Baltimore, Maryland (February 18, 2009): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nation's leading advocate for Braille literacy, announced today that Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, a motivational speaker and former collegiate football player best known as the inspiration for the motion picture Rudy, will serve as a National Ambassador for Braille literacy. As an ambassador, Ruettiger will help advance the NFB's Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, a national initiative to promote the importance of reading and writing Braille for blind children and adults. The Braille Readers are Leaders campaign kicked off in July of 2008 with the unveiling of the design of a commemorative coin to be released on March 26, 2009, in recognition of the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille (1809-1852), the inventor of the reading and writing code for the blind that bears his name. Learn more...

Do you love Braille? Has Braille made a difference in your life? If so, please send us an audio or video clip answering the question, "What does Braille mean to me?" We welcome anyone who has discovered the love for Braille to submit an entry—Braille readers, teachers, transcribers, proofreaders, parents, or friends. To be considered for inclusion in the video portion of the historic Louis Braille coin launch ceremony, submissions must be received by March 1, 2009. To learn more about this exciting contest, including how to submit an entry, visit the contest home page. For more information about the Braille coin launch ceremony, visit the Louis Braille Bicentennial Coin Launch home page.

The National Federation of the Blind, as part of its Braille Readers are Leaders Literacy Campaign, has committed to an unprecedented effort to increase literacy among the blind. One of the campaign goals is to make Braille resources more available through online sharing of materials, enhanced production methods, and improved distribution. NFB ShareBraille is designed to help in meeting this goal by encouraging blind people to trade Braille books and build their personal library. Frequently, Braille materials in good condition are discarded because a new home for the materials cannot be found. NFB ShareBraille now offers a way for a community to close that gap and keep Braille reading materials circulating. Build your Braille library and help others do the same—share Braille and build literacy.

NFB ShareBraille is a free service provided by the National Federation of the Blind to promote the use and vitality of Braille. To trade your Braille books or to request books from other NFB ShareBraille users, simply create a free account and start exploring the available titles.

www.nfbsharebraille.org

Happy Reading!