[Nfb-science] [rehab] Fwd: Inspirational Blind Role Model Brought BackFrom Obscurity

[Peter Donahue]

>>>> "Pare, John" <JPare at NFB.ORG> 6/13/2007 4:24 PM >>>
>Inspirational Blind Role Model Brought Back From Obscurity
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>Prestigious Annual Award To Be Given in Honor of Dr. Jacob Bolotin
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>Baltimore, Maryland (June 13, 2007): In conjunction with the publication of
The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story by Blue Point Books, the National
Federation of the Blind (NFB) announced today that it will be launching the
"Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award for the Blind" at its 2007 national convention in
Atlanta from June 30 through July 6.  The first award will be made in 2008
and will be given by the NFB to blind people or organizations that have made
a significant impact within the blind community.  The book's author,
Rosalind Perlman, left a bequest to the Santa Barbara Foundation to publish
The Blind Doctor and to establish an endowment for this important annual
award.
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>In the biography The Blind Doctor, Perlman tells the fascinating story of
Dr. Jacob Bolotin, the first man born totally blind to become fully licensed
to practice medicine.  Born in 1888 to a poor family in Chicago, Jacob
Bolotin fought prejudice and misconceptions about the capabilities of blind
people in order to win acceptance to medical school and then into the
medical profession.  He was one of the most respected physicians in Chicago
in the early twentieth century, particularly well known for his expertise on
diseases of the heart and lungs.  His remarkable story had faded into
obscurity until the release of this important and inspiring book, which is
based on the memories of the author's husband, Alfred Perlman, who was the
nephew of Dr. Bolotin's wife and lived with the Bolotins for several years
when he was a boy.
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>Dr. Bolotin was also one of the first to raise awareness of the true
capabilities of blind people, and he used his celebrity status in Chicago
and throughout the Midwest to champion the rights of the blind to education
and employment.  Given Dr. Bolotin's belief that the blind are only limited
by their own ambition and imagination, the National Federation of the Blind,
which holds the same belief, is the natural organization to bestow this
award in Dr. Bolotin's name.
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>"The Blind Doctor is the moving and powerful story of a blind man who
fought ignorance and prejudice to become one of the most respected
physicians in Chicago. Everyone who reads Dr. Jacob Bolotin's story will
learn that blindness is no barrier to a full life and great
accomplishments," said Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation
of the Blind.
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>Dr. Joanne Wilson, founder and director of the Louisiana Center for the
Blind, said: "Belief in oneself is the key to living life as an independent,
productive blind person; without self-confidence, no amount of
rehabilitation training will make a blind person self-sufficient.  Dr. Jacob
Bolotin's inspiring story sets an example for all blind people, because he
believed in himself and found ways to overcome obstacles at a time when the
social, legal, and technological resources available to the blind today did
not exist."
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>The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story is available in both regular and
large type editions. Review copies are available on request by contacting
Blue Point Books at (800) 858-1058.  To purchase the book, visit
www.bluepointbooks.com <http://www.bluepointbooks.com/>  or call toll-free
at (800) 858-1058.
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>About the National Federation of the Blind
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>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. For
more information about the National Federation of the Blind, visit
www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/> .
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>About Blue Point Books
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>The mission of Blue Point Books is to publish books that make a difference.
The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story is its most recent publication.
Blue Point Books is based in Santa Barbara, California.  For more
information visit www.bluepointbooks.com <http://www.bluepointbooks.com/>
or call (800) 858-1058.
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>John G. Paré Jr.
>Director of Public Relations
>NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
>1800 Johnson Street
>Baltimore, Maryland  21230
>Telephone:  (410) 659-9314, ext. 2371
>Cell phone:  (410) 913-3912
>Fax:  (410) 685-5653
>Email:  jpare at nfb.org
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