[nfbwatlk] FW: President Signs Coin Bill Honoring Legacy of Louis Braille

[Mike Freeman]

Congratulations to all of us. That especially goes for Noel; it was she 
who persuaded Senator Murray to get on board!

Mike

On Wed, 2 Aug 2006, Noel Nightingale wrote:

> FYI!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-justice at jfanow.org [mailto:owner-justice at jfanow.org] On
> Behalf Of Justice For All Moderator
> Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 1:45 PM
> To: justice at jfanow.org
> Subject: President Signs Coin Bill Honoring Legacy of Louis Braille
>
>
>     National Federation of the Blind Hails Passage of Bill
>            to Help Fund Braille Literacy Campaign
>
> Washington, DC - On July 27, President George W. Bush signed
> into law the Louis Braille Bicentennial--Braille Literacy
> Commemorative Coin Act, introduced by Representative Robert W.
> Ney (R-Ohio), Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee
> Chairman. H.R. 2872 commemorates the 200th anniversary of the
> birth of Louis Braille, who created the raised-dot system of
> reading and writing for the blind that bears his name. It calls
> for the Secretary of the Treasury to issue up to 400,000
> silver-dollar coins commemorating this bicentennial
> anniversary. The bill is part of a larger campaign initiated by
> the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to encourage Braille
> literacy among blind youth.
>
> Rep. Ney said: Given the proper tools, humans can overcome
> apparently insurmountable obstacles and achieve great things.
> Louis Braille did just that and hundreds of thousands of blind
> Americans do so every day. Honoring Louis Braille and promoting
> literacy for the blind will have lasting value for our society
> and I am very pleased that the President signed this bill,
> which will help achieve both of these important goals.
>
> 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 Federations philosophy as well.  The
> NFB applauds the signing of this bill, 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
> NFBs 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.  With practice in reading Braille, young people improve
> their reading skills and develop a deep fondness for reading.
> 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
> years 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 didnt 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 for 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 fathers 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 Brailles contributions,
> Braille readers today can read up to 400 words per minute, or
> more, comparable to the reading rates of most sighted people.
>
> The coins, which go on sale in 2009, will emphasize Braille
> literacy by featuring Louis Brailles 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.
>
> ______________________________________________________________
>
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