[vendtalk] FW: Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger to Serve as National Ambassador for Braille Literacy

[Kevan Worley]

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


Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger to Serve as 
National Ambassador for Braille Literacy


 

Baltimore, Maryland (February 18, 2009): The National Federation of the
Blind (NFB), the nation's leading advocate for Braille literacy, announced
today that Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, a motivational speaker and former
collegiate football player best known as the inspiration for the motion
picture Rudy, will serve as a National Ambassador for Braille literacy.  As
an ambassador, Ruettiger 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 released on March 26, 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 Mr. Ruettiger as
part of this historic initiative to bring Braille literacy to all of the
blind children and adults in America who need it.  As an extremely
well-known American personality and powerful motivational speaker, Mr.
Ruettiger'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 Mr. Ruettiger, 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."

 

Mr. Ruettiger said: "I am honored and pleased to serve as a National
Ambassador for the Braille Readers are Leaders campaign.  I strongly believe
that one person can make a difference, and I am excited to help the National
Federation of the Blind in its mission to improve the lives of blind
children and adults throughout the country through the power of Braille
literacy."

 

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

 

 

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