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.

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.

When I am contacted by meeting planners, corporations, and members of Associations about speaking at their events I am most often asked if I can speak about teamwork and team building. As a keynote speaker I can tell you that this is indeed a subject which seems to be on the minds of company executives, workers, and to some degree most of us. We all seem to value highly the idea of working together. During companywide and executive retreats often times there will be some sort of “team building exercise.” Management constantly talks to staff about “the Team.” Many books have been written on the subject.

Paraphrasing Patrick Lencioni’s observation from his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, if teamwork is so important and we all value it so much why is it so hard to achieve? Good question! We work together, oftentimes more than we realize, but we seem to not be able to work together. We rely on each other in so many ways throughout the day, but we seem not to recognize this fact. For example, our automobiles are built by teams.

When Henry Ford developed our modern conception of the assembly line his efforts typified TEAMWORK in action. Unfortunately, many company executives feel they do not have great team relationships or, at least, they feel many of their employees do not have the “right team spirit.” The term has become almost trivialized and cliché. Most of us have lost sight of the value and strength of the human team. We have forgotten how to make and keep great teams going.

It is not surprising that people ask me to speak about teamwork since teamwork means something very personal and extraordinary to me. I have understood the importance and value of teamwork from the time I received my first guide dog, Squire, when I was 14 years old. But life’s school taught me a dramatic lesson about teamwork, when successful teamwork essentially saved my life in 2001 when my fifth guide dog, Roselle, and I worked together to escape the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, leading others to safety moments before the tower collapsed.

Teams must be grown and nurtured. Although one individual usually is the team leader all team members must do their part. For me, the team worked dramatically well on 9-11. That story will always be a part of my life and I enjoy sharing it.

I have another amazing story of teamwork I would like to share with you. It is one most people don’t know about, but it is one that has changed the lives of millions of people around the world. It is a story that has been 35 years in the making and will continue to unfold, creating a lasting impact for years to come. It is the story of how Teamwork can be an essential ingredient for technological innovation

In 1974 a young inventor named Dr. Raymond Kurzweil developed a process which would allow a special camera to take a picture of a printed page and convert the information that it saw into either voice or recognizable text which could be displayed on a computer screen or stored in a computer file. What made Ray Kurzweil’s invention so unique and exciting was that his device successfully employed for the first time optical character recognition techniques to scan printed or proportionally spaced material such as that which is found in magazines and books.

Ray had an interest in helping blind people read printed information. With this in mind he contacted the National Federation of the Blind with his first idea for an application of his device to see if there might be an interest in helping him take his “reading machine” from a prototype concept to a real production model reading device for the blind. As it was described to me, Ray Kurzweil told leaders of the NFB when he first spoke with them that he had a machine that really would read books and magazines out loud to blind people.

Many would-be inventors have approached the NFB with claims that they had invented devices which could do everything from help blind people see again to help them “read” books without the so-called need for Braille. Ray’s claim was met with a fair degree of skepticism. Even so, there was something different about him. As a result, some leaders of the Federation traveled to the Kurzweil laboratories in Massachusetts to see this incredible sounding machine for themselves.

It is hard to imagine the surprise and thrill that these blind leaders felt when they arrived at Ray Kurzweil’s facility and placed magazines and books which they brought with them on the reading machine and actually heard the system read their own pages aloud to them. Never before had blind people been able to independently read printed information at normal reading speeds.

Almost immediately Dr. Kurzweil and his team, and Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, then president of the National Federation of the Blind, and a team of Federationists began to develop a plan to fund the Kurzweil Reading Machine project. By 1975 it had been decided that the NFB would purchase five prototype machines at a cost of $50,000 per machine and place these machines around the country in order to test them and to provide feedback to Ray Kurzweil about what features needed to be in a real first model of the Kurzweil Reading Machine.

I officially joined the project in 1976; working under James Gashel, the NFB’s Director of Governmental Affairs, I was hired to coordinate the day-to-day activities and efforts of the NFB-side of the project. My job was to take the five machines purchased by the Federation and place them around the country in locations where blind people would have access to them. I had to train users in each location, ensure that the machines operated correctly, collect user data, and feed that data back to Ray Kurzweil and the leadership of the NFB. For 18 months I traveled around the country living mostly in hotels and visiting the various sites where machines had been placed. At that time the Kurzweil Reading Machine weighed several hundred pounds and consisted of a very heavy scanner and an even heavier computer processor, each housed in their own cabinets. To provide some sort of portability the machines were each placed on a heavy-duty rolling cart.

