
announced today that Terry Bradshaw, Hall of Fame NFL quarterback and
current football analyst and co-host of FOX NFL Sunday, will serve as
a National Ambassador for Braille literacy.  As an ambassador, Terry
will help advance the NFB's Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, a
national initiative to promote the importance of reading and writing
Braille for blind children and adults.  The Braille Readers are
Leaders campaign kicked off in July of 2008 with the unveiling of the
design of a commemorative coin to be minted in 2009 in recognition of
the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille
(1809-1852), the inventor of the reading and writing code for the
blind that bears his name.



Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: "The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to have Terry
Bradshaw as part of this historic initiative to bring Braille
literacy to all of the blind children and adults in America who need
it.  As one of the most popular personalities in America, Terry
Bradshaw's impact as a national spokesperson for Braille literacy
will surely be huge.  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 currently learning it.  Society
would never accept a 10 percent literacy rate among sighted children;
it should not accept such an outrageously low literacy rate among the
blind.  The Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, with the support of
influential Americans like Terry Bradshaw, will reverse the downward
trend in Braille literacy and ensure that equal opportunities in
education and employment are available to all of the nation's blind."



Terry Bradshaw said: "I am honored and pleased to serve as a National
Ambassador for the Braille Readers are Leaders campaign.  I strongly
believe in the importance of literacy for everyone, and I am excited
to help make a difference in the lives of blind children and adults
throughout the country."



For more information about the Braille Readers Are Leaders campaign
and the Louis Braille commemorative coin, please visit
<http://www.braille.org/>www.braille.org.


Cheryl Echevarria
Treasurer
National Federation of the Blind
Greater Long Island Chapter 

_______________________________________________
GDF-talk mailing list
GDF-talk at astral.net
http://www.astral.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gdf-talk

The opinions expressed on this list do not reflect those of the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind Inc. and associated organizations unless so noted. 





E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (5.5.1.322)
Database version: 5.11040e
http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor/






E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (5.5.1.322)
Database version: 5.11050e
http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor/