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

Wed Aug 2 17:14:56 CDT 2006

Wow! I thought the M's might get into a funk due to their abysmal run 
production behind Jamie Moyer last evening. But they pulled out of it! 
That kind of stick-to-it-iveness bodes well for the M's going down the 
stretch!

Mike

On Wed, 2 Aug 2006, Prows, Bennett (HHS/OCR) wrote:

> Yeah, and to top it off, the Mariners just beat Baltimore, *in
> Baltimore* 2 to 1.
>
> Bennett Prows, J.D.
> Health Information Privacy Program
> Office for Civil Rights
> Seattle, Washington
> (206) 615-2621
> E-mail:  Bennett.Prows at hhs.gov
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of Mike Freeman
> Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 3:08 PM
> To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] FW: President Signs Coin Bill Honoring Legacy of
> Louis Braille
>
> 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.
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>>
>> For more Disability news issues, see:
>> http://www.aapd.com/News/disability/indexdisability.php
>>
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