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<br><br>
<font face="Garamond"><b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br><br>
</b></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times"> <br><br>
</font><font face="Garamond"><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>
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<br><br>
<b><a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br><br>
</b> <br><br>
</font><div align="center"><h1><b>NFB-NEWSLINE®</sup> Now Available in
Arkansas<br><br>
<br>
Free Service Offers Independent Access to Periodicals<br>
for Print-Disabled Arkansas Residents</i></b></h1></div>
<font face="Garamond"> <br><br>
<b>Little Rock, Arkansas (November 4, 2009):</b> The National Federation
of the Blind announced today that NFB-NEWSLINE<sup>®</sup> is now
available to all print-disabled Arkansas residents.
NFB-NEWSLINE<sup>®</sup> is a free service that allows those who cannot
read conventional newsprint due to a physical disability to listen to the
newspaper over the telephone, on the web, or by download to a digital
talking-book player. Through the service, blind Arkansans can now
independently access over three hundred newspapers and magazines and
decide how, when, and where they wish to read their favorite
publications. <br><br>
<br><br>
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
“For many years, those unable to read the printed word were barred from
attaining access to information, which is vital to full participation in
society and affects individuals in all of the roles they play in their
communities. The availability of NFB-NEWSLINE<sup>®</sup> truly
places the keys of access in the hands of all members of the
print-disabled community. With these keys, the blind themselves can
open doors to the world and become aware of the matters both large and
small that are covered in their daily newspapers.”<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
</font><h1><b>Matt Lyles, who serves as president of the National
Federation of the Blind of Arkansas, is excited to have this
revolutionary service available to him. “I love knowing what’s
going on in the world around me, and NFB-NEWSLINE® affords me that
ability. Further, I very much appreciate that with NFB-NEWSLINE®,
blind people are not dependent on others to read the news to us; instead,
we have the same flexibility and autonomy that we would with a
traditional print newspaper. Finally, the news is not what someone
else decides is important; rather, NFB-NEWSLINE® subscribers get to make
the choice of what news is important to
them.”</b></h1><font face="Garamond"> <br><br>
Katy Morris, director of Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division
of Services for the Blind (DSB), said: “We are excited to welcome
NFB-NEWSLINE<sup>®</sup> into the family of services sponsored by
DSB. NFB-NEWSLINE<sup>®</sup> offers valuable opportunities for
individuals who do not read print to independently access information
they need. In many ways NFB-NEWSLINE<sup>®</sup> mirrors the same
goals held by the Arkansas Division of Services for the Blind to
facilitate the independence, choice, and engagement of persons who are
blind. For the first time in DSB history, this partnership between
the existing Arkansas Information Reading Services for the Blind and
NFB-NEWSLINE<sup>®</sup> promises to raise the bar to enable Arkansans
with vision impairments to compete globally by obtaining local, state,
and worldwide information to manage their careers and their personal
lives.”<br><br>
<br><br>
NFB-NEWSLINE<sup>®</sup>, which began operation in 1995, offers TV
listings in addition to newspapers and magazines to over 70,000
subscribers through several delivery methods: a standard touch-tone
telephone, over the Internet, or by download to a digital talking-book
player or mp3-playing device.<br><br>
<br><br>
To experience the independent access to over three hundred publications
offered with NFB-NEWSLINE<sup>®</sup>, please visit
<a href="http://www.nfbnewslineonline.org/"><b>
www.nfbnewslineonline.org</a></b>. For further information please
write to <a href="mailto:swhite@nfb.org"><b>swhite@nfb.org</a></b> or
call (866) 504-7300.<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<div align="center">###<br><br>
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<br><br>
<b> <br><br>
About the National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
</b> <br><br>
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.<br><br>
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