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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoListParagraph><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>On March 26 we sent a </span><a href="https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements/letter-social-security-administration-regarding-recent"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>letter to the Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> (SSA), Leland Dudek, in response to several proposed policy changes that had recently been announced by the SSA. Most notably, this letter was in response to announced planned reductions in the number of employees who work for SSA, and the closing of dozens of Social Security field offices across the country. This letter can be read in full on the </span><a href="https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Policy Statements page</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> of our website. After we sent our letter, there were further developments to this situation. See the next item for details. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span></b><o:p></o:p></p><h3 style='line-height:normal'><b>Legal News: Disability Advocates Sue to Stop Unlawful Cuts to Social Security Services:</b><o:p></o:p></h3><p class=MsoListParagraph><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>We filed a federal lawsuit on April 2, 2025, with several disability advocacy organizations and individual plaintiffs. As shared in the press release, “Many blind Americans rely on Social Security benefits for their survival and for the support of their families...In the most severe cases, these cuts could endanger people’s very lives. The National Federation of the Blind supports greater government efficiency and recognizes that much can be done to improve the SSA, but careful planning and collaboration with blind Americans and other disability advocates are the right ways to handle reform.” </span><a href="https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/disability-advocates-sue-social-security-administration-and-doge-stop-unlawful?fbclid=IwY2xjawJqpNdleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHosh9nhSbHJoKZv9v45x_e8tapICdaQ5cZy3IWHIN1ALUFxQGrLF0guWKQF1_aem_VaqOVDHjJN8BrkC0nndy2Q"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Read and share the full press release</span></a><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Shara Winton<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>President, National federation of the Blind of Massachusetts<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><a href="http://www.nfbma.org/"><span style='color:#0563C1'>www.nfbma.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><a href="mailto:sharawinton@gmail.com"><span style='color:#0563C1'>sharawinton@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>617-304-0347<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>