National Federation of the Blind Awards $50,000

Second Annual Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards Presented at 2009 Convention

BALTIMORE,July 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Federation of the
Blind presented $50,000 in 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. The second annual Dr. Jacob
Bolotin Awards honored eight innovators in the blindness field at the National
Federation of the Blind annual convention in Detroit on Wednesday, July 8.

Awards in the amount of $10,000 were given to Opportunities Unlimited for the
Blind and Diane Croft. A joint award of $10,000 was also given to the
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) and the National
Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB) for their Braille Readers
Are Leaders contest. Abe Nemeth, John Andrew English, the Princeton
Braillists, and the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults were
each awarded $5,000.

Dr. Jacob Bolotin - the namesake of the award program - 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. The National Federation of the Blind is proud to honor the memory and
spirit of Dr. Bolotin by recognizing and financially supporting those who are
doing exceptional work to help achieve the shared dream of Dr. Bolotin and the
National Federation of the Blind - a society where the blind are treated as
productive, independent, and equal citizens."

The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program is funded through the generosity of Dr.
Bolotin's nephew and niece, Alfred and Rosalind Perlman. The late Mrs.
Perlman established the Alfred and Rosalind Perlman Trust to endow the award.
Income from the trust is distributed to the National Federation of the Blind
and the Santa Barbara Foundation for the purpose of administering the Dr.
Jacob Bolotin Award Program. Mrs. Perlman also wrote The Blind Doctor: The
Jacob Bolotin Story. The book was published by Blue Point Books and is
available through the National Federation of the Blind. A portion of the
proceeds from book sales will also benefit the award program. For more
information about the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program, including more
information about this year's winners, as well as eligibility criteria and
application procedures, visit www.nfb.org.

SOURCE National Federation of the Blind

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