NFB President Marc Maurer to Receive Award From University of Notre Dame

Award Honors Maurer's Outstanding Contributions in Public Service

NOTRE DAME, Ind., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Federation of
the Blind (NFB), the largest organization of blind people in the United
States, today announced that its president, Dr. Marc Maurer, will be presented
the Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, C.S.C., Award from the University of Notre Dame
Alumni Association in a ceremony on November 5. Maurer, a 1974 graduate from
the University of Notre Dame, will be honored for outstanding contributions in
the field of public service.

Maurer earned his law degree from Indiana University in 1977 and began
focusing on representing blind individuals in the courts. A member of the Bar
in Indiana, Ohio, Iowa and Maryland and the Bar of the Supreme Court, Maurer
is one of the most experienced lawyers in the field of civil rights and
discrimination against the blind.

Maurer has been president of the National Federation of the Blind since 1986.
In that capacity, he has joined President George W. Bush in the Oval Office in
2001 to celebrate the organization's Everest Expedition, and was present for
Bush's signing into law the Help America Vote Act of 2002. He has promoted
new technology for the blind, including the knfbReader Mobile, a revolutionary
cell phone application that scans and reads aloud most printed material, and
the prototype vehicle for the Blind Driver Challenge. He has overseen the
visionary expansion of the NFB Jernigan Institute, the first training and
research institute for the blind, led by the blind. He has also previously
served as president of the North America/Caribbean Region of the World Blind
Union.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "I
am honored to receive this award from my alma mater. As president of the
largest organization of blind people in the United States, I have been
fortunate to play a role in many exciting and life-changing developments for
blind people in America. While we have made much progress, there is still
more to be done. Only 10 percent of blind children are learning Braille in
this country, and this directly contributes to a 70 percent unemployment rate
among blind people in the United States. I humbly accept this award on behalf
of blind Americans and pledge to work harder than ever to ensure that the
blind are not left behind in today's society."

"In his role as president of the National Federation of the Blind, Marc Maurer
continually demonstrates unwavering determination in his effort to better the
lives of the world's blind through innovative technologies and services that
support their independence," said Charles F. Lennon Jr., executive director of
the Notre Dame Alumni Association and associate vice president for University
Relations. "The Notre Dame Alumni Association is pleased to honor Marc for
his personal character and outstanding contributions in public service. He is
a living example of the integrity and generosity of spirit that Notre Dame
instills in its graduates. His leadership of the NFB has made the University
proud."

For more information about the National Federation of the Blind, please visit
www.nfb.org.

SOURCE National Federation of the Blind

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