[nfbwatlk] Fw: NFB Braille.org E-newsletter, Issue 12

Thu Aug 20 04:10:21 UTC 2009

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Braille Literacy Team" <emakowske at nfb.org>
To: <k7uij at panix.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 6:42 AM
Subject: NFB Braille.org E-newsletter, Issue 12

Braille coin and Braille Readers are Leaders banner

NATIONAL AMBASSADORS

Marc Maurer
President, National Federation of the Blind
Braille Reader

Terry Bradshaw
Hall of Fame Quarterback

Michael Hingson
Motivational Speaker
Braille Reader

Dr. Abraham Nemeth
Professor Emeritus
Inventor of the Nemeth Code
Braille Reader

Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger
Motivational speaker
Former collegiate football player

The Honorable Pat Schroeder
Executive Director, Association of American Publishers
Former Member of Congress

Larry Shepherd
Executive Director,
American Numismatic Association

Dr. Geerat Vermeij
Professor of Geology, University of California at Davis
Braille Reader

View this message as HTML in your browser
http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=-MxMhtFTywtpBCmQR5uXCw..

August 19, 2009, Issue #12

A Note from Dr. Fred Schroeder

We are halfway through the sales period for the Louis Braille
Bicentennial Silver Dollar, and we have sold nearly half of the
400,000 coins we need to sell in order to raise $4,000,000 for Braille
literacy. This means that we have accomplished much in the four and a
half months since the launch of the coin, but we have much yet to do.

As you read this newsletter, blind children across the country are
going back to school or entering it for the first time, and many of
them are doing so without the benefit of a quality education in
Braille. As the school year progresses, these students will fall
further and further behind their sighted peers, unable to compete on
an equal footing with their classmates because they are illiterate.
This tragic situation must not be allowed to continue, and we are the
ones who must lead the fight to insure that every blind student who
wishes to learn Braille is given the opportunity to do so.

To help promote the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar, we have
launched a number of initiatives designed to increase sales of the
coin itself and promote the importance of Braille literacy. One such
program is our Letters to President Obama campaign--a campaign
which will send the message to the president himself that Braille is
crucial to our success. We are collecting testimonials about Braille
which we will compile into a book for President Obama, and we will
submit it to him on the 1st of October. To add your voice to the many
already speaking in support of Braille,
visit 
http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=RQykuII5X1f3stwz-RB9FQ.. 
and click the link entitled
"Letters to Obama."

http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=KFzDqpNodWOE1FX6slYGNw..

We are also preparing for our annual Meet the Blind month
celebrations, and we need your help to make this year a success. It is
only through our presence in the community that we can truly educate
the public about Braille and the critical role it plays in our
independence. We encourage everyone to work with their local chapters
of the National Federation of the Blind to hold events in celebration
of Braille this October and help make Braille literacy a reality for
all blind people.

Beyond our outreach efforts, however, we must work even harder to
promote sales of the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar. Only
through sales of this coin will we have the ability to raise
$4,000,000 to support programs and initiatives specifically designed
to increase the literacy rate among the blind of the nation. If you
have not purchased your coin yet, I encourage you to do so. More
importantly, however, I encourage you to work with your friends,
family, co-workers, business associates, and members of your community
to promote sales of our Braille coin. If you have available funds, we
encourage you to purchase coins directly and sell them to interested
parties. Selling coins in this way gives people the opportunity to
purchase the coin immediately rather than asking them to remember to
purchase it at a later date. Be sure to emphasize to everyone you meet
how their purchase of a Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar will
help our goal of literacy for everyone become a reality.

We have much yet to accomplish in the coming months, but we have the
ability to be successful. If each of us is willing to dedicate
ourselves to the work of the Braille Readers are Leaders initiative,
we will succeed. I thank you for the work you have already done, and I
thank you for the work you will yet do to advance the cause of Braille
literacy. Our future will be bright because of what we do today. Thank
you for being a part of it.

Learn More and Get Involved
*  October is just around the corner and new Meet the Blind Month
materials will soon be available. Please be sure to visit
http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=1kILBKC-G91u_Ix6g4SkAQ.. 
and 
http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=JPhrg83Wwn4SrodhFcukXQ.. 
for more
information.
*  Give the gift that will keep on giving for years to come. The
Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar is the perfect gift for
friends and family. Coins are selling fast, so be sure to
purchase your coin now.

http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=q5Kp7E32wh4ggskUsQmJLA..

Also, be sure to check out these great Braille literacy
programs:

BELL Program-A demonstration program to help provide intensive Braille
instruction during the summer months.
http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=bnor9VLvCzen17mGO0ql3A..

NFB ShareBraille-An online Braille sharing community.
http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=mBBCdQ_WadiR9xiq6d1n_w..

Braille Reading Pals-A non-competitive Braille readiness program for
blind infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and older students with reading
delays.

http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=o0St5dwStqnbgJxSbnCvtw..

How You Can Help the Braille Readers are Leaders Campaign

As always, please encourage people to join this campaign list. This
campaign is an excellent vehicle for us to build our list of
individuals who want to learn more about Braille, want to help with
Braille literacy, or are interested in buying coins. Every new
subscriber is another opportunity for us to share our message, a
message that carries with it the hopes and dreams of a future filled
with equality and opportunity for every blind American. Cut and paste
this link to join the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver
Dollar and Literacy Campaign: 
http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=Dy0JP-mKxzXPEnhc3P6OCw.. .

Follow the Braille Literacy Campaign on Twitter. Twitter is a service
for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate through e-mail and
texting quick, frequent answers to one question: "What are you doing?"
Now, when you are asked, "What are you doing?" you can answer, "Making
Braille literacy a reality for all blind people!"
http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=L8zmII9wt2VI74bHjL00-A..

NFB Braille Readers are Leaders logo

Visit
Braille.org
Visit the U.S. Mint
http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=L0a0cV-VjE_pnX8AnrBC5g..
http://www.marchforindependence.org/site/R?i=rv4_CxjuSUwyUC8WRq4SJg..

National Federation of the Blind
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
410-659-9314 * Fax 410-659-5129

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