Baltimore, Maryland (September 28, 2009): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the oldest and largest organization of blind people in the United States, will welcome the Hope Bus Tour to the NFB Jernigan Institute in Baltimore on September 29. The Hope Bus Tour is visiting fifty pre-selected charities in fifty days, raising public awareness of charities that are doing exceptional work in their communities to improve the lives of people who are in need.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “We are truly honored to be one of the fifty charities that the Hope Bus Tour has chosen to highlight. The occasion could not be better timed, as the National Federation of the Blind has undertaken the largest Braille literacy campaign in history this year. Nine out of ten blind children in America’s public schools do not know and are not being taught how to read and write using Braille. The education of tens of thousands of blind children across the nation and the successful rehabilitation of adults who are losing vision depend on our success, and the exposure from the Hope Bus Tour will certainly help us reach out to members of our community and beyond.”

Congress authorized the minting in 2009 of 400,000 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars to mark the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille (1809–1852) and to support the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind to promote literacy among blind Americans. This unique and beautiful commemorative coin is the first U.S. currency to feature tactile, readable Braille. These coins will no longer be available after December 31, 2009. A portion of the money from sales of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar will be used to support the NFB’s “Braille Readers are Leaders” campaign, a national initiative created to double the number of blind children learning Braille by 2015, improve certification standards for teachers of Braille, and conduct innovative programs to support Braille literacy.

Those interested in ordering a Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar should visit www.braille.org or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). For more information about the National Federation of the Blind and the Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, visit www.braille.org.