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<h1><b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</b></h1> <br><br>
<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>
cdanielsen@nfb.org<br><br>
<div align="center"><h1><b>National Federation of the Blind<br>
Endorses Google Books Settlement Before Congress<br><br>
<br>
</b></h1><h2><b>Urges Justice Department to Support
Settlement</i></b></h2></div>
<br><br>
<b>Washington, DC (September 10, 2009):</b> The National Federation of
the Blind, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind people
and the leading advocate for access by the blind to digital information,
testified before the House Judiciary Committee today that the proposed
settlement between Google and authors and publishers regarding the Google
Books project should be approved. The Google Books settlement will
make millions of titles available to the blind and other Americans with
print disabilities, providing more access to the printed word than the
blind have had in all of human history.<br><br>
<br><br>
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, told
the House Judiciary Committee: “The Google settlement is, for the blind
and many others, the next step in the democratization of knowledge.
That process began with the introduction of the printing press and then,
for the blind, with the invention of Braille. Now technology is
available that transcends the traditional limitations of both print and
Braille, promising to make millions of titles available to the blind in
Braille or any other format of our choice. The narrow business
interests of Google’s competitors must not be allowed to block Americans
who cannot read print from all of the opportunities that greater access
to written knowledge will make available to them. It is time for
the doors of the world’s great libraries to be opened and welcome to
everyone.”<br><br>
<br><br>
The National Federation of the Blind also urged the United States
Department of Justice, which is reviewing the terms of the settlement, to
support the agreement. <br><br>
<br><br>
“The Google Books settlement is a major step forward in advancing the
civil rights of blind Americans and others who cannot read print because
it substantially increases our opportunities for education and
employment,” President Maurer said. “The Justice Department, which
is tasked with protecting the civil rights of all Americans, should
respect the agreement of the parties to the settlement and allow its
access provisions to be fully implemented. In doing so, the
government will send a strong message that it values the participation of
the blind in society and believes that we should have access to all of
the information to which our sighted friends and colleagues have
access.” <br><br>
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