Planet of the Blind

The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program from NFB

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

cdanielsen@nfb.org

National Federation of the Blind Announces Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards

 

Baltimore, Maryland (January 24, 2012): The National Federation of the Blind today announced that applications are now being accepted for the 2012 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Program.  Each year the National Federation of the Blind presents 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. 

 

Dr. Jacob Bolotin 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.  He was also a fierce advocate for greater opportunity for the blind in his time, and doubtless would have been a leader in the organized blind movement had he lived to see it come into being.  The Jacob Bolotin Award Program celebrates his pioneering spirit by recognizing and supporting outstanding programs, technologies, and individual efforts that promote independence and opportunity for blind Americans.  Our previous winners have been a distinguished lot and we look forward to honoring more trailblazers this year.”

 

Recipients of the 2012 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards will be determined by the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award Committee of the National Federation of the Blind.  Online applications are due by March 31, 2012.  Individuals or organizations are encouraged to apply on behalf of themselves or others.  The award recipients will be announced at the 2012 National Federation of the Blind Convention in Dallas. 

 

The Jacob Bolotin Award Program is funded through the generosity of Dr. Bolotin’s nephew and niece, Alfred and Rosalind Pearlman.   In addition to establishing the Alfred and Rosalind Pearlman Trust to endow the awards, the late Mrs. Pearlman also wrote The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story.   The book has been published by Blue Point Books and can be ordered directly from the publisher at www.bluepointbooks.com.  Proceeds from book sales will also benefit the award program.  For more information or to fill out the online application, please visit www.nfb.org.

 

 

Let's give Disabled Soapbox a boost shall we?

We just discovered Susan's blog called Disabled Soapbox.  Here's what she has to say about her brand new blog:

"I'm told I hog the soapbox so often, I decided to create my own I can hog without apology - feel free to join me- there's room for more."

Let's show her some love shall we?

BOOST IT! Forward... This is our attempt to  give a blog a boost by "paying it forward"...
You can support this effort by visiting the referenced blog and if you like what you see (we're assuming you will) perhaps you too can give it a BOOST!  This might be a new blog that could use a BOOST! Or it might be a blog with many readers that just happens to be new to us, therefore we're not sure you've seen it.  Or, we might just BOOST! a blog because we like a post.

~ Connie

You should visit "The House Next Door"

We've Been BOOSTED! by The House Next Door! This is to say thank you to the host/hostess of a blog  that paid us some attention and in so doing gave us a statistical boost, large or small.  We're hoping that the readers of our Been BOOSTED! post will stop by your blog to review you as "the source", thereby giving you a boost. (Not that you need it!)

Thank you to Keith Uhlich for including a link to us in his post Links for the Day.  Check out his other links, one of which is titled "Vermont town considers banning nudity"...  We've been BOOSTED! by Keith before and because he and his co-contributers get thousands of visits a day, we tend to notice the increase in traffic on this humble little blog. 

As Steve would say "we're not worthy".... 

A New Neighbor

We've Been BOOSTED! over at THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR This is to say thank you to the host/hostess of a blog that paid us some attention and in so doing gave us a statistical boost, large or small.  We're hoping that the readers of our Been BOOSTED! post will stop by your blog to review you as "the source", thereby giving you a boost. (Not that you need it!)

Thank you Keith Uhlich. 

A Chautauqua Institution Invitation

Mark Your Calendar: Join Steve at the Chautauqua Institution!

• WHAT:  Book reading and presentation for Eavesdropping at the 2007 Chautauqua Literary & Scientific Circle series of book presentations  www.ciweb.org

• WHEN:  Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 4:00 p.m.

• WHERE:  Hall of Philosophy at the Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY

• MORE INFO:  view WEEK 8 by following this link

Is this exciting or what?  Come join us, won't you?

~ Connie

The Ultimate Boost!

There's nothing quite like a boost from Shakesville! 

Blog BOOST! # 3 Better Late Than Never

Who couldn't use a little BOOST! every now and then?

We've Been BOOSTED! This is to say thank you to the host/hostess of a blog that paid us some attention and in so doing gave us a statistical boost, large or small.  We're hoping that the readers of our Been BOOSTED! post will stop by your blog to review you as "the source", thereby giving you a boost. (Not that you need it!)

"Sadie" is a Boxer who has her own blog (with a little help from Toby).  She lives in Delaware, OH and has started a Carnival of Ohio Bloggers.  She found one of our posts, decided she liked it, and included it in the January edition.  Why thank you Sadie.

Sadie, have you met Blue Girl?  She's one of our favorite bloggers and it just so happens she too lives in Ohio.  You might want to pay her a little visit.

Wheelie Catholic gave us a boost when she linked to Steve's poem "Guiding Eyes".  Ruth is a disability advocate and  has created "a blog about inclusion issues concerning Catholics with disabilities providing information, raising concerns, sharing experiences and encouraging prayerful efforts toward social justice."

ohdave also did us the honor of linking to "Guiding Eyes" in his post Best of Ohio Bloggers: IT'S COLD Edition!  But it gets better!  Dave also read Steve's book Eavesdropping and posted a wonderful review here, which lead to this equally wonderful post on over here.

BOOST IT! Forward... This is our attempt to  give a blog a boost by "paying it forward"...
You can support this effort by visiting the referenced blog and if you like what you see (we're assuming you will) perhaps you too can give it a BOOST!  This might be a new blog that could use a BOOST! Or it might be a blog with many readers that just happens to be new to us, therefore we're not sure you've seen it.  Or, we might just BOOST! a blog because we like a post.

We discovered from the port, by Kathy Podgers, when we noticed that she pops in to visit and comment every now and then.  Funny how that works!  Kathy blogs about disability issues.  We welcome her to our blogroll and we thank her for including us on hers.

This is fun: Carnival of Good Stuff is full of links to posts and bloggers we've not yet run across.  It's a big world out there!

Thank you, Tulip, for including Steve in your thoughtful post Similarities Between Being a Person of Color & a Person with Disabilities.  Tulip comes to us from My Private Casbah.  I stumbled on her blog while reading The Sparrow written by Kay over at The Gimp Parade, which is, of course, one of our favorite blogs.  Thanks to you too, Kay, for referencing one of Steve's posts.

~ Connie

Afficinados of Ink, vol 2

For those of you who may be more interested in literature than disability studies, I've entered a couple of Steve's posts in Afficinados of Ink, vol 2, a relatively new blog carnival.

So many blogs, so little time...

~ Connie

Steve to be featured on NPR's "All Things Considered"

Word just in!

Steve has been tracked down in Iowa City, IA where he's speaking and giving readings this week.  NPR has requested he read an excerpt from Eavesdropping for today's program: All Things Considered.

How exciting!  Well, I'm excited...

~ Connie

Kind Words

Dear Friends,

Have you read Steve's book "Eavesdropping: A Memoir of Blindness and Listening" yet? 

Ohdave has and on his blog "Into My Own" he's written a warm, thoughtful review called Sunday Reading: Stephen Kuusisto.  We've been corresponding for several weeks now and I knew we'd made a new friend - and that was before I'd read his post.  Then, as if that wasn't enough, he then asked Pierre of Candide's Notebooks if he would be so kind as to link to the article as well.  We've not yet *met* Pierre but I look forward to exploring his blog further.  Thank you Pierre.

Ohdave, we can't thank you enough for your kind words.  It's clear we need to get to know you better.  Who knows what else you and Steve will find in common.  So, let's make a point of it shall we?  I promise I won't hold the fact that you were once an AP English teacher against you!

~ Connie