<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Take a look at the latest Press Release from NFB. This is totally cool!</div><div>Cathy <br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> "Freeh, Jessica" <<a href="mailto:JFreeh@nfb.org">JFreeh@nfb.org</a>><br><b>Date:</b> January 23, 2014, 8:32:07 AM EST<br><b>To:</b> "State President, Puerto Rico" <<a href="mailto:arguza@attglobal.net">arguza@attglobal.net</a>>, "State President, Nebraska" <<a href="mailto:amy.buresh74@gmail.com">amy.buresh74@gmail.com</a>>, "State President, Connecticut" <<a href="mailto:erival@comcast.net">erival@comcast.net</a>>, "State President, Arizona" <<a href="mailto:krezguy@cox.net">krezguy@cox.net</a>>, "State President, New York" <<a href="mailto:office@nfbny.org">office@nfbny.org</a>>, "State President, Oregon" <<a href="mailto:president@nfb-oregon.org">president@nfb-oregon.org</a>>, "State President, Kentucky" <<a href="mailto:cathyj1949@gmail.com">cathyj1949@gmail.com</a>>, Charlene Smyth <<a href="mailto:cs.nfbwv@verizon.net">cs.nfbwv@verizon.net</a>>, "State President, Vermont" <<a href="mailto:deannaljones@comcast.net">deannaljones@comcast.net</a>>, "State President, North Dakota" <<a href="mailto:diverson@midco.net">diverson@midco.net</a>>, "State President, Idaho" <<a href="mailto:elsiedickerson@ymail.com">elsiedickerson@ymail.com</a>>, "State President, Ohio" <<a href="mailto:eduffy@pobox.com">eduffy@pobox.com</a>>, "Schroeder, Fred" <<a href="mailto:fschroeder@sks.com">fschroeder@sks.com</a>>, "State President, North Carolina" <<a href="mailto:ghraynfbofnc@charter.net">ghraynfbofnc@charter.net</a>>, "State President, Missouri" <<a href="mailto:gwunder@earthlink.net">gwunder@earthlink.net</a>>, "State President, Montana" <<a href="mailto:jkaldrich@samobile.net">jkaldrich@samobile.net</a>>, "State President, Pennsylvania" <<a href="mailto:president@nfbp.org">president@nfbp.org</a>>, "State President, Tennessee" <<a href="mailto:nfb.tennessee@gmail.com">nfb.tennessee@gmail.com</a>>, "State President, Minnesota" <<a href="mailto:jennifer.dunnam1829@gmail.com">jennifer.dunnam1829@gmail.com</a>>, "State President, Alaska" <<a href="mailto:jnhburton@gci.net">jnhburton@gci.net</a>>, Joe Ruffalo <<a href="mailto:nfbnj@yahoo.com">nfbnj@yahoo.com</a>>, "State President, Wisconsin" <<a href="mailto:johnfritz66@gmail.com">johnfritz66@gmail.com</a>>, "State President, Wyoming" <<a href="mailto:kthornbury@bresnan.net">kthornbury@bresnan.net</a>>, "State President, South Dakota" <<a href="mailto:gatorbumps@rushmore.com">gatorbumps@rushmore.com</a>>, Kimberly Flores <<a href="mailto:kimberly.aguillard@gmail.com">kimberly.aguillard@gmail.com</a>>, "State President, Massachusetts" <<a href="mailto:kshachmut@nfbma.org">kshachmut@nfbma.org</a>>, "State President, Maine" <<a href="mailto:leonproctorjr@yahoo.com">leonproctorjr@yahoo.com</a>>, "State President, Delaware" <<a href="mailto:lynne.majewski@gmail.com">lynne.majewski@gmail.com</a>>, "State President, California" <<a href="mailto:mwillows@sbcglobal.net