A lot of teamwork was required all around to make the project a success. It is not often that an inventor allows prototype models to leave the laboratory much less be taken completely out of their control. Never-the-less, that is exactly what happened in the case of the Reading Machine. A team of blind people ran the NFB project, maintained the machines, wrote training curricula, trained other blind people how to use the machines, and scientifically collected data which, in early 1979 led to the first production model of the Kurzweil Reading Machine becoming available on the open market.

Over the years Dr. Ray Kurzweil has often praised the team effort created when he joined forces with the organized blind to make his invention a reality. As far as blind people were concerned, the early machines were problematic since they did not read as well as blind people would have really liked them to. Some of us understood that this technology would go through many stages of evolution before a high degree of reading accuracy was achieved. Never-the-less, even the early machines allowed many of us to read books that were previously unavailable to us. We could also read magazines, papers, and other printed material which allowed us to remain current with our times. A whole new world had opened for blind people.

The success of that early team was due to the commitment of all parties to work together even though the various members were scattered throughout the United States. Solid leadership and good motivation from the tem leaders helped keep us all on track.

Fast forward in time to the year 2001. One of Ray Kurzweil’s dreams has always been to make his machine a truly portable device. Ray often talked to me and others about his goal to create a truly portable pocket-sized reading machine which any blind person could use anywhere. In the years between 1979 and 2001, the Kurzweil Reading Machine indeed went through several evolutionary changes. It became smaller and less expensive. In the mid-1990s the software driving the machine was ported over to the Windows operating system so that it could be run on any PC. In addition, scanner drivers were developed so that many of the emerging, less expensive scanners could drive the optical character recognition software. By 2001 the software costs $995 and the rest of the machine consisted of a typical PC or laptop computer with sound card and a scanner which cost from $150-$300. These newer systems costs much less, but they were not really portable.

Throughout the life of this project, Ray Kurzweil kept an ongoing dialogue and relationship with the National Federation of the Blind. In 2001 he approached the Federation with the idea of making a portable reading machine system. By 2001, Ray was acknowledged as one of the world’s foremost futurist, inventors, and forward-looking thinkers. Part of his methodology was to study technology and essentially predict where it would be in five, 10, 20, or even 50 years. In talking with Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind in 2001, Ray proposed undertaking the development and production of a portable reading machine by 2006. Ray believed it would take that long for the technology of handheld computers to progress to the point where it could support the processing requirements and speed of optical character recognition and speech production.

In 2005, prototypes of what would be called the new “KNFB Reader” were put in the hands of blind people for testing. 100 machines were provided for testing and evaluation to create the feature set that would go into the production model.

In July of 2006, the KNFB Reader was officially introduced for sales to the blind of the world at the national convention of the National Federation of the Blind. Again, as Ray Kurzweil attested, it was the success of the entire team of his developers and blind people throughout the United States which made the portable reading machine a reality.

The machine consisted of a small, high-end digital camera attached to a high-end personal data assistant or PDA. The system sold for $3,295. Although the system wasn’t really pocket-sized, it was truly portable. I recall traveling to Japan and around the United States reading material I had never read before including such mundane things as literature in hotel rooms and restaurant menus. The machine fit into my laptop computer case along with my computer, Braille note taking device called a BrailleNote, and other items I routinely carried with me on my travels. Reading truly became an adventure and it was available wherever I went.

Ray and the team weren’t finished yet. By the beginning of 2008, a new company called KNFB Reading Technologies, a joint venture between the National Federation of the Blind and Korowai Technologies, Inc., had been formed. Its first task was to develop a second generation of the KNFB Reader called the KNFB Reader Mobile. This time, the hardware platform was a high-end cell phone, making the reader a truly portable, pocket-sized device.

As usual, a well-rounded team of beta testers was recruited to take prototypes out into the world and to test them everywhere they could. Later in 2008, the new KNFB Reader Mobile went on sale for $2,195. By the end of 2008, due to cell phone cost reductions and encouraging initial sales, the price of the reader dropped to $1,640. Now, for the first time in history, many blind people could afford the technology that would allow them to read most printed material in a truly independent manner.

Ray Kurzweil has a future vision for his “reading machine” to do even more than just read print. There is no doubt a great future for this device as it evolves, but we will have to wait for the technology to catch up to Ray’s ideas.

The dream and the idea began with Ray Kurzweil, a rare individual who possessed the technical expertise to create the machine itself which allows blind people to read printed material. There is not doubt, however, that the technology would not be where it is today if not for the teamwork created between the inventor and the thousands of blind people who have partnered with him to make the machine a reality. This teamwork, evidenced by the development, production and evolution of the Kurzweil reading machine technologies, is a true demonstration of how many people can work together for a common goal, transcending diverse backgrounds, diverse experiences and expectations to achieve a transformational result.

