and write Braille, later became the first three blind 
full professors at the school. 
(15) However, despite the fact that many blind 
people enthusiastically adopted the system of writing 
and reading, there was great skepticism among 
sighted people about the real usefulness of Braille’s 
code, and even at the Royal Institute, it was not 
taught until after his death on January 6, 1852. 
(16) Braille did not start to spread widely until 
1868 when a group of British men—later to become 
known as the Royal National Institute for the 
Blind—began publicizing and teaching the system. 
(17) Braille did not become the official and sole 
method of reading and writing for blind United 
States citizens until the 20th Century. 
(18) Helen Keller, a Braille reader of another 
generation, said: ‘‘Braille has been a most precious 
aid to me in many ways. It made my going to college 
possible—it was the only method by which I could 
take notes on lectures. All my examination papers 
were copied for me in this system. I use Braille as 
a spider uses its web—to catch thoughts that flit 
across my mind for speeches, messages and manu-
scripts.’’.
(19) While rapid technological advances in the 
20th Century have greatly aided the blind in many 
ways by speeding access to information, each ad-
vance has seen a commensurate drop in the teaching 
of Braille, to the point that only about 10 percent 
of blind students today are taught the system. 
(20) However, for the blind not to know Braille 
is in itself a handicap, because literacy is the ability 
to read and the ability to write and the ability to do 
the two interactively. 
(21) The National Federation of the Blind, the 
Nation’s oldest membership organization consisting 
of blind members, has been a champion of the 
Braille code, of Braille literacy for all blind people 
and of the memory of Louis Braille, and continues 
its Braille literacy efforts today through its divisions 
emphasizing Braille literacy, emphasizing education 
of blind children and emphasizing employment of the 
blind. 
(22) Braille literacy aids the blind in taking re-
sponsible and self-sufficient roles in society, such as 
employment: while 70 percent of the blind are unem-
ployed, 85 percent of the employed blind are Braille-
literate.
SEC. 3. COIN SPECIFICATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treasury 
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall 
mint and issue not more than 400,000 $1 coins bearing 
the designs specified in section 4(a), each of which shall—
(1) weigh 26.73 grams; 
(2) have a diameter of 1.500 inches; and 
(3) contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent 
copper. 
(b) LEGAL TENDER.—The coins minted under this 
Act shall be legal tender, as provided in section 5103 of 
title 31, United States Code. 
(c) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 
5134 of title 31, United States Code, all coins minted 
under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 
SEC. 4. DESIGN OF COINS. 
(a) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The design of the coins 
minted under this Act shall be emblematic of the life 
and legacy of Louis Braille. 
(2) OBVERSE.—The design on the obverse shall 
bear a representation of the image of Louis Braille. 
(3) REVERSE.—The design on the reverse shall 
emphasize Braille literacy and shall specifically in-
clude the word for Braille in Braille code (the 
Braille capital sign and the letters Brl) represented
in a way that substantially complies with section 3 
of Specification 800 of the National Library Service 
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Li-
brary of Congress specifications for Braille, and is 
tactilely indiscernible from printed or written 
Braille. 
(4) DESIGNATION
AND
INSCRIPTIONS.—On 
each coin minted under this Act there shall be—
(A) a designation of the value of the coin; 
(B) an inscription of the year ‘‘2009’’; and 
(C) inscriptions of the words ‘‘Liberty’’, 
‘‘In God We Trust’’, ‘‘United States of Amer-
ica’’, and ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’. 
(b) SELECTION.—The design for the coins minted 
under this Act shall be—
(1) selected by the Secretary after consultation 
with the Commission of Fine Arts and the National 
Federation of the Blind; and 
(2) reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory 
Committee. 
SEC. 5. ISSUANCE OF COINS. 
(a) QUALITY OF COINS.—Coins minted under this 
Act shall be issued in uncirculated and proof qualities.
(b) MINT FACILITY.—Only 1 facility of the United 
States Mint may be used to strike any particular quality 
of the coins minted under this Act. 
(c) PERIOD
FOR ISSUANCE.—The Secretary may 
issue coins minted under this Act only during the 1-year 
period beginning on January 1, 2009. 
SEC. 6. SALE OF COINS. 
(a) SALE PRICE.—The coins issued under this Act 
shall be sold by the Secretary at a price equal to the sum 
of—
(1) the face value of the coins; 
(2) the surcharge provided in section 7(a) with 
respect to such coins; and 
(3) the cost of designing and issuing the coins 
(including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, 
overhead expenses, marketing, and shipping). 
(b) BULK SALES.—The Secretary shall make bulk 
sales of the coins issued under this Act at a reasonable 
discount. 
(c) PREPAID ORDERS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall accept 
prepaid orders for the coins minted under this Act 
before the issuance of such coins.