Brialle commemorative coin wanted
Michigan
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A Berlin woman is working to gain legislative support for a commemorative coin honoring the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille’s birth. Money raised from sales of the coin would be used to enhance services to the blind.
First Vice President of the National Federation for the Blind of Connecticut, Elizabeth Rival said the campaign is paying off. Senators Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman, along with Reps. Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, Robert Simmons and Christopher Shays have all come on board, she said. Efforts are now directed at getting Rep. Nancy Johnson’s support for the initiative.
“Please help us be the voice of the nation’s blind by supporting this commemorative coin,” Rival wrote in a letter to Johnson. “Support this legislation to help improve literacy for blind children so they can be full participants in America’s society. A great country like ours should honor a great man who has positively affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of blind people around the world.”
According to Rival, who is blind, 297 representatives throughout the U.S. are in favor of the commemorative coin. “We only need a few more to run it through, Rival said.
Braille’s 200th birthday is in 2009, but Rival said the approval must come this legislative session, which ends in May, to ensure that the coin is minted in time.
Previously sighted, Rival said, “I taught myself how to read Braille. It was extremely hard to do.”
She would like to see more services to the blind, in general, but also mentions a couple of areas that need special attention.
Minting the coin is “very important to us because when people purchase it (the proceeds) will go to teaching a child Braille,” she said.
As the baby boomers age, they should be very interested in issues around blindness as well, Rival said. Senior boomers face the possibility of losing their sight to disease. “There should be a service where we’ll learn to read Braille — even if it’s just so you can read a book to your grandchildren.”
Rival said she was told she was too old to learn Braille and she still struggles with it, although her skill is such that she can read for pleasure and for work. People with limited sight should have an opportunity to learn Braille and get support for that, no matter what their age, she said. “I think people like me should have been able to have a class.”
“You should be sent a positive message that you can do this — you can get a job, be efficient and independent. It’s not the end of the world, it’s the beginning. You can look at everything through different eyes. It’s amazing.”
Rival has special software installed on her computer, Job Access With Speech (JAWS), that gives it the capacity to talk to her and read documents to her. It also provides “hot keys” that link her up to e-mail and other programs.
First Vice President of the National Federation for the Blind of Connecticut, Elizabeth Rival said the campaign is paying off. Senators Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman, along with Reps. Rosa DeLauro, John Larson, Robert Simmons and Christopher Shays have all come on board, she said. Efforts are now directed at getting Rep. Nancy Johnson’s support for the initiative.
“Please help us be the voice of the nation’s blind by supporting this commemorative coin,” Rival wrote in a letter to Johnson. “Support this legislation to help improve literacy for blind children so they can be full participants in America’s society. A great country like ours should honor a great man who has positively affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of blind people around the world.”
According to Rival, who is blind, 297 representatives throughout the U.S. are in favor of the commemorative coin. “We only need a few more to run it through, Rival said.
Braille’s 200th birthday is in 2009, but Rival said the approval must come this legislative session, which ends in May, to ensure that the coin is minted in time.
Previously sighted, Rival said, “I taught myself how to read Braille. It was extremely hard to do.”
She would like to see more services to the blind, in general, but also mentions a couple of areas that need special attention.
Minting the coin is “very important to us because when people purchase it (the proceeds) will go to teaching a child Braille,” she said.
As the baby boomers age, they should be very interested in issues around blindness as well, Rival said. Senior boomers face the possibility of losing their sight to disease. “There should be a service where we’ll learn to read Braille — even if it’s just so you can read a book to your grandchildren.”
Rival said she was told she was too old to learn Braille and she still struggles with it, although her skill is such that she can read for pleasure and for work. People with limited sight should have an opportunity to learn Braille and get support for that, no matter what their age, she said. “I think people like me should have been able to have a class.”
“You should be sent a positive message that you can do this — you can get a job, be efficient and independent. It’s not the end of the world, it’s the beginning. You can look at everything through different eyes. It’s amazing.”
Rival has special software installed on her computer, Job Access With Speech (JAWS), that gives it the capacity to talk to her and read documents to her. It also provides “hot keys” that link her up to e-mail and other programs.
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Comments
Not as bad however as next year de-segregation coin
<< <i>I have heard this and don't think it is a very good idea for a commemorative coin..... Not as bad however as next year de-segregation coin
in 1995 and 1996 the US created commem dollars for the special olympics with a braille symbol on them. Granted, the whole coin isn't braille, but there is the symbol, I wonder how many have been read? Of course I wonder how many 1917 type 1 SLQs have been read?
I was interested in the omment that they only need a few more representatives to sign on before they could proceed. They say they have 297. They can introduce the bill and bring it to the floor with 280.
<< <i>I'd rather hunt with Dick Cheney than ride with Ted Kennedy >>
I like this one!!!!!
Thanks for the laugh,
Tim
<< <i>Of course I wonder how many 1917 type 1 SLQs have been read?