In the News
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@nfb.org
National Federation of the Blind Awards $50,000
Second Annual Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards Presented at 2009 ConventionBaltimore, Maryland (July 13, 2009): The National Federation of the Blind presented $50,000 in cash awards to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions toward achieving the full integration of the blind into society on a basis of equality. The second annual Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards honored eight innovators in the blindness field at the National Federation of the Blind annual convention in Detroit on Wednesday, July 8.
Awards in the amount of $10,000 were given to Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind and Diane Croft. A joint award of $10,000 was also given to the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) and the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB) for their Braille Readers Are Leaders contest. Abe Nemeth, John Andrew English, the Princeton Braillists, and the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults were each awarded $5,000.
Dr. Jacob Bolotin––the namesake of the award program––was a blind physician who lived and practiced in Chicago in the early twentieth century. He was widely known and respected in Chicago and throughout the Midwest during his career, which spanned the period from 1912 until his untimely death at the age of thirty-six in 1924. He was particularly recognized for his expertise on diseases of the heart and lungs. Bolotin used his many public speaking engagements to advocate for the employment of the blind and their full integration into society.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Dr. Jacob Bolotin was a pioneer who overcame low expectations and discrimination to become a renowned member of the medical profession without the benefit of the support services and civil rights protections available to blind people today. The National Federation of the Blind is proud to honor the memory and spirit of Dr. Bolotin by recognizing and financially supporting those who are doing exceptional work to help achieve the shared dream of Dr. Bolotin and the National Federation of the Blind––a society where the blind are treated as productive, independent, and equal citizens.”
The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program is funded through the generosity of Dr. Bolotin’s nephew and niece, Alfred and Rosalind Perlman. The late Mrs. Perlman established the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust to endow the award. Income from the trust is distributed to the National Federation of the Blind and the Santa Barbara Foundation for the purpose of administering the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program. Mrs. Perlman also wrote The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story. The book was published by Blue Point Books and is available through the National Federation of the Blind. A portion of the proceeds from book sales will also benefit the award program. For more information about the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program, including more information about this year’s winners, as well as eligibility criteria and application procedures, visit www.nfb.org.
How Many People in America Learn to Read?
The answer is 90 percent if the children are blind. Most Americans are shocked to hear this statistic. And we should be. The blind read and write using Braille, so why is our educational system failing to teach Braille to so many children? Why are these children being denied the opportunities that come with a proper education? What if you could not read and write? Where would you be today?
There are three primary reasons for this educational crisis: (1) there are not enough Braille teachers; (2) some teachers of blind children have not received enough training; and (3) many educators do not think Braille instruction is even necessary.
To bring critically-needed attention to this educational crisis, the United States Congress authorized the minting of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar with a portion of the sale of each coin going toward a revolutionary and comprehensive Braille literacy campaign.
Learning to read and write is fundamental to education, which in turn is paramount to full and equal participation in American society. This coin, the first U.S. coin to have proper tactile Braille, symbolizes independence, opportunity, and the potential of blind people to make significant contributions to society when they are taught to read and write using Braille. To learn more, read our report The Braille Literacy Crisis in America, or watch our video Making Change with a Dollar.
Please purchase this unique and beautiful coin now and help solve this educational crisis for blind children in America.
The law authorizing this 2009 silver dollar requires that any coins not sold by midnight on December 31, 2009, be melted down. Time is of the essence–a 90 percent illiteracy rate is not acceptable and the opportunity to purchase this coin will soon be gone.
Be part of the solution. Give the gift of literacy. Create new opportunities. Buy the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar today.
Marc Maurer, President
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND