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<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> Wednesday, September 29, 2010 10:21
AM<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
Nonvisual Accessibility Web Certification Granted to Instructure Learning
Management System<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<H2 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=4 face=Arial>FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE</FONT></H2>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">CONTACT:<SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Chris Danielsen<SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 2">
</SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Cory Reid, Vice President<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Director of Public Relations<SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> <SPAN
class=553521914-29092010>
</SPAN></SPAN>Instructure<SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 3">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">National Federation of the Blind<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> <SPAN
class=553521914-29092010> </SPAN> </SPAN>(801)
436-8095<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">(410) 659-9314,
extension 2330<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>cory@instructure.com<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoBodyText><FONT
face=Arial>(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<BR></FONT><A
href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org"><FONT
face=Arial>cdanielsen@nfb.org</FONT></A></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoBodyText><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<H2 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align=center><FONT
face=Arial><FONT size=4>National Federation of the Blind Nonvisual Accessibility
Web Certification Granted to Instructure Learning Management System<I><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></FONT></FONT></H2>
<H2 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align=center><I><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></I></H2>
<H2 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align=center><I><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>System Certified as Equally
Accessible<BR><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>to Blind and Sighted
Users<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></I></H2>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Baltimore,
Maryland (September 29, 2010):</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> The
National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nation’s leading advocate for
Internet access by blind Americans, has awarded the Gold Level NFB-NVA
Certification to Instructure for its learning management system, “Canvas.”<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The NFB applauds Instructure’s
commitment to ensuring equal access to its Web-based learning management system
for blind students and commends the company for its leadership in Web
accessibility.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Instructure’s
Canvas is a new learning management system (LMS) that takes usability to a whole
new level, and saves instructors time, providing more freedom for curriculum
development and working with students. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Since communication is key to the
learning process, Canvas incorporates up-to-date multimedia and social media
tools for reaching way beyond classroom discussions and e-mail to creating a
collaborative learning environment. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Dr. Marc Maurer,
President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “The Internet has
become integrated into every aspect of life, including education.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As more and more institutions of higher
learning employ online learning platforms, it is crucial to ensure that blind
students have equal access to these systems so that they are not placed at a
serious disadvantage relative to their sighted peers.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We commend Instructure for making its
online learning management system fully accessible and therefore giving blind
</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">students and teachers independent access
to Instructure’s services.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Anne Taylor,
director of access technology for the National Federation of the Blind, said:
“It has been a pleasure working with Instructure to make its Web site and
learning management system accessible to all blind users.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We appreciate the Instructure team’s
hard work and congratulate them on achieving Gold Level NFB-NVA
Certification.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Cory Reid, vice president of Instructure, said:
“Accessibility has been a priority since our inception, and we are committed to
providing all students and teachers with the same innovative platform.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We’re honored to be working with the
NFB, and are grateful for their pioneering work in accessibility, and their
foundational contributions to education.”</SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The NFB
Nonvisual Accessibility Web Certification Program connects Web site and
application developers with leading experts on blindness and accessibility to
ensure that their Internet sites or applications are fully accessible to and
usable by blind people employing screen access software.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Applicants go through a rigorous
evaluation and testing procedure and, if they choose to, work with a web
accessibility consultant (WAC) to address any accessibility issues discovered
during the evaluation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Once the
site or application has addressed all accessibility issues, it is granted the
right to display an NFB-NVA certification seal on its site.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Sites are continuously monitored to
ensure that they remain compliant with certification criteria.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If a site remains accessible, its
certification is renewed on an annual or a version basis.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If accessibility issues arise, the
National Federation of the Blind and the WAC will work with the site developers
to remedy them.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For more information on the NFB-NVA Certification,
please visit <A
href="http://www.nfb.org/nfb/certification_intro.asp">http://www.nfb.org/nfb/certification_intro.asp</A>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>To learn more about the National
Federation of the Blind, please visit <A
href="http://www.nfb.org/">www.nfb.org</A>. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; 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 align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">###<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P
style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; 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 align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P
style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; 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 align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></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">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; 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"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">About
Instructure<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Instructure
set out to build a whole new kind of learning management system by carefully
listening to educators, students, and administrators. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This user-driven approach to design
produced Canvas, a fully-hosted web-based LMS with a level of usability never
seen before in a collaborative learning environment. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Canvas is used at numerous colleges,
universities, and schools across the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>, with students in 27 countries. <A
href="http://www.instructure.com/">http://www.instructure.com</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
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