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The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award

Letter of Recommendation Form
Thank you for your support of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards program.
Please complete the form below to submit your letter of recommendation in support of the award nominee. Recommendations cannot exceed 800 words. You will not be able to submit your recommendation if the maximum word count exceeds 800 words.
Please note that recommendations should come from someone other than the person who nominated the candidate. Please note that required fields on this form are indicated by an asterisk (*).

* Nominee Name:
* Your First Name:
* Your Last Name:
* Your State:
* Your Phone Number:
* Your Email Address:
* Your Relationship to Nominee:

Please enter your letter of recommendation in the text area provided below: 1320 E. Washington St. Boise, Id. 83712 April 1, 2024 Dear Bolotin award committee: As president of the National Federation of the Blind of Idaho, I am writing this letter to support Handid Braille Services owned and operated by Don Winiecki, for a 2024 NFB Bolotin award. I met Mr. Winiecki in 2016, when he contacted me requesting that I write a letter to Boise State University supporting his sabbatical project to study braille transcription and become a braille transcriber. He achieved this goal, and began Handid braille transcription services in 2018. He began transcribing English braille, and as his application states, now transcribes braille in multiple languages which do not utilize the Latin alphabet. With his HIPAA and GDPR compliance, Mr. Winiecki transcribes documents requiring a high level of security and privacy including legal and medical documents. The Bolotin award will be used to fund the purchase of equipment and support training to improve his capacity to produce braille in other languages, thus making more braille available at a faster rate. An additional goal is to expand services to provide on-line braille instruction to those who have lost vision in later life. The award would provide for the development of instructional materials and support systems for the newly blind adult learner. Mr. Winiecki is passionate about braille, and believes that braille should be available for everyone including blind people speaking other languages, and those who want to learn to read braille as adults with vision loss. As the treasurer of the NFB of Idaho, Mr. Winiecki has produced braille for chapter members including convention agendas and chapter membership lists. Since the suspension of our Idaho prison braille program, he will probably be called upon to provide more braille for NFB of Idaho members in the future. Mr. Winiecki, through Handid Braille Services, provides a unique service for the blind of the world. Thank you for considering the dedicated and innovative work of Handid Braille for a 2024 NFB Bolotin award. Sincerely, Dana Ard, President National Federation of the Blind of Idaho
To avoid multiple recommendation submissions, please click submit one time only.

The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award

Letter of Recommendation Form