<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=us-ascii" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18852"></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left><FONT size=2
face=Tahoma>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
chapter-presidents-bounces@nfbnet.org
[mailto:chapter-presidents-bounces@nfbnet.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Freeh,Jessica
(by way of David Andrews <dandrews@visi.com>)<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday,
November 19, 2009 5:38 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
david.andrews@nfbnet.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> [Chapter-presidents] National
Federation of the Blind Commends University of Illinois for Commitment to
Accessible E-book Technology<BR><BR></FONT></DIV><BR><FONT size=4
face="Helvetica, Helvetica"><B>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<BR><BR></FONT><FONT size=5
face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> <BR><BR></FONT><FONT
face="Helvetica, Helvetica">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><A
href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</A><BR><BR></FONT><FONT
size=5 face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> <BR><BR></FONT>
<DIV align=center>
<H1><FONT size=4><B>National Federation of the Blind Commends University of
Illinois<BR> for Commitment to Accessible E-book
Technology</B></FONT></H1></DIV><FONT size=5
face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> <BR><BR></FONT><FONT
face="Helvetica, Helvetica"><B>Champaign, Illinois (November 19, 2009):</B> The
National Federation of the Blind, the oldest and largest organization of blind
Americans and a leading advocate for accessible e-book technology, today
applauded the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for publicly announcing
its commitment to purchasing e-book technology that can be used by the blind and
others with print disabilities. The announcement comes on the heels of
news that the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Syracuse University will not
broadly deploy Amazon�s Kindle DX e-book reading device, which Amazon is
marketing as a replacement for traditional print textbooks, until the device is
fully accessible to blind students. </FONT>The Kindle DX features
text-to-speech technology that can read textbooks aloud. The menus of the
device are not accessible to the blind, however, making it impossible for a
blind user to purchase books from Amazon�s Kindle store, select a book to read,
activate the text-to-speech feature, and use the advanced reading functions
available on the Kindle DX.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>In a statement issued
yesterday, the University of Illinois said in part: �<FONT
face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Quite apart from our legal obligations, we at
Illinois believe that our technology choices should be shaped by our
institutional values and aspirations. We will not embrace technologies
that undercut our commitment to accessibility. We will instead apply our
ingenuity to technologies that enable everyone to participate more fully in
society.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>�Like our colleagues at Wisconsin and Syracuse, we
recognize the groundbreaking potential that read-aloud features have for making
textbooks accessible to students with disabilities. Sadly, that potential
can't be realized until vendors of e-book readers, like the Kindle, add
accessible read-aloud menus and basic navigation to their
products.�<BR> <BR><BR>Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National
Federation of the Blind, said: �As publishers and e-book reading device
manufacturers increasingly tout the e-book as a replacement for the printed
textbook, it is critical that no artificial barriers be placed in the way of
access to this exciting new technology by blind students. E-books are
inherently accessible, and it is relatively easy to make e-book reading devices
accessible as well. The National Federation of the Blind therefore
commends the University of Illinois and other universities for taking the
position that e-book technology must be accessible to all students, including
the blind.�<BR><BR></FONT><FONT size=5
face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> <BR><BR></FONT>
<DIV align=center><FONT
face="Helvetica, Helvetica"><B>###<BR><BR></B></FONT></DIV><FONT size=5
face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> <BR><BR></FONT> <BR><BR><B>About the
National Federation of the Blind<BR><BR></B>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. Please visit our Web site: <A
href="http://www.nfb.org/">www.nfb.org</A>.<BR><BR><FONT size=5
face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> <BR></FONT></BODY></HTML>