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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Salutations Columbus Federation family, I hope this message finds you all well. The following very important note comes to us from our national office and it says:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>On July 26, 2010, the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the historic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) addressing the obligation of public accommodations to provide websites that are accessible to individuals with disabilities was issued by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). At the time, President Obama correctly observed that these proposed rules would be “the most important updates to the ADA since its original enactment.” Yet the release date of the actual rule proposal for revising the Title III regulations of the ADA, originally scheduled for January of 2012, has been extended until sometime in 2018, eight years beyond the issuance of the original ANPRM and at least a year after the end of his administration. Having originally taken a strong stance on the importance of these regulations, it now seems like the Obama administration is wishing to wash its hands of them entirely.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As blind Americans, we know first-hand that equal access to the internet is paramount for education, to obtain and retain employment, and for everyday tasks such as paying bills, online shopping, booking travel, etc. We could not sit idly by as the administration attempts to sideline this critical access issue, so a petition was launched http://wh.gov/iwm9o demanding, in the strongest terms possible, that the administration issue these regulations immediately.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Upon reaching 100,000 signatures, the Obama administration is required to respond, so in addition to sharing this we the people petition http://wh.gov/iwm9o via Email and your social media outlets, please personally ask 10 family members, friends, and colleagues to sign it and share it as well. A little personal contact goes a long way!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me; with your help, we will bring this critical issue for blind Americans to the forefront of the Obama administration’s list of priorities. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Note:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Individuals using JAWS with internet explorer will have difficulty activating the submit button, but there is a work around. If one uses Firefox, you won't have any issue signing, and likewise using any IOS device will present no problem.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>