Jacobus tenBroek sits at his braillewriter in his home library. TenBroek founded the National Federation of the Blind and was a pioneer in organizing the blind community.
Two initiatives of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) in the Library of Congress recently received distinguished Blue Pencil Awards from the National Association of Government Communicators. The association recognizes the best publication and communication efforts from local, state and federal governments.
"Blind Justice: Jacobus tenBroek and the Vision of Equality," published in 2005 by NLS on the life of Jacobus tenBroek (1911-1968), a revered blind activist, (see Information Bulletin, September 2005) received the Award of Excellence. A public service announcement, "A Good Book Is Worth Sharing," received the first-place nod.
"Blind Justice" is the first full-length biography of tenBroek, a champion of equal opportunities for blind people and founder of the National Federation of the Blind. Written by tenBroek's friend and collaborator Floyd Matson, the book recounts how the crusader—who was blinded by an arrow at age 7—obtained a law degree, fought for and received a university teaching position at the University of California, Berkeley, and became a pioneer in organizing the blind community to claim constitutional rights.
Print copies are available in both hardcover for $30 (stock number 030-000-00293-8) and paperback for $26 (030-000-00292-0) from the Government Printing Office (GPO). To order, visit www.gpoaccess.gov or call toll free (866) 512-1800. Orders also can be sent to: Contact Center, GPO, 732 N. Capitol St., Washington, DC 20401. The book is available to blind and physically handicapped readers from the NLS collection in braille and on audiocassette (www.loc.gov/nls/).
The public service announcement, "A Good Book Is Worth Sharing," features NLS patrons Raymond "Bud" and Billie Jean Keith enjoying a recorded book over coffee. The announcement was developed to increase public awareness of the free library service known as the talking-book program of recorded publications that is available to people who cannot read standard print or handle a book. The image is also used in other NLS public awareness products, which are circulated through cooperating libraries in the United States and its territories.
NLS administers the free program that makes available recorded and braille books and magazines, music scores in braille and large print, and specifically designed playback equipment to residents of the United States.
