Are you tired of spending hours shopping and waiting in long lines to make those special holiday purchases? Thankfully, there is a quick and easy way to cut out the stress of the season.

The Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar is a unique and beautiful gift that benefits the National Federation of the Blind’s “Braille Readers are Leaders” campaign, a national initiative created to double the number of blind children learning Braille by 2015, improve certification standards for teachers of Braille, and conduct innovative programs to support Braille literacy.

Simply visit the U.S. Mint’s Web site or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468) by December 11, 2009, to give the gift of Braille literacy today.

The U.S. Mint guarantees delivery by December 25, 2009, on any in-stock item, to anywhere in the United States for orders placed by December 7, 2009, for standard delivery, and December 11, 2009, for express delivery. Orders over $300 will receive free expedited shipping.

The Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar is a wonderful gift to show friends and family you care. To learn more about the coin and the Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, visit www.braille.org

200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
(410) 659-9314    Fax (410) 659-5129

The National Federation of the Blind meets the rigorous Standards for Charity Accountability set forth by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and is Top-Rated by the American Institute of Philanthropy.

There are three primary reasons for this educational crisis:

1. There are not enough Braille teachers.

2. Some teachers of blind children have not received enough training.

3. Many educators do not fully understand the significance of Braille instruction.

To bring critically needed attention to this educational crisis, the United States Congress authorized the minting of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar with a portion of the sale of each coin going toward a comprehensive Braille literacy campaign.

Learning to read and write is fundamental to education, which in turn is paramount to full and equal participation in American society. This coin, the first U.S. coin to have proper tactile Braille, symbolizes independence, opportunity, and the potential of blind people to make significant contributions to society when they are taught to read and write using Braille. To learn more, read our report The Braille Literacy Crisis in America or watch our video Change with a Dollar.

Please purchase this unique and beautiful coin now and help solve this educational crisis for blind children in America. The law authorizing this 2009 silver dollar requires that any coins not sold by midnight on December 31, 2009, be melted down. Time is of the essence–a 90 percent illiteracy rate is not acceptable and the opportunity to purchase this coin will soon be gone.

Be part of the solution. Give the gift of literacy. Create new opportunities. Buy the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar today.

Marc Maurer, President
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

Thursday, March 26, 2009 marks a defining moment in American History: the launch of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar taking place at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. The 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, inventor of the Braille system, a vital tool used by the blind to read and write. This coin is the focal point of a national effort to bring awareness to the Braille literacy crisis.

The average person may wonder why Braille literacy is such an important issue, especially in this modern electronic age when there are so many technological alternatives to “old fashioned” reading and writing. For the blind in particular, there have been some remarkable advances in what is known as “assistive technology” to provide electronic alternatives to reading.

The world of assistive technology and the world of Braille literacy seem to be antithetical. If a blind person can use a hand-held reader, wouldn’t that mean they don’t need to be able to read Braille?

As a user of both Braille literacy and Assistive Technology, I am able to share first hand the importance of Braille literacy in the technological age. I attended the proceedings in Baltimore, as an Ambassador for Braille Literacy for the National Federation of the Blind. As many of you know, I am also the National Sales Director for the KNFB Reader Mobile, the first hand-held device that a blind person can use anywhere to access the printed word.

The launch of the newly minted 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar is a perfect opportunity to dispel the misconceptions about the role of Braille and the importance of Braille literacy in America.

To appreciate why Braille literacy still important with all the new advances in assistive technology, one must first understand that Braille is a language. Electronic media such as audio books of all genres, whether educational, recreational, or artistic, are becoming increasingly popular ways to deliver content which enriches our lives, blind and sighted alike. But the primary basis for the information that is transmitted is language.

The process of language involves reading, writing, hearing and speaking. For a blind person, Braille is written language, the only way of engaging the reading and writing components of language. The literacy rate for sighted people in this country is 98%; the literacy rate for blind people is 10%. 40 years ago, the literacy rate for blind people was 50%.

The 2009 Louis Braille Silver Dollar will help the National Federation of the Blind raise money for Braille literacy, as well as raise awareness of the crisis. One of their most important objectives is to change attitudes about Braille. As educational programs fall under the scalpel, it would be easy to be lulled into false complacency, that technology will solve all of our problems. As a nation, we cannot overlook access to language as a fundamental human right.

For blind people throughout the world, regardless of their native tongue, Braille opens up their ability to fully communicate and contribute to human culture. Despite its rich history and almost quaintly poetic story of how it originated, Braille remains as vital and “cutting edge” as the latest technology, as it is essential to our use of language and ability to communicate.

