[Nfbf-l] Fw: [Nfb-announce] Critical Funding Shortage Threatens NFB-NEWSLINE® in Michigan

Fri Sep 3 15:00:50 UTC 2010

Okay guys! We don't want to lose Newsline® in Florida. Really sad news! Hope 
Michigan gets help!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Freeh,Jessica (by way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)" 
<JFreeh at nfb.org>
To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 10:25 PM
Subject: [Nfb-announce] Critical Funding Shortage Threatens NFB-NEWSLINE® in 
Michigan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:

    Larry Posont, President

    National Federation of the Blind of
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Michigan

    Phone: (313) 271-3058

    E-mail: <mailto:president.nfb.mi at gmail.com>president.nfb.mi at gmail.com

    Scott White, Director, NFB-NEWSLINE®
    Phone: (410) 659-9314, extension 2231
    E-mail: swhite at nfb.org

Critical Funding Shortage Threatens NFB-NEWSLINE®

 in Michigan

Thousands of Print-Disabled Michigan Residents May Lose Free,
Independent Access to Newspapers and Magazines

Baltimore, Maryland (August 31, 2010):  Due to
lack of funding, NFB-NEWSLINE®, a free service
that provides independent access by
print-disabled people to hundreds of local and
national publications and TV listings, will be
turned off in Michigan, effective October 1,
2010.  Termination of this service will
drastically limit the ability of thousands of
print-disabled Michigan residents to obtain
in-depth information about international affairs,
local events, and breaking news easily and independently.

NFB-NEWSLINE® allows those who cannot read
conventional newsprint due to a visual or
physical disability to listen to newspapers and
magazines over the telephone, on the Web, or by
download to a digital talking-book
player.  Through the service, print-disabled
people can access over three hundred newspapers
and magazines independently, determining how,
when, and where they wish to read their favorite
publications.  If funding is not found on or
before October 1, 2010, blind and print-disabled
Michigan residents will no longer have access to NFB-NEWSLINE®.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National
Federation of the Blind, said: "With
NFB-NEWSLINE®, blind and print-disabled people
can benefit from the vital news contained in
newspapers and magazines.  Access to information
such as analyses of current events, political
commentary, and international news helps all
individuals, including the print-disabled, to be
successful participants in their workplaces and
in the world.  NFB-NEWSLINE® offers us the
ability to read the news independently, choosing
the content that is of interest to us.  As a
subscriber, I truly benefit from the service
every day, and would very much miss reading the
paper with my morning cup of coffee."

NFB-NEWSLINE® offers six Michigan newspapers,
including the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit
News, the Flint Journal, Grand Rapids Press,
Lansing State Journal, and the Mining Journal, as
well as the Michigan Associated Press wire
feed.  In addition to state newspapers from
Michigan and across the nation, subscribers have
access to many national publications, including
the New York Times, USA Today, Popular Science,
the Economist, and the Christian Science
Monitor.  NFB-NEWSLINE® also provides
print-disabled Michigan residents access to
information from state agencies and legislative
bodies that can otherwise be difficult to
obtain.  Through a state-specific channel on the
service, entities such as the Michigan Commission
for the Blind, Michigan Legislative Service
Bureau, the Michigan State House of
Representatives, and the Michigan State Senate
can provide, at no cost, vital information to
this population in an accessible format.

"This truly is a crisis for the blind and
print-disabled of Michigan, as we will be losing
an incredibly valuable service that helps us to
connect with the world at large and with our own
communities," said Larry Posont, president of the
National Federation of the Blind of
Michigan.  "With NFB-NEWSLINE®, for more than ten
years I have been able to read the Wall Street
Journal, Roll Call, and the New York Times to
keep up on national news and to learn about
economic forecasts and pending governmental
legislation.  I also read the Lansing State
Journal to learn about events in my
community.  Losing this innovative service would
have a profoundly negative impact on my life, as
the service helps me not only as a citizen and
retired businessman, but also in my role as an
advocate for the blind in Michigan State."

Peter Zaremba, a blind resident of Michigan,
said: "Using NFB-NEWSLINE® I can access at any
time and at any place the same essential and
entertaining news that my sighted peers
enjoy.  This helps me to be successful in my
business of course, but also in my relationships
with others, as conversations with colleagues,
neighbors, and friends often revolve around the
news of the day.  It would be virtually
impossible for me to obtain the news I need
without NFB-NEWSLINE® and I would miss having
access to this invaluable resource were it to be shut down."

Scott White, director of NFB-NEWSLINE®, said:
"While it would be a great shame to close this
vital service to blind Michigan residents, unless
we are able to locate or are provided with a
funding source, we have no choice but to turn off
NFB-NEWSLINE® in Michigan on October 1."

To learn how you can help keep NFB-NEWSLINE®
available in Michigan, please call Larry Posont,
president of the National Federation of the Blind
of Michigan, at (313) 271-3058 or send e-mail to president.nfb.mi at gmail.com.

To learn more about NFB-NEWSLINE®, please visit
<http://www.nfbnewsline.org/>www.nfbnewsline.org.

###

About the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan

With chapters in all major cities, the Michigan
affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind
is the largest and most influential membership
organization of blind people in the Great Lakes
State.  Since 1941, in connection with thousands
of blind Michigan residents, the National
Federation of the Blind of Michigan has worked to
improve the lives of blind citizens in its
affiliate through advocacy, education, and
programs encouraging independence and self-confidence.

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