Braille is the most effective, powerful tool created for the blind. It helps educate them, promotes job training and offers independence for a productive life. However, the Braille literacy rate among blind children today is only 10 percent.

According to officials of the NFB, illiteracy among the blind is rising, which contributes to a 70 percent unemployment rate among the 1.3 million blind Americans. The crisis has been attributed to several factors, including the myth that Braille is very difficult to learn. Other misconceptions are that technology is a substitute for Braille and that there are few standardized Braille teaching methods and credentialed instructors.

The NFB has set a goal of doubling the number of school-age children reading Braille by 2015. To help achieve that goal, the U.S. Mint has issued a new commemorative coin with a special mission. Named for the inventor of the reading and writing code, the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar is the first U.S. coin in history to feature tactile, readable Braille.

Only 400,000 coins have been minted, and will be available for purchase until December 31, 2009. To order the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollars, visit www.usmint.gov or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

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