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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>For your information.--Susan<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Freeh, Jessica
[mailto:JFreeh@nfb.org] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, July 29, 2010 11:08 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> Freeh, Jessica<br>
<b>Subject:</b> National Federation of the Blind Commends Amazon on Unveiling
of New Accessible Kindle<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>CONTACT:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>Chris
Danielsen<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>Director
of Public Relations<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>National
Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>(410)
659-9314, extension 2330<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>(410)
262-1281 (Cell)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org"><span style='font-family:
"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>cdanielsen@nfb.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>National
Federation of the Blind Commends Amazon<br>
on Unveiling of New Accessible Kindle<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>Baltimore,
Maryland (July 29, 2010): </span></b><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>The
National Federation of the Blind (NFB) today commended Amazon on the unveiling
of a new, accessible Kindle. Amazon announced Wednesday that the new Kindle
will come equipped with a voice guide that reads all menu options aloud so
blind and other print-disabled people can navigate the device menus. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>Dr. Marc
Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “We commend
Amazon on the unveiling of a new Kindle that blind and print-disabled people
can use. In order to compete in today’s digital society, blind and
print-disabled people must be able to access the same reading technologies as
the sighted. The National Federation of the Blind has long been urging Amazon
to make its reading device accessible, and we are pleased that our efforts have
come to fruition.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>In June
2009 the </span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>National
Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind (ACB) filed suit
against Arizona State University (ASU) to prevent the university from deploying
Amazon’s Kindle DX electronic reading device as a means of distributing
electronic textbooks to its students because the device cannot be used by blind
students. The Kindle DX featured text-to-speech technology that can read
textbooks aloud to blind students. The menus of the device were not accessible
to the blind, however, making it impossible for a blind user to purchase books
from Amazon’s Kindle store, select a book to read, activate the text-to-speech
feature, and use the advanced reading functions available on the Kindle DX. <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"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>For more
information on the National Federation of the Blind, please visit <a
href="http://www.nfb.org/">www.nfb.org</a>. </span><span style='font-family:
"Garamond","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span
style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>###<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>About the National
Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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