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<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica" size=5><b>FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE<br><br>
</b> <br><br>
</font><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"><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><br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
</font><div align="center"><h1><b>National Federation of the Blind
Defends Rights of Blind Students<br><br>
<br><br>
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<h2><b>Calls for Equal Access to Information and Technology in America’s
Universities</b></h2><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> <br><br>
<b>Baltimore, Maryland (August 9, 2010):</b> The National Federation of
the Blind (NFB) responded today to recent attacks on the right of blind
students to have equal access to technologies used by America’s
universities and to the textbooks and course materials offered by
institutions of higher learning. The NFB and the United States
Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, have come under attack in
recent days for reaching settlements with universities requiring that the
universities refrain from purchasing any e-book technology that is not
fully accessible to the blind.<br><br>
<br><br>
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
“Blind students must have access to the same textbooks and course
materials and the same technology to read them as all other
students. This is not only a matter of fairness to blind students
but a requirement of federal law. For this reason, we applaud the
United States Department of Justice, acting at our request and pursuant
to its mandate to enforce this nation’s disability rights laws, for
reaching landmark settlements with colleges and universities ensuring
that e-book technologies deployed by these institutions will be
accessible to all their students. With the announcement of a new
accessible Amazon Kindle, the recent introduction of the Apple iPad, and
the promise of future accessible e-book productsmany of which would not
have been made accessible without our advocacy effortscolleges and
universities will find it increasingly easy to procure e-book technology
that benefits everyone. These settlements benefit not only blind
students, who will now have access to the same books at the same time and
at the same price as their sighted peers, but also institutions of higher
learning, which will no longer incur the administrative burden of
producing or procuring accessible books through separate and inferior
methods. To the extent that inaccessible e-book technology remains
a barrier to the equal education of the blind, however, the National
Federation of the Blind will continue to fight for the educational and
legal rights of blind students, and we will not hesitate to call upon the
Department of Justice and other government authorities to assist us in
doing so when necessary.”<br><br>
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<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica" size=5> <br><br>
</font><font face="Garamond"><b>About the National Federation of the
Blind<br><br>
</b>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 <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />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>
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