APH 150th Anniversary Essay Contest

APH Mission Statement

To promote independence of blind and visually impaired persons by providing specialized materials, products, and services needed for education and life.

An exciting opportunity to tell us your side of that story and take your place in APH History!

INVITATION

The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is celebrating 150 years of building independence for people who are blind and visually impaired. Many lives have been enhanced in countless ways by the specialized materials, products and services needed for education and life that APH has provided throughout its existence.

In recognition of the efforts of APH employees--past and present--we are inviting blind and visually impaired children, adults, and the professionals who serve them to tell us how APH products have impacted the creation of an independent lifestyle.

ELIGIBILITY

The contest is open to:

• Students with a visual impairment who are enrolled in grades 3 through 12 for the 2007-2008 academic year.
• Adult consumers of APH products.
• Teachers of the visually impaired, rehabilitation counselors, and other professionals in the field of blindness.

Current and former employees of the American Printing House for the Blind are not eligible to enter the Essay Contest.

GENERAL RULES

1. The entrant should:
   • Be visually impaired*, or
   • Work with blind and visually impaired students or adults as a teacher or rehabilitation counselor.

   *For the purposes of this contest, visual impairment is defined as corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye, or a visual field limited to 20 degrees or less. This includes those who function at the definition of blindness (FDB) listed above due to brain injury or dysfunction.

2. Contestants must compose an original essay based on their own thoughts and in their own words with limited guidance from others. Failure to identify non-original material will result in disqualification.
3. Participants must write about the official topic for their designated category, as outlined below in the Format of Essay section.
4. Essays must be written in English.
5. All essays submitted become the property of the American Printing House for the Blind. Entry in the 150th Anniversary Essay Contest implies permission for APH to edit, publish, or otherwise duplicate any essay entered into the contest without payment to the author. It also implies permission to release any information provided on the entry form and to photograph the author for publicity purposes during the fall 2008 awards ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky.
6. The decisions of the Essay Contest Awards Committee and its judges are final.

FORMAT OF ESSAY

The essay must be accompanied by a completed entry form. For judging purposes the entrant's identifying information should NOT be included on the essay itself, only on the entry form. Therefore, only the title of the essay should be used as a running head for multiple pages.

Official Topic

• For students and adult consumers: How APH has helped me be independent.
• Professionals in the field of vision: How APH has helped me promote the independence of my clients/students.

The essay may be submitted for consideration in these ways:

• electronically sent by email as an attachment
• saved on a CD-ROM or 3.5 inch floppy disk and sent via delivery service
• typed, legibly handwritten, or embossed braille copy sent via delivery service

If submitted electronically (preferred), save the completed Entry Form and Essay using Microsoft WORD, text format, or a braille ready format (brf). When sending a disk, clearly mark the outside of the envelope "Electronic Media" so it will not be scanned and erased.

APH will not return CDs or floppy diskettes. However, a confirmation will be sent announcing receipt of your essay. All contest participants will receive a letter of appreciation and a certificate of meritorious entry.

EVALUATION OF ESSAYS

Make your words count! Evaluation will be completed by a qualified panel of judges, who will be basing their decisions on:

• Topic: subject matter matches required theme, as outlined in the "Official Topic" section above.
• Effectiveness: thesis is clearly stated and the whole entry is effective in its purpose for its audience
• Originality and Creativity: elements of writing indicate work is the personal work of the author, and author takes an inventive approach to the theme
• Content: subject is discussed clearly and in an interesting manner
• Organization and Structure: the writing flows logically with clear structure, and the paper is presented appropriately in accordance with the contest rules (including word maximums)
• Standard Usage: uses proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, following standard print and/or braille formats

AWARDS

First, Second, and Third Place awards will be given in each category: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Adult Consumer, and Teacher/Counselor of a blind/visually impaired person. Proof of visual impairment may be requested before awards are presented.

Prizes will include the latest APH technology and gift certificates for APH Products. A "meet the author and autograph session" will be held the night of the banquet, and award winning entries will be posted on the APH website.

The American Printing House will cover the travel, hotel and registration fees for each of the First Place winners and a guest to attend the 150th Anniversary Commemorative Banquet to be held in Louisville, Kentucky during the 140th Annual Meeting of Ex Officio Trustees in October 2008. Second and Third Place winners will also be invited to attend, and a stipend to assist with travel may be available.

More About Prizes

The writers will be competing for some terrific prizes. First place winners in the adult categories and students in grades 9 through 12 will be able to choose either a Braille+ Mobile Manager or a $1,000 APH gift certificate. Students in grades 3 through 8 who place first can opt for a Manual Perkins Brailler or an APH gift certificate worth $750.

DEADLINE

All entries must be received by April 1, 2008.

Send entries to:
150th ANNIVERSARY ESSAY CONTEST (must be included on label)
Rebecca Snider, Public Affairs Department
American Printing House for the Blind
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206

OR - using a subject line reference to "150th Anniversary Essay Contest" - send via email to: rsnider@aph.org

For more information
Phone: 800-223-1839 or 502-895-2405, ext. 356
Fax: 502-899-2363 or email: rsnider@aph.org
Website: www.aph.org/essay.html

©2007, American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.