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face=Arial><FONT color=black size=2 face=arial><TT><A
title=mailto:david.andrews@nfbnet.org href="mailto:david.andrews@"><BR></A>>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> CONTACT:<BR>><BR>>
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
title="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org>cdanielsen@nfb.org?"
href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org%3Ecdanielsen@nfb.org?">mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org>cdanielsen@nfb.org</A><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>
National Federation of the Blind Applauds Partnership<BR>> Between K-NFB
Reading Technology and Baker & Taylor<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>
Historic Partnership Will Make Millions of Books<BR>> Available for
Purchase by the Blind<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> Baltimore, Maryland
(October 14, 2009): The National Federation of the <BR>> Blind, the nation's
leading advocate for access to information by the <BR>> blind, today applauds
the historic partnership between K-NFB Reading <BR>> Technology, Inc., the
world-renowned pioneer in reading technologies, and <BR>> Baker & Taylor,
Inc., the world's largest distributor of physical and <BR>> digital books and
entertainment products. This five-year partnership will <BR>> use K-NFB
Reading Technology's soon-to-be-released electronic book reader <BR>> to
deliver the highest-quality digital book content to tens of millions of <BR>>
readers worldwide and harness Baker & Taylor's market leadership and
<BR>> relationships with 44,000 publishers and major book retailers in more
than <BR>> 120 countries.<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> Dr. Marc Maurer,
President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: <BR>> "We are
thrilled that Baker & Taylor has joined forces with K-NFB Reading <BR>>
Technology. This partnership, using pioneering e-book technology, will
<BR>> provide blind and other print-disabled people heretofore unprecedented
<BR>> access to the printed word. Until now, the traditional consumer
book <BR>> market has been largely closed to the blind, leaving us with
limited <BR>> access to information. Blind students are often left
behind in <BR>> coursework, unable to obtain books at the same time as their
sighted <BR>> peers. With this groundbreaking new partnership, for the
first time in <BR>> history, commercial access to millions of books is about
to become a <BR>> reality for all blind
people."<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> Ray Kurzweil, CEO of K-NFB Reading
Technology, said: "This dynamic <BR>> partnership will further my work of
more than three decades with the <BR>> National Federation of the Blind to
make the printed word easily <BR>> accessible to the blind. With our
growing repository of e-content, Baker <BR>> & Taylor's market
leadership, and our innovative book technology, blind <BR>> people will have
millions of books literally at their fingertips. We <BR>> expect this
collaboration to revolutionize communication of knowledge <BR>> throughout
the world."<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> Under the broad partnership with
Baker & Taylor, K-NFB Reading <BR>> Technology's new e-reader with
cutting-edge 3-D technology will present <BR>> content in formats accessible
to the blind and others with diverse reading <BR>> needs, and will operate
seamlessly on a variety of electronic devices, <BR>> including personal
computers, smart phones, and cell phones.<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> K-NFB
Reading Technology, Inc., is a joint venture between Kurzweil <BR>>
Technologies, Inc., an innovator and pioneer in reading technologies and
<BR>> the creator of the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind,
<BR>> and the National Federation of the Blind, the largest, most influential
<BR>> membership organization of blind people in the United
States.<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>
###<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> About the National
Federation of the Blind<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>> With more than 50,000
members, the National Federation of the Blind is the <BR>> largest and most
influential membership organization of blind people in <BR>> the United
States. The NFB improves blind people's lives through <BR>> advocacy,
education, research, technology, and programs encouraging <BR>> independence
and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the <BR>> blindness
field today and the voice of the nation's blind. In January <BR>> 2004
the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan <BR>> Institute,
the first research and training center in the United States for <BR>> the
blind led by the blind.<BR>><BR>>
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