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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Dear Colleagues,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Read below for updates due to the work of the National Federation of the Blind. Nicely done but don’t let up, keep pushing.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Sincerely.,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Mark<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
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<b>Subject:</b> New Biden-Harris Administration action to support disabled individuals in the COVID-19 Response<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img width="261" style="width:2.7187in" id="m_-8851475816770337773_x0000_i1025" src="https://mcusercontent.com/c97630621baff8c44fe607661/images/cfe8cd5c-1643-41af-9fc6-1afa3525f4f9.png" alt="The White House Logo"><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We wanted to share a series of new actions the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to continue our commitment to developing policies that improve the lives of disabled individuals—with equity and accessibility at the center of our COVID-19
 Response and beyond. <u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><a name="m_-8851475816770337773__Hlk96005307"><b>New effort to develop at-home COVID-19 tests that are accessible to all.
</b></a><span>Today, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx^®) Tech program announced a new effort to seek both short- and long-term solutions to improve at-home test accessibility.
 RADx^® will consult and work with experts from NIH, national organizations who represent communities in need of accessible tests, and test manufacturers to inform the modification or development of more accessible at-home tests, including device
 design, packaging, modes of instruction, and other challenges. Though at-home COVID-19 tests were only invented last year, the Administration’s investment in this technology has rapidly scaled up manufacturing to the millions per day. This effort strives to
 ensure that all individuals have an option for at-home testing that can be used and interpreted without assistance. NIH’s press release is available
</span><a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fprotect-us.mimecast.com%2Fs%2FoSawCBBRzVh77R3XuzcRqB%3Fdomain%3Dnibib.nih.gov&data=04%7C01%7Cofficeofthepresident%40nfb.org%7C9e7dcf7baafd457c5f5308d9f26fb714%7C538f3d4b739545cf93fa8dfc2b4a7f62%7C1%7C0%7C637807383917986439%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=P3cX4PnRE6fCJc%2F%2Bl9b9skYZrkyn1bVQbwJeyyYWjrY%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank"><span>here</span><span></span></a><span>.<b><u></u><u></u></b></span></li></ul>
<p style="margin-left:.5in"><span><b><u></u> <u></u></b></span></p>
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<span><u></u><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">        
</span></span></span><u></u><b>Calling on all rapid test manufacturers to <a name="m_-8851475816770337773__Hlk96005613">
prioritize accessibility. </a></b></span><span></span><span>Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a formal request for information (RFI) to ensure the preservation and
 expansion of current domestic manufacturing capacities for over-the-counter rapid antigen and point-of-care COVID-19 tests. The RFI specifically asks manufacturers to
<a name="m_-8851475816770337773__Hlk95759333">include </a></span><span>an assessment of the accessibility of their tests—including self-administration and result interpretation—<a name="m_-8851475816770337773__Hlk96005636">for
</a><a name="m_-8851475816770337773__Hlk96000473"><span>people who are blind or visually-impaired; individuals with physical, cognitive, or other disabilities; and individuals who need non-English language or literacy support</span></a>. The RFI
 states, “If your company’s product is largely inaccessible for these individuals, please provide a clear and definitive description of how you can improve accessibility.”</span> The Administration will use the RFI submissions to inform near-term investments.
<span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u></u> <u></u></b></p>
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<u></u><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">        
</span></span></span><u></u><b>Updated COVID-19 guidance. </b>In an effort to raise awareness around the importance of protecting people at high-risk for COVID-19, including people with disabilities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has
 reviewed the <a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fprotect-us.mimecast.com%2Fs%2F3sW9CDkJBXI55JQLI5xdKT%3Fdomain%3Dcdc.gov&data=04%7C01%7Cofficeofthepresident%40nfb.org%7C9e7dcf7baafd457c5f5308d9f26fb714%7C538f3d4b739545cf93fa8dfc2b4a7f62%7C1%7C0%7C637807383917986439%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=VRUyJrUz6yllWYOyJki%2FR65Hj741JPkS2UF6bajT1Io%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">
latest science</a> and published an <a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fprotect-us.mimecast.com%2Fs%2FpryZCJ67L4IqqAPWhvblAj%3Fdomain%3Dcdc.gov&data=04%7C01%7Cofficeofthepresident%40nfb.org%7C9e7dcf7baafd457c5f5308d9f26fb714%7C538f3d4b739545cf93fa8dfc2b4a7f62%7C1%7C0%7C637807383917986439%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=%2B2rSQzNVIHyRRieYZ3eIrmnp5z4Md%2BKb5au9aTLHFJw%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">
updated list</a> of certain medical conditions that put people at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 to include people with disabilities. Yesterday, CDC also released the agency’s “How to Interpret Positive Self-Test Results”
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fprotect-us.mimecast.com%2Fs%2FSehzCG6QG1I11OoNhQ5P12%3Fdomain%3Dyoutube.com&data=04%7C01%7Cofficeofthepresident%40nfb.org%7C9e7dcf7baafd457c5f5308d9f26fb714%7C538f3d4b739545cf93fa8dfc2b4a7f62%7C1%7C0%7C637807383917986439%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=GBOE%2FR4IOga3I5y29UMCui5%2BGfn82cV7A7eXS%2BJtZpc%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">
guidance</a> in American Sign Language (ASL), a first step towards ensuring that individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can access key information about how to protect themselves and their communities by using rapid self-tests.
<span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u></u> <u></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Administration will continue to build on today’s announcements. 
<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you for your continued work and partnership on these critical issues. Feel free to share this information with your networks.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Osaremen Okolo and Kim Knackstedt <u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">White House Office of the COVID-19 Response and Domestic Policy Council<u></u><u></u></p>
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</div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr">Dorothy Griffin - President <div>National Federation of the Blind of Georgia</div><div><a href="mailto:dgriffin@nfbga.org" target="_blank">dgriffin@nfbga.org</a></div><div>770-374-4832</div><div><br></div><div><p style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:14px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><span>The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.</span></p></div><div><span><br></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>