3,000 Blind People to Arrive in Dallas

Expected to Be Largest Disability Conference This Year

DALLAS, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following event was announced by the National Federation of the Blind:

Event: National Federation of the Blind National Convention

Dates: June 30–July 5, 2012

Place: Hilton Anatole Hotel
2201 North Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, Texas 75207

Attention Editors:

Secretary of Transportation to Address Convention

United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will speak to the attendees of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) National Convention on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 3, at 4:30 p.m. CDT.  He will address the issue of independent travel by blind people.

Attention Editors:

NFB President to Speak on Subminimum Wages and Goodwill Boycott

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, will give his annual presidential report to attendees of the convention of the National Federation of the Blind on the afternoon of July 3, 2012, at 2:05 p.m. CDT.  Topics included will be the NFB's fight for fair wages for workers with disabilities and its boycott of Goodwill Industries International, Inc. for paying wages below the federal minimum to employees with disabilities.

Attention Technology and Business Editors:

Travelocity Executive to Address Convention

Steve Dumaine, senior vice president of global strategy and product innovation for Travelocity, will speak to the convention of the National Federation of the Blind on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 4, at 2:05 p.m. CDT.  He will address the efforts Travelocity has undertaken to make its services accessible to blind people who use assistive technology to access the Internet.

Attention Education Editors: 

National Organization of Parents of Blind Children to Hold Braille Book Flea Market

On Monday, July 2, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) will hold a Braille Book Flea Market for young book lovers.  The importance of Braille in a blind child's life cannot be overstated, as only 10 percent of blind children are learning Braille, leaving 90 percent functionally illiterate.

The market will be filled with tables of new and used Braille and print/Braille books for parents and children to browse.  UPS volunteers will then ship the books to shoppers' homes, free of charge. 

Other exciting events for blind children and their parents will be held throughout the week.  On Saturday, June 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., NOPBC will be holding an all-day conference for parents and teachers of blind children, with sessions on important topics such as college preparation and adaptive tips and techniques for the classroom.

Founded in 1983, the NOPBC is a national membership organization of parents and friends of blind children reaching out to each other to provide vital support, encouragement, and information.  There are over three thousand members in all fifty states, and divisions or parent contacts in about thirty states plus Puerto Rico. 

NOTE:  The entire convention agenda is available at 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.

SOURCE National Federation of the Blind