APH News & Press
Representative Anne M. Northup to be honored October 15, 1998
News Release: Louisville, Kentucky, October 15, 1998
Representative Anne M. Northup to be honored October 15, 1998 for her commitment to advocating for the education of blind and visually impaired students. The ceremony is scheduled for 8:00 PM in the Crystal Ballroom at the Brown Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky.
The American Printing House for the Blind will present the Advocacy for the Education of the Blind Award to Representative Anne M. Northup for her staunch support of legislation to advance the education of blind and visually impaired persons.
Representative Northup has expressed a concern for literacy and commitment to improving the quality of life for all Americans and considers the education of the blind as a cause that is "near and dear" to her. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, she serves on several subcommittees, including the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Committee, which oversees the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind. This act, created in 1879, set up a system to provide free textbooks and other specialized materials for blind students across the U. S. She has worked diligently to ensure that it is adequately funded through an annual appropriation.
The award will be presented during the opening session of the annual meeting of the Ex Officio Trustees of American Printing House for the Blind. The conference theme this year is Reasons to Celebrate, in recognition of APH's 140th anniversary. Over 300 individuals are expected to attend.
The American Printing House for the Blind, founded in 1858, is the oldest organization of its kind in the United States and the world's largest not-for-profit company that creates educational, workplace and life-style products and services for visually impaired people.
In 1879, the U. S. Congress passed the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind. This act set up a system to provide free school books and other materials for blind students and named the American Printing House for the Blind as the national central source of these educational materials.
Contact Roberta Williams, Public Relations Specialist, for more information. Telephone: 1 -800-223-1839 or (502) 895-2405; e-mail: rwilliams@aph.org