GET CAUGHT READING

Patty Duke & Erik Weihenmayer celebrate literacy as they "Get Caught Reading" braille.

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has partnered with the Association of American Publishers (AAP) to kick off the fourth year of the very successful "Get Caught Reading" national advertising campaign with a new cast of celebrities who "Get Caught Reading" braille.

Patty Duke, who won an Academy Award for her childhood portrayal of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, and Erik Weihenmayer, the blind adventurer and author who climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest in 2001, each volunteered to pose for this year's campaign. Duke is pictured in a Spokane, WA library with Amanda Hughes, a sixth-grader who has been reading braille for a number of years. Weihenmayer is caught reading a braille book in his tent during a wintry expedition.

"Get Caught Reading" is a nationwide campaign to remind people of all ages how much fun it is to read. "Get Caught Reading" is supported by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA). Launched in 1999, "Get Caught Reading" is the brainchild of former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder, President and Chief Executive Officer of AAP, the industry association representing book publishers. More information about the national "Get Caught Reading" campaign can be found at www.publishers.org/.

In addition to Patty Duke and Erik Weihenmayer reading braille, this year's ads also feature First Lady Laura Bush, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Vernon Jordan, Drew Carey, and Clifford the Big Red Dog reading print versions of their favorite books. The "Get Caught Reading" campaign is ongoing and new celebrities are added all the time.

The Duke and Weihenmayer posters are available for free by visiting AFB's online bookstore at www.afb.org/store and clicking on "Free Stuff." Schools, bookstores, libraries, and book fairs throughout the United States will be displaying posters of these celebrity braille readers to show the public that reading is "cool." This public service advertising is intended to communicate a love of books and pleasure of reading regardless of the medium-print or braille.

The American Foundation for the Blind-the organization to which Helen Keller devoted her life-is a national nonprofit whose mission is to eliminate the inequities faced by the ten million Americans who are blind or visually impaired. Headquartered in New York City, AFB maintains offices in Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco, a National Literacy Center in Atlanta, a governmental relations office in Washington, D.C., and a Technology and Employment Center in Huntington, WV. For more information about the American Foundation for the Blind, visit www.afb.org.