[Journalists] Louis Braille Commemorative Coin Bill Passes

[David Andrews]

>Press Release



>Source: National Federation of the Blind



>U.S. Senate Passes Coin Bill Honoring Legacy of Louis Braille

>Friday June 30, 8:35 am ET



>National Federation of the Blind Hails Legislation to Help Fund Braille
>Literacy Campaign
>
>
>
>WASHINGTON, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Senate last night passed
>legislation honoring Louis Braille, creator of the raised-dot system of
>reading and
>
>writing that bears his name. The Louis Braille Bicentennial -- Braille
>Literacy Commemorative Coin Act (S. 2321), which was passed by unanimous
>consent,
>
>calls for the Secretary of the Treasury to issue up to 400,000 silver-dollar
>coins commemorating the bicentennial anniversary of Louis Braille's birth.
>
>The bill is part of a larger campaign initiated by the National Federation
>of the Blind (NFB) to encourage Braille literacy among blind youth.


> Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) who jointly introduced the legislation
>with Senator Rick Santorum (R-Penn.), this past February, said: "Encouraging
>more

>blind youth to learn to read and write in Braille from an early age will
>only increase their opportunities as they grow older. We need to ensure that
>more
>
>people -- blind and sighted -- are educated and well aware of Braille's
>amazing system, and the vast benefits associated with it."



>A definite correlation exists between Braille literacy and employment rates
>among the blind, proving that Braille literacy is a vital pathway to
>success.

>Over 80% of employed blind or visually impaired adults report using Braille
>every day, but the number of blind or visually impaired students learning
>Braille

>has been decreasing. Today, only 10% of blind or visually impaired students
>learn to read and write Braille.



Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the NFB, said: "Louis Braille recognized long
>ago that the fact that a person is blind does not mean he or she must be
>limited

>in life. He understood that providing the blind with practical, innovative
>solutions was key to their independence. This positive attitude towards
>blindness

>reflects the Federation's philosophy as well. The NFB applauds this
>legislation, which will ultimately result in an increase in Braille literacy
>as a result

>of the programs funded by the surcharge proceeds."


>Under the new legislation a $10 surcharge will be added to each coin. Money
>from coin sales goes to the NFB, which will then match the proceeds dollar
>for

>dollar through other fundraising activities. In addition to projects
>submitted by NFB affiliates, the NFB will invite other organizations serving
the blind

>to submit Braille literacy projects to its planning committee for possible
>funding. For example, the money will support NFB- approved Braille literacy

initiatives, such as the NFB's Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest.
>


>By offering special recognition and cash prizes for the number of pages
>read, this national Braille-reading competition encourages students from
>kindergarten

>through twelfth grade to read books in their free time. Like Louis Braille,
>young people develop a deep fondness for reading and improve their reading

>skills. As a result blind youth are better equipped for future successes in
>all areas of their lives.



>Hannah Weatherd, age 13, of Saratoga, Wyoming, who won this year's
>competition and can read Braille faster than most people can speak, says the
>program

>has dramatically improved her Braille-reading skills: "The more I read, the
>faster I get. I learn a lot about topics I didn't know much about before.
The

>more I read, the more I learn. This will help me to become a teacher
>someday. Braille has definitely made a positive difference in my life."



>The NFB fosters Braille literacy by offering mentoring programs in which
>experienced Braille readers teach and encourage beginners. NFB also offers
>education

>for children, research in effective methods of teaching and learning
>Braille, and formal instruction in its residential training centers. The
>Federation

>emphasizes Braille literacy throughout its programs and services.

>
>Louis Braille, born in 1809 in France, was blinded as a young child during
>an accident in his father's workshop. His thirst for knowledge and love of
>reading

fostered his determination to create an efficient reading system that could
>be inexpensively reproduced in book form. The resulting Braille reading
>method
>
>used different formations of six distinct raised dots to denote different
>letters. Because of Louis Braille's contributions, Braille readers today can

>read up to 400 words per minute, comparable to the reading rates of most
>sighted people.



>Reps. Robert Ney (R-Ohio) and Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) introduced the House
companion bill, which passed in February of this year. The coins, which go
>on

>sale in 2009, will emphasize Braille literacy by featuring Louis Braille's
>image and raised dots that spell out "Brl" -- the Braille contraction for
>the

>word "Braille." This will be the first coin ever minted by the United States
Treasury with a Braille symbol. To learn more about the Louis Braille
>commemorative
>
>coin, Braille literacy campaigns, or for general information, contact the
>NFB at (410) 659-9314, or visit


http://www.nfb.org.



>About the National Federation of the Blind



>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.



>Source: National Federation of the Blind