For the first time in history, it is possible to purchase a U.S. coin with readable Braille characters, following the unveiling in Baltimore today of the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar at the headquarters of the National Federation of the Blind.

The Braille Silver Dollar, struck by the U.S. Mint to honor the inventor of the system of raised lettering that has allowed generations of the blind to read and write, bears the letters B-R-L--the standard abbreviation for Braille--on the reverse.

Dr. Frederic K. Schroeder, first vice president of the National Federation of the Blind, said the Dollar will serve as the centerpiece of a campaign to raise $8 million to address a growing crisis in Braille literacy. A $10 surcharge on each coin sold will help raise $8 million to fund much-needed Braille literacy programs.

Through a partnership between Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo and the National Federation of the Blind, a special exhibit featuring the Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar is a part of the Baltimore Expo, open to the public today through Saturday, March 28, 2009. Mr. Schroeder said the fundraising campaign is designed to increase awareness that "Braille is knowledge and knowledge is power." He cited surveys that indicate just 10 percent of young blind people in the U.S. are literate in Braille.

A resolution inaugurating the campaign was read by a talented trio of young Braille readers: MarChe' Daughtry, Brandon Pickrel and Jason Polansky. The resolution emphasized the link between Braille literacy and both educational achievement and personal earning potential. Dr. Joyce Winterton, assistant administrator for NASA education, presented NFB president  Dr. Marc Maurer with a set of Braille Silver Dollars that will fly aboard STS-125--the upcoming Space Shuttle mission that will repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. The public is invited to see and purchase the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar at the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo, today through this Saturday, March 28 at the Baltimore Convention Center.