Marc Maurer
Encyclopedia
Marc Maurer is the president of the National Federation of the Blind
(NFB), the oldest and largest membership organization of blind people in the U.S. He also works as an attorney specializing in civil rights law and issues related to blindness.
in 1974, and received a law degree from Indiana University in 1977.
announced that he would step down as president, and endorsed Maurer as his successor. At the following year's convention, the membership elected Maurer as its new president. Notable accomplishments of his tenure as president have been the building of the NFB's Jernigan Institute for research and the development of the Kurzweil-National Federation of the Blind Reader with inventor Ray Kurzweil.
Maurer is a member of the bar in Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Maryland, and the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States
. In 2010 he received an honorary doctor of laws
degree from the University of South Carolina Upstate
.
National Federation of the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind is an organization of blind people in the United States. It is the oldest and largest organization led by blind people in the United States...
(NFB), the oldest and largest membership organization of blind people in the U.S. He also works as an attorney specializing in civil rights law and issues related to blindness.
Early life
Maurer was born in 1951 in Iowa, and has been blind since shortly after birth. Maurer became active in the Iowa chapter of the NFB as a teenager. He graduated from the University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in 1974, and received a law degree from Indiana University in 1977.
Career
Maurer has worked as a lawyer in Ohio, Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland. At the NFB's 1985 national convention, previous president Kenneth JerniganKenneth Jernigan
Norman Kenneth Jernigan was the longtime leader of the National Federation of the Blind.- Background :...
announced that he would step down as president, and endorsed Maurer as his successor. At the following year's convention, the membership elected Maurer as its new president. Notable accomplishments of his tenure as president have been the building of the NFB's Jernigan Institute for research and the development of the Kurzweil-National Federation of the Blind Reader with inventor Ray Kurzweil.
Maurer is a member of the bar in Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Maryland, and the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
. In 2010 he received an honorary doctor of laws
Legum Doctor
Legum Doctor is a doctorate-level academic degree in law, or an honorary doctorate, depending on the jurisdiction. The double L in the abbreviation refers to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both Canon Law and Civil Law, the double L indicating the plural, Doctor of both...
degree from the University of South Carolina Upstate
University of South Carolina Upstate
The University of South Carolina Upstate is a public university located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. Formerly known as the University of South Carolina Spartanburg, the school changed its name in the summer of 2004...
.