Ray Kurzweil was given the Newell Perry Award by Dr. Marc Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind (NFB), at the NFB’s recent national convention in Atlanta.

“The Newell Perry Award is intended for individuals, blind or sighted, who have demonstrated courageous leadership and outstanding service in the blindness field,” said Dr. Marc Maurer. “Ray Kurzweil has done more than simply invent revolutionary reading technology; he has helped the blind of America to realize our dream of complete independence. He has demonstrated that he truly cares about us, and we present him with this award in recognition of his commitment to ensuring that the blind take our rightful place as productive members of society.”

“Having worked closely with the National Federation of the Blind for 32 years on reading technology, receiving their top award is very meaningful — and moving — for me,” said Kurzweil. “Of course the real prize is seeing blind and dyslexic persons benefit from our technology, but this affirmation of my relationship with this outstanding organization is very gratifying.”

Kurzweil’s most recent technology development is the Kurzweil-National Federation of the Blind Reader, the world’s first handheld portable reading machine for blind, low-vision and learning-disabled individuals. It was developed by K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc., an affiliation between Kurzweil Technologies and the National Federation of the Blind.

The National Federation of the Blind is the largest, most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States.