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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Please share this important announcement with your chapter, division ,and members who are not on the list serv.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Best Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Maryanne Melley<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>President<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>860-212-5549<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>maryanne.melley@gmail.com<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>“Live the Life You Want; Blindness is Not What Holds You Back”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> National Federation of the Blind <webmaster@nfb.org> <br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, June 24, 2021 5:30 PM<br><b>To:</b> Maryanne Melley <maryanne.melley@gmail.com><br><b>Subject:</b> National Convention Sponsorship Statement Regarding accessiBe<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'><tr style='height:15.0pt'><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:15.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=600 style='width:6.25in'><tr><td style='background:white;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=left width="100%" style='width:100.0%'><tr style='height:7.5pt'><td width="100%" valign=top style='width:100.0%;background:#0075C9;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:7.5pt'><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><img width=600 height=28 style='width:6.25in;height:.2916in' id="_x0000_i1033" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/images/top-blue-bar.jpg"><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td style='background:white;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=left width="100%" style='width:100.0%'><tr style='height:7.5pt'><td width="100%" valign=top style='width:100.0%;background:white;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:7.5pt'><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td style='padding:12.0pt 12.0pt 12.0pt 12.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><a href="nfb.org"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=240 height=264 style='width:2.5in;height:2.75in' id="_x0000_i1032" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/images/nfb-logo-for-email-template.jpg" alt="National Federation of the Blind logo and tagline live the life you want"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td style='background:white;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;border-color:initial'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=left width=600 style='width:6.25in'><tr style='height:15.0pt'><td width="100%" valign=top style='width:100.0%;background:white;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:15.0pt'><h1 style='margin-top:12.0pt'><span style='color:black'>National Convention Sponsorship Statement Regarding accessiBe</span><o:p></o:p></h1><p style='margin-bottom:8.25pt'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'>The National Federation of the Blind, America’s civil rights organization of blind people, carries out the will of blind Americans as expressed through the National Convention and, between conventions, through the decisions of its elected officers and directors. This week, the Board of Directors reviewed accessiBe’s business practices at the urging of members who have researched and interacted with the company, and the Board believes that accessiBe currently engages in behavior that is harmful to the advancement of blind people in society. In particular, it is the opinion of the Board that accessiBe peremptorily and scornfully dismisses the concerns blind people have about its products and its approach to accessibility. The Board is deeply concerned that the company treats blind access technology experts shabbily and disrespectfully in private meetings and disparages the blind in the press and their other communications. It seems that accessiBe fails to acknowledge that blind experts and regular screen reader users know what is accessible and what is not. The nation’s blind will not be placated, bullied, or bought off. Therefore, the Board revoked accessiBe’s sponsorship of the convention on June 22, 2021. We hope that the company will ultimately recognize and appreciate the experience and expertise that blind people can bring to improving its products and services and align its mission with the expressed will and true interests of the blind. Unless and until that happens, we decline to accept accessiBe’s participation in the 2021 National Convention or to allow it to use our convention platform to promote itself. </span><o:p></o:p></p><h2 style='margin-bottom:8.25pt'><span style='color:black'>Additional Resources:</span><o:p></o:p></h2><p style='margin-bottom:8.25pt'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=21791&qid=5597390">People with Disabilities Say This AI Tool Is Making the Web Worse for Them - vice.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:8.25pt'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=21792&qid=5597390">Blind People, Advocates Slam Company Claiming to Make Websites ADA-Compliant - NBC News</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:8.25pt'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=21793&qid=5597390">Overlay Fact Sheet - a guide to the dialog around overlay technologies</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr style='height:6.0pt'><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:6.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;display:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=600 style='width:6.25in;background:#002F6D'><tr style='height:45.0pt'><td width=135 style='width:101.25pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:45.0pt'></td><td width=55 style='width:41.25pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:45.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:white'><a href="https://nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/url?u=21794&qid=5597390"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=50 height=35 style='width:.525in;height:.3666in' id="_x0000_i1031" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/images/iof-facebook-ms.png" alt="Facebook Logo"></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p></td><td width=55 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