<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:st1 =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=us-ascii" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18928"></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left><FONT size=2
face=Tahoma>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Freeh, Jessica
[mailto:JFreeh@nfb.org]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, August 09, 2010 4:32
PM<BR><B>To:</B> Alpidio Rolon; Amy Buresh; Angela Wolf; Anil Lewis; Art
Schreiber; Beth Rival; Bill Packee; Bob Kresmer; Carl Jacobsen; Cassandra
McNabb; Cathy Jackson; Charlene Smyth; Christine G. Hall; Dan Hicks; Daniel
Burke; Don Galloway; Donna Wood; Elsie Dickerson; Frank Lee; Franklin Shiner;
Fred Schroeder; Gary Ray; Gary Wunder; J.W. Smith; James Antonacci; Jennelle
Bichler; Jennifer Dunnam; Joe Ruffalo; John Batron; John Fritz; Joyce Scanlan;
Ken Rollman; Kevan Worley; Kim Williams; Larry Posont; Lynn Majewski; Mary
Willows; Matt Lyles; Matt Lyles; Melissa Riccobono; Michael Barber; Michael
Freeman; Mika Pyyhkala; Nani Fife; Pam Allen; Parnell Diggs; Patti Chang; Rena
Smith; Richard Gaffney; Ron Brown; Ron Gardner; Sam Gleese; Scott LaBarre;
Selena Sundling-Crawford<BR><B>Subject:</B> National Federation of the Blind
Defends Rights of Blind Students<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Garamond><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT
size=5><FONT face=Helvetica>FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></B></DIV>
<DIV align=left>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=5
face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT
face=Helvetica>CONTACT:<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>Chris
Danielsen<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>Director of Public
Relations<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>National Federation of the
Blind<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>(410) 659-9314, extension
2330<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>(410) 262-1281
(Cell)<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><A
href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org"><FONT
face=Helvetica>cdanielsen@nfb.org</FONT></A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt" align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT face=Arial>National Federation of the Blind
Defends Rights of Blind Students<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></H1>
<H2 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 12pt 0in 3pt" align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><EM><FONT face=Arial>Calls for Equal Access to
Information and Technology in America’s
Universities<o:p></o:p></FONT></EM></SPAN></H2>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Helvetica><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Baltimore,
Maryland (August 9, 2010):</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> The National
Federation of the Blind (NFB) responded today to recent attacks on the right of
blind students to have equal access to technologies used by America’s
universities and to the textbooks and course materials offered by institutions
of higher learning.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The NFB and the
United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, have come under
attack in recent days for reaching settlements with universities requiring that
the universities refrain from purchasing any e-book technology that is not fully
accessible to the blind.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the
National Federation of the Blind, said: “Blind students must have access to the
same textbooks and course materials and the same technology to read them as all
other students. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This is not only a
matter of fairness to blind students but a requirement of federal law.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>For this reason, we applaud the United
States Department of Justice, acting at our request and pursuant to its mandate
to enforce this nation’s disability rights laws, for reaching landmark
settlements with colleges and universities ensuring that e-book technologies
deployed by these institutions will be accessible to all their students. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>With the announcement of a new accessible
Amazon Kindle, the recent introduction of the Apple iPad, and the promise of
future accessible e-book products—many of which would not have been made
accessible without our advocacy efforts—colleges and universities will find it
increasingly easy to procure e-book technology that benefits everyone.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>These settlements benefit not only blind
students, who will now have access to the same books at the same time and at the
same price as their sighted peers, but also institutions of higher learning,
which will no longer incur the administrative burden of producing or procuring
accessible books through separate and </FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Helvetica>inferior methods. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>To the extent that inaccessible e-book
technology remains a barrier to the equal education of the blind, however, the
National Federation of the Blind will continue to fight for the educational and
legal rights of blind students, and we will not hesitate to call upon the
Department of Justice and other government authorities to assist us in doing so
when necessary.”<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=5
face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT
face=Helvetica>###<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=5
face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">About the National Federation of the
Blind<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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 <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region></st1:place>. 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 <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region></st1:place> for the blind led by the
blind. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=5
face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>