[Home-on-the-range] FW: URGENT: WE NEED LETTERS TO MAKE E-READERS ACCESSIBLE BY LABOR DAY

Thu Aug 29 02:21:10 UTC 2013

Dear Fellow Federationists of Kansas,

Please distribute this important message widely among our friends in
colleagues in the blind and disability rights movement. The background and
call to action appears in the original message from Lauren McLarney of the
NFB National office staff. If you need any assistance with the approach or
specific language in drafting your letters please do not hesitate to contact
me in the methods listed at the end of my posting. Time is of the essence
and we need to move quickly to make our individual and collective voices
heard. Thanks in advance for your efforts to protect our rights of access to
modern and emerging digital communications.

Best to all,

Rob Tabor NFB Legislative Liaison for Kansas

1234 Tennessee Lawrence KS 66044

Phone/Landline:  785 841 3875

iPhone:  785 865 9959 

rob.tabor at sbcglobal.net

From: McLarney, Lauren [mailto:LMcLarney at nfb.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 4:07 PM
To: alaskanfb at yahoo.com; kccajun at att.net; Pat.nfb at att.net; State President,
Arkansas; donaldpfield at gmail.com; info at michaelhingson.com;
rhouston58 at gmail.com; nfbcrivercity at gmail.com; woodseric3 at gmail.com;
jbeecham at cocenter.org; kevanworley at worleyenterprises.com;
president at alumni.ecu.edu; ntwales at omsoft.com; State President, District of
Columbia; smith990 at gmail.com; majla at verizon.net; valkemadenise at aol.com;
State President, Florida; State President, Georgia; stootle at nfbga.org; State
President, Hawaii; one.fisherman at hawaiiantel.net; young.brandon4 at gmail.com;
State President, Iowa; hoovere74 at gmail.com; State President, Illinois;
rosesloan2013 at u.northwestern.edu; highlander at indy.rr.com; State President,
Kansas; rob.tabor at sbcglobal.net; pam.glisson at insightbb.com;
lizngraves at gmail.com; aelia at mac.com; wa2ios.mark at gmail.com;
nfbmd at earthlink.net; State President, Maine; f.wurtzel at att.net;
suncat0 at gmail.com; State President, Minnesota; hstevens at blindinc.org;
sbwright95 at att.net; glsbyrd at att.net; burke.dall at gmail.com; State President,
Montana; angusparker at suddenlink.net; sharon_newton at bellsouth.net;
Anthony at olivero.us; State President, New Hampshire; tti777 at gmail.com;
martinez.joni at gmail.com; State President, New Mexico; State President,
Nevada; winds159 at yahoo.com; ajacobs633 at aol.com; chrisminkler at gmail.com;
Pierce, Barbara; brian_royko at live.com; State President, Ohio;
Gfarnum at cox.net; State President, Oklahoma; State President, Oregon;
artds55 at comcast.net; michelleandremy at gmail.com; Angies143 at verizon.net;
debracanc2 at myfrontiermail.com; trevorwhite79 at gmail.com; jrs3147 at comcast.net;
jose.marquez.texas at gmail.com; State President, Utah; karl at axistech.net;
sachin.pavithran at usu.edu; gyeager12 at gmail.com; State President, Vermont;
hviens76 at gmail.com; State President, Washington; mjc59 at q.com;
wolvessarah at hotmail.com; krnfbmbwv at gmail.com; slk5111 at hotmail.com; State
President, Wyoming
Cc: Sidhu,Mehgan; Yingling, Valerie; Pare, John; Hartle, Jesse; Lewis, Anil
Subject: URGENT: WE NEED LETTERS TO MAKE E-READERS ACCESSIBLE BY LABOR DAY 
Importance: High

Hello Legislative Directors,

We need your help!  The Coalition of E-Reader Manufacturers has submitted a
Petition for Waiver to the FCC asking that e-readers be exempt from the
Twenty First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA)
accessibility requirements.  I have attached the Petition.  NFB has written
comments opposing the request, and we are asking other groups to sign on.  I
have also attached those comments.  But the FCC needs to hear from our
members - blind people who want access to e-readers - and the more people
they hear from, the better.  We are asking all Legislative Directors to find
people in their respective affiliates to edit the attached skeleton letter
and return it to us.  The letter is already formatted and has an outline,
but it is up to each person to make it personal and select which talking
points they want to use.  Finished letters should be sent to Valerie
Yingling at vyingling at nfb.org by 8pm on Monday, September 2.  Valerie will
proofread each document to make sure there are no typos and the customized
points are still on message, and then we will submit the letters all at once
when they are due on September 3rd.  We are short on time but I trust that
this issue is pressing to our membership and we will get a good amount of
letters.  

For some background:  The CVAA requires that all mobile devices with
advanced communications services (ACS) be accessible to blind people, but
the law allows manufacturers to request a waiver for equipment that is not
intended for ACS.  The Coalition (comprised of Amazon, Sony and Kobo) claims
that the primary purpose of e-readers is reading, and that the ACS found in
e-readers is so incidental and ancillary that it is not an intended purpose
of the device.  We know this is not true - e-readers are outfitted with
built-in web browsers and designed for social media.  The Coalition also
claims that to make e-readers accessible would require a fundamental
overhaul that would render e-readers obsolete, harm the public interest, and
not provide substantial benefit to blind people.  We know that this
offensive claim is also not true.  It is critical that the FCC hear from all
of us - it is the only thing that can defeat the petition.  Regulation is
legislation's sister, so I know we can count on all of you to get a good
amount of feedback to the FCC.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to
email me or Valerie.   Looking forward to seeing everyone's letters.  

Cheers,

Lauren

Lauren McLarney

Government Affairs Specialist

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

200 East Wells St.

Baltimore, MD 21230

(410) 659 9314 ext. 2207

lmclarney at nfb.org

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