National Federation of the Blind Awards $50,000

Third Annual Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards Presented at 2010 Convention

BALTIMORE, July 8 /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 third annual Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards honored six innovators in the blindness field at the National Federation of the Blind annual convention in Dallas today.

Ray Kurzweil was given an award in the amount of $15,000 for his decades of innovation in providing access to print for the blind.  Awards in the amount of $10,000 were given to Apple Inc. and Blackboard Inc. for their respective groundbreaking work in accessibility.  Dr. Jonathan Lazar, who has done important research on Web accessibility; Al Lovati, an innovative teacher of blind students; and Mike May, developer of GPS applications that can be used by the blind, 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.

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