[Missouri-l] National Federation of the Blind Announces Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards

[Chip Hailey]

National Federation of the Blind Announces Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
10/7/2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen at nfb.org
National Federation of the Blind Announces Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
National Federation of the Blind to Award $50,000 in 2010
Baltimore, Maryland (October 7, 2009): The National Federation of the Blind today
announced that applications are now being accepted for the 2010 Dr. Jacob Bolotin
Award Program.  Each year the National Federation of the Blind presents cash awards
to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions toward
achieving the full integration of the blind into society on a basis of equality.
Dr. Jacob Bolotin was a blind physician who lived and practiced in Chicago in the
early twentieth century.  He was widely known and respected in Chicago and throughout
the Midwest during his career, which spanned the period from 1912 until his untimely
death at the age of thirty-six in 1924.  He was particularly recognized for his expertise
on diseases of the heart and lungs.  Bolotin used his many public speaking engagements
to advocate for the employment of the blind and their full integration into society.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "Dr. Jacob
Bolotin was a pioneer who overcame low expectations and discrimination to become
a renowned member of the medical profession without the benefit of the support services
and civil rights protections available to blind people today.  He was also a fierce
advocate for greater opportunity for the blind in his time, and doubtless would have
been a leader in the organized blind movement had he lived to see it come into being.
The Jacob Bolotin Award Program celebrates his pioneering spirit by recognizing and
supporting outstanding programs, technologies, and individual efforts that promote
independence and opportunity for blind Americans."
Recipients of the 2010 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards will be determined by the Dr. Jacob
Bolotin Award Committee of the National Federation of the Blind.  Online applications
are due by April 15, 2010.  Individuals or organizations are encouraged to apply
on behalf of themselves or others.  The award recipients will be announced at the
2010 National Federation of the Blind Convention in Dallas.  A total of $50,000 will
be distributed to the award recipients.
The Jacob Bolotin Award Program is funded through the generosity of Dr. Bolotin's
nephew and niece, Alfred and Rosalind Pearlman.   In addition to establishing the
Alfred and Rosalind Pearlman Trust to endow the awards, the late Mrs. Pearlman also
wrote The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story.   The book has been published by
Blue Point Books and can be ordered directly from the publisher at
www.bluepointbooks.com
.  Proceeds from book sales will also benefit the award program.  For more information
or to fill out the online application, please visit
www.nfb.org
.
###
About the National Federation of the Blind
With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest
and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States.
The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy, education, research, technology,
and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence.  It is the leading force
in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind.  In January 2004
the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first
research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
Please visit our Web site:
www.nfb.org
.
©2009 All Rights Reserved - Copyright 2009 NFB
Site Powered by xCatalyst
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://moblind.org/pipermail/missouri-l_moblind.org/attachments/20091007/9a627b3d/attachment-0001.html>