Nearly 70,000 Americans are legally blind each year according to the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the largest, most influential and influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. Blind individuals are not suffering from loss of sight, but misconceptions and stereotypes regarding Braille and their abilities.
Braille is the most powerful and effective tool that has ever been invented to enable the blind to be educated, get jobs, have stimulating careers, and enjoy the same independence and opportunities as sighted people. However, today’s Braille literacy rate for blind children is only 10%.
“Literacy should be for all people, but it isn’t,”Dr. Marc Maurer is president of the National Federation of the Blind. “Illiteracy among the blind is on the rise, contributing to a shocking 70 percent unemployment rate among today’s 1.3 million blind Americans. This would be viewed as a national outrage if the same crisis faced sighted individuals, and yet blind people continue to be deprived of the Braille education and resources they need.”
According to a report sent to the nation recently, “The Braille Literacy Crisis in America — Facing the Truth, Reversing the Trend, Empowering the Blind,”NFB attributes the crisis to many factors, including false beliefs about Braille. “too complicated to learn”Braille can be replaced by technological advances, which are limited in access to quality instruction, and lack of standard Braille teaching methods or credentialed instructors.
NFB is determined that the NFB will double the number school-age Braille readers by 2015.
“When the blind can read, the blind can achieve,”Maurer. “To help us combat illiteracy, the U.S. Mint has issued a new commemorative coin with a special mission — the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar. It’s the first U.S. coin in history to feature tactile, readable Braille, and it marks a turning point for blind people of all ages.”
This coin was released on March 26th to commemorate Louis Braille’s 200th Birthday. He is the inventor of the reading code and writing system for the blind. The NFB will receive funds raised by the sale of the coin. “Braille Readers are Leaders”Campaign is a national initiative to increase accessibility to Braille instruction and advance Braille reading/writing technology. It also expands Braille mentoring to provide reading materials to blind children and adults.
Only 400,000 coins were produced, and they won’t be available for sale after December 31, 2009. Visit www.Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar to Order www.usmint.govCall 1-800-USA-MINT (872-66468) Visit the NFB website for more information. www.braille.org.
