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<DIV><B>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<BR><BR></B> <BR><BR><B>CONTACT:<BR><BR></B>Chris Danielsen<BR><BR>Director of Public Relations<BR><BR>National Federation of the Blind<BR><BR>(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<BR><BR>(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<BR><BR><a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><o:p></o:p></DIV>
<H1 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 24pt" align=center>Blind Americans to Protest Subminimum Wages<BR><BR><o:p></o:p></H1>
<H2 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center>Members of National Federation of the Blind Plan<BR> Informational Pickets Across United States<o:p></o:p></H2>
<div style="font-size:12pt;MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt" class=MsoNormal><B> <BR><BR>Baltimore, Maryland (July 20, 2011):</B> The National Federation of the Blind, the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind people, announced today that its members will conduct informational protests across the United States to raise awareness about the practice of paying wages below the federal minimum wage to Americans with disabilities. The protests will take place at the primary district office locations of United States Senators serving on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (the HELP Committee). The HELP Committee is currently considering legislationthe Workforce Investment Actwhich would reauthorize the payment of subminimum wages to disabled workers.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Unequal pay for equal work on the basis of disability is unfair, discriminatory, and immoral. The senators who serve on the HELP Committee must decide whether they stand for the outrageous exploitation of disabled workers, or for true equality for Americans with disabilities.”<BR><BR> <BR><BR>On Wednesday, August 3, the HELP Committee is scheduled to vote on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which contains language reauthorizing the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. The Rehabilitation Act is supposed to provide services to disabled Americans so that they can obtain competitive employment, but Title V, Section 511 of the proposed Rehabilitation Act language references Section 14(c) of the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which allows certain entities holding special wage certificates to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage. <BR><BR> <BR><BR>For more information on the National Federation of the Blind and fair wages for workers with disabilities, please visit <A href="http://www.nfb.org/" target=_blank>www.nfb.org</A>. <BR><BR> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class=MsoNormal style="font-size:12pt;"> <BR><BR> <BR><BR><B>About the National Federation of the Blind<BR><BR></B> <BR><BR>With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.<BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR> <o:p></o:p></div></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></span></body></html>