National Federation of the Blind to Hold THE CANE EVENT

Join Us for a Night of Fun, Food, and Entertainment

BALTIMORE, March 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Federation of the
Blind (NFB) will host THE CANE EVENT on April 4, 2009, at the National
Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute in Federal Hill. The event will
celebrate the NFB's Braille Readers are Leaders program. More than four
hundred friends, colleagues, and blind people from across the nation are
expected to attend. The event promises an evening of food, fun, and
entertainment.

THE CANE EVENT will feature Mark Riccobono, executive director of the NFB
Jernigan Institute, as master of ceremonies, as well as a catered dinner and
silent and live auctions. Live music will be provided by Marquise.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "We
are pleased and proud to welcome our friends from the Baltimore community, as
well as friends from all over the country, to our annual fundraiser THE CANE
EVENT. The evening will surely be a remarkable celebration and will also
serve to highlight the importance of Braille literacy to the general public.
There can be no doubt that the ability to read and write Braille competently
and efficiently is the key to education, employment, and success for the
blind. Despite the undisputed value of Braille, however, only about 10
percent of blind children in the United States are learning it. Please join
us at THE CANE EVENT as we work together to reverse the downward trend in
Braille literacy."

Proceeds from this event will go to the National Federation of the Blind'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 minted in 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. On March 26 the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar was
released by the U.S. Mint.

For more information about this exciting event, please contact Jerry Lazarus
at (410) 659-9314, extension 2297, or by e-mail at jlazarus@nfb.org. Tickets
may be purchased online at www.nfb.org or through Emily Neubeck at (410)
659-9314, extension 2419, or by e-mail at eneubeck@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.

SOURCE National Federation of the Blind

Chris Danielsen, Director of Public Relations of National Federation of the
Blind, +1-410-659-9314, ext. 2330, +1-410-262-1281 (Cell), cdanielsen@nfb.org