<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<style>
<!--
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri}
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"}
p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"}
span.EmailStyle17
{font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext}
.MsoChpDefault
{font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"}
@page WordSection1
{margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in}
div.WordSection1
{}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Dear List Members:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As one of the activities the National Federation of the Blind is conducting under our 2013-2014 Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, we are hosting a focus group of deaf-blind voters. The purpose of this focus group is to learn from deaf-blind individuals about the types of barriers they currently face in casting a private and independent ballot, and about the types of personal
access technology used by the deaf-blind that could remove these barriers. This information will be provided to voting technology researchers and developers during a seminar hosted by the NFB in December 2013.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The focus group will be conducted via the NFB deaf-blind listserv. A total of four questions will be posted to the list one at a time for discussion and input from the list
members. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The first question for the focus group is:
</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><span style="">1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What are the barriers you currently face that prevent you or make it difficult for you to cast a private and independent ballot?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Please respond to this question by 8:30 a.m. EST on Thursday, November 14, 2013. The second question for the focus group will be posted to the list on Thursday, November 14.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Thank you in advance for your participation in this important discussion! If you have any questions, please contact:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Lou Ann Blake, HAVA Project Manager</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> National Federation of the Blind</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">
</span><a href="mailto:lblake@nfb.org"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">lblake@nfb.org</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> 410-659-9314, ext. 2221.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>
<br>
<br>
Take the stress out of this year’s holiday shopping with NFB’s Bid for Equality national online auction:
<b>Black Friday, Nov. 29, to Giving Tuesday, Dec. 3</b>. <a href="http://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/AuctionHome.action?vhost=bid-for-equality">
View our must-have donations and register</a> to make your Bid for Equality. The future is in your bid!
</body>
</html>