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

Noel Nightingale nnightingale at earthlink.net
Wed Aug 2 17:14:47 CDT 2006 

I just spoke with Dan Frye who reported that he and Rene were at Monday
night's exciting game against Baltimore.  Rene was cheering her heart
out for the Mariners!  Dan, of course, retained his dignity as he is
likely to do.  However, they were sitting in front of some Seattleites
who were also in attendance.  A good time was had by all.  I'm sure if I
have reported in error, Dan will correct me.


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Prows, Bennett (HHS/OCR)
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 3:11 PM
To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] FW: President Signs Coin Bill Honoring Legacy of
Louis Braille


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.
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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