[Nfbk] FW: NFB-NEWSLINER Now Available in Arkansas

[Cathy]

-----Original Message-----
From: Freeh, Jessica [mailto:JFreeh at nfb.org]
Sent: Wednesday, November 04, 2009 9:04 AM
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Subject: NFB-NEWSLINER Now Available in Arkansas



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

cdanielsen at nfb.org



NFB-NEWSLINER Now Available in Arkansas


Free Service Offers Independent Access to Periodicals
 for Print-Disabled Arkansas Residents


Little Rock, Arkansas (November 4, 2009): The National Federation of the
Blind announced today that NFB-NEWSLINER is now available to all
print-disabled Arkansas residents.  NFB-NEWSLINER 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.



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-NEWSLINER 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."



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-NEWSLINER
affords me that ability.  Further, I very much appreciate that with
NFB-NEWSLINER, 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-NEWSLINER subscribers get to make the
choice of what news is important to them."


Katy Morris, director of Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of
Services for the Blind (DSB), said: "We are excited to welcome NFB-NEWSLINER
into the family of services sponsored by DSB.  NFB-NEWSLINER offers valuable
opportunities for individuals who do not read print to independently access
information they need.  In many ways NFB-NEWSLINER 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-NEWSLINER 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."



NFB-NEWSLINER, 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.



To experience the independent access to over three hundred publications
offered with NFB-NEWSLINER, please visit www.nfbnewslineonline.org.  For
further information please write to swhite at nfb.org or call (866) 504-7300.





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About the National Federation of the Blind



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.









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