At this historic launch of the first-ever U.S. coin to feature readable Braille, we should consider the words inscribed on the coin itself: “Liberty; In God We Trust, Louise Braille 1809 2009” Liberty is one of the founding principals of our nation. The preservation and perpetuation of Braille as a vital, living language, ensures liberty and equality for everyone.

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

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

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

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December 15, 2008, Issue #4

A Note from Dr. Fred Schroeder

In just a few short weeks, the world will celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, the man who, in his too short life, gave so much to blind people everywhere. For thousands of blind people, this landmark day will be a powerful reminder of the far-reaching impact this young visionary had on our lives when he developed his code so many years ago. We will pause and reflect on how so many of our accomplishments have been possible because of the miraculous invention of Braille, and we will be thankful for the opportunities it has given us.

For billions of sighted people, however, Louis Braille’s birthday will be just another January 4. For many of these people, Braille is a curiosity and a momentary fascination, not a vital component to the success. They occasionally glimpse Braille in a public place, and they are briefly intrigued, but most of them do not know that for thousands of blind people, Braille is the critical link to independence—the sole factor standing between success and failure.

Louis Braille believed in the capabilities of all blind people, and he designed his code so that we could be given the chance to succeed. He understood the critical role that being able to read and write plays in being able to function in society, and he knew the benefits that increased access to information would bring to his fellow blind people. Today, his remarkable invention enables many to achieve full independence in society. From participating fully in the work force, to achieving top marks in school, the benefits of Braille can be seen everywhere.

But for many blind people, the benefits of Braille literacy are not being realized. Our children are not taught to read Braille at an early age, and so they struggle through school, forced to strain their eyes to read print they can barely see, or taught to read and write only by listening to pre-recorded books. For many who lose vision later in life, Braille is described as being too difficult or too cumbersome, and they are kept from regaining their independence and securing meaningful employment.

We in the National Federation of the Blind are aware of the necessity of Braille, and thus, we will continue to work to insure that all blind people are given the chance to be literate. We will continue to work to spread awareness of the staggering illiteracy rate among the blind, and we will continue to work to pass legislation that mandates the teaching of Braille to all blind students. This has been our mission for many years, and it will continue to be our mission until our goals have been met.

Our work cannot simply be accomplished in the halls of Congress, however. It cannot be achieved solely in meetings with teachers, parents, and school officials. In order for us to be most effective, we must work with the entire public as partners and friends. We must demonstrate our love for Braille and the independence it brings, and through our commitment, spread that passion to everyone around us.

On January 4, 2009, the National Federation of the Blind will be holding events all across this country to commemorate the birth of Louis Braille. We will meet in bookstores and libraries, churches and homes, and we will demonstrate through our enthusiasm and commitment just how important Braille is to our success and independence. The public will see blind children reading Braille books, and they will understand that Braille can be just as effective as print. They will see Braille labels and clothing tags, and they will learn how Braille can help us to participate in everyday activities. They will see the blind writing on Braille notetakers, and they will realize that even as technology advances, Braille is still key to our empowerment.

Sadly, when Louis Braille invented his code nearly two hundred years ago, it was not seen as the revolution it truly was. Today, however, we understand just how important Braille is to so many people. On January 4, we intend to spread that understanding to our friends and community members. We will share with them the knowledge that Braille is not just important, but crucial in our quest for independence, and we will demonstrate on a grand scale that Braille readers truly are leaders.

How You Can Help

Give the gift of literacy. Although the Louis Braille Commemerative coin is not yet available, you can download a gift card to give to recipients. Then when the coin becomes available in 2009, you can buy it from the U.S. Mint.

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 NFB-Braille Commemorative Coin & Literacy Campaign: http://tinyurl.com/6jdajq .

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!”

The Impact of Braille

Do you know a Braille reader who is a great leader? If so, please let us know. You can e-mail your stories of Braille readers who are leaders to emakowske@nfb.org .

Watch the video Braille: Unlocking the code . In this the exciting new video, the history and importance of Braille is explored with commentary and insights from successful Braille readers.

Coming Up

Look for the Louis Braille events in your area. Plan to attend and participate on the January 4 events, then tell us about it. Send an e-mail to emakowske@nfb.org and let us know about your experience. We want to hear all of your stories.

Also

Need Braille Books? Want to get rid of some old Braille books but cannot find anyone to take them? Wondering how to build your Braille book library? Want to help get more books into the hands of blind children? Never fear, the ShareBraille revolution is coming. . .

Photo: Blind girl reading Braille

Jim Portill assists Tim Kelly on a Braillewriter

Photo: Blind girl reading

A child reading a Braille book

NFB Braille Readers are Leaders logo

Visit Braille.org Visit the U.S. Mint

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

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