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<font size=4><b><a></a>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br><br>
</font>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"><font size=4><b>National Federation of the Blind and
Blind Social Security Beneficiary<br>
File Complaint with Social Security Administration<br><br>
</font><i>SSA’s Inaccessible Web Site Discriminates Against the
Blind<br><br>
</i></div>
Baltimore, Maryland (August 24, 2009):</b> The National Federation of the
Blind, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind people and
the leading advocate for equal access by the blind to information
technology, and Margot Downey, a blind Social Security beneficiary from
Buffalo, New York, filed an administrative complaint today with the
Social Security Administration (SSA). The complaint asserts that
the SSA’s Web site violates Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act because
it is inaccessible to blind people who use text-to-speech screen access
technology or Braille displays to access information on the
Internet. Because of the inaccessibility of the SSA Web site, blind
people cannot fill out forms and questionnaires on the site or access
information about their benefits. <br><br>
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
“In an age where the Internet is a part of everyday life, blind people
must have equal access to the information and resources provided on the
World Wide Web. In particular, the United States government has a
legal and moral obligation to ensure that the information it provides on
the Internet is equally accessible to all Americans, including the
blind. The National Federation of the Blind demands equal access
for blind Social Security beneficiaries and will tolerate nothing
less.”<br><br>
Margot Downey, a blind Social Security beneficiary from Buffalo,
New York, said: “As an active and productive blind individual, I depend
on the Internet to access and update all kinds of information, including
the Social Security and Medicare benefits I receive. I hope that
the Social Security Administration will take swift action to correct the
accessibility problems with its Web site so that blind Americans like me
will have equal access to the valuable information the SSA Web site
contains.”<br><br>
Complainants are represented by attorneys Daniel F. Goldstein and Allison
L. Harper of Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, 120 E. Baltimore Street,
Suite 1700, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, (410) 962-1030, fax: (410)
385-0869,
<a href="mailto:dfg@browngold.com"><font color="#0000FF"><u>
dfg@browngold.com</a></u></font>,
<a href="mailto:ah@browngold.com"><font color="#0000FF"><u>
ah@browngold.com</a></u></font>,
<a href="http://www.browngold.com/"><font color="#0000FF"><u>
www.browngold.com</a></u></font>.<br><br>
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