Companies desiring to increase the effective outcomes of teamwork in their own organizations could take lessons from the Kurzweil project. It took the leadership of only two people, Ray Kurzweil and Kenneth Jernigan, to get this incredible project off the ground, with the added leadership of Marc Maurer to keep the successful momentum going – OVER 34 YEARS! Every step of the way, team members across the country, both inside and outside of Ray’s company, remained focused on collaboration to achieve the ultimate unifying goal and end result. And the collaboration, passion and vision continue.

As I said in the title of this article this team is as good as it gets. The accomplishments have been and continue to be tremendous. Those of us privileged to be involved with this project, in my own case from its very earliest phase, hope to share this model of success, innovation and inspiration to help other teams striving to make the lives of others more rewarding and enriching. Where successful teams thrive, the future is a bright and hopeful place.

For more information about the new KNFB Reader, please visit: http://knfbreader.michaelhingson.com

Early February, I had the opportunity to visit Washington DC as a part of the largest group of blind people in the nation who visit their senators and representatives annually to talk about current national issues affecting blind citizens. This year, there were three major issues of concern which we discussed with the 111^th Congress.

The first issue is the growing concern about quiet and hybrid cars, which are becoming an increasing danger to blind and other pedestrians.

The second issue concerns a “Technology Bill of Rights” for the blind which would mandate that manufacturers of technology build in accessibility when designing and constructing their products.

The third urgent item is a work incentive issue for blind persons which we are urging Congress to pass which would change the Earnings Limitations Requirements for blind people who are presently receiving SSI and other welfare benefits.

Please see the separate posting of the fact sheets we distributed to all 535 members of the 111th Congress: Congressional Fact Sheets, Feb. 09

Over 500 blind members of the National Federation of the Blind descended on Washington beginning on Friday, February 5. I arrived on Saturday to begin preparations for our visit with legislators and to begin my new role as the National Sales Director of the KNFB Reader Mobile sales program of the National Federation of the Blind. The Federation was recently asked to become a national distributor for the KNFB Reader Mobile by KNFB Technologies.

Note: the KNFB Reader Mobile deserves its own article, which can be accessed on my site. Suffice it to say that this device offers a totally portable way for blind people to read a significant amount of printed material using certain cell phones and special software. You can learn more about it by visiting http://knfbreader.michaelhingson.com. I spent most of my week in Washington demonstrating this wonderful machine, as well as helping people upgrade to the second generation of reading software. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Anne Marie Laney of the NFB National Blindness Center in Baltimore Maryland. Anne Marie worked tirelessly helping with all aspects of our sales efforts.

On Wednesday, February 11, I spent time on Capitol Hill visiting two California legislators. In the morning I met with Congressman Wally Herger, (whom I had the opportunity to meet in 2004 while on a speaking trip to Redding California. Later that year he and his chief California aid, Fran Peace, arranged for me to meet President George W. Bush in the Oval Office). I, along with several other California residents, spoke with Congressman Herger about the earnings limitation issue as well as the proposed study on quiet cars. Congressman Herger stated that he was very supportive of the proposed changes to the earnings limitation structure, so that blind welfare and SSI recipients would lose only one dollar of their government checks for every three dollars they earn should they join the workforce. It is our hope that Congressman Herger will become a co-sponsor of the earnings limitation bill.

Congressman Herger said that he would study the quiet car issue. As he stated, while he is concerned about pedestrian safety, he wants to better understand the issues surrounding the dangers posed to pedestrians, (blind and sighted alike), by quiet and hybrid cars.

Wednesday afternoon I had the opportunity to meet with Senator Barbara Boxer during a town hall meeting that she organized for Californians who are visiting the Capitol that day. Although this was not the private meeting I desired, I did have a few moments to spend talking with the senator during a photo opportunity at the end of the meeting. Senator Boxer was one of those who supported and secured passage of the bill creating the Louis Braille coin which will go on sale on March 26 of this year to help turn around the Braille literacy crisis in this country. I had the opportunity to thank Senator Boxer for her efforts on our behalf.

She is supportive and concerned about the quiet car issue and will explore being a part of the effort to secure the Department of Transportation study which is already proposed in the House under HR734. Other members of the National Federation of the Blind of California delegation met with her staff on Tuesday to discuss our other issues.

Here is one of the pictures taken that day with Senator Boxer.

The Washington trip was successful in every way both for me and for the legislative efforts of the National Federation of the Blind. It is always heartening to be in Washington, to participate in the education process for our legislators, to bring them current on important issues which we hope they will address. Over 500 blind people comprised this vital effort, working with Capitol Hill in a very organized and professional way. It is amazing what teamwork can accomplish when everyone is on the same page.

I will keep this blog up to date with the results of the efforts we began in Washington. Your comments and feedback are welcome and very important to our success.

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

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1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
410-659-9314 * Fax 410-659-5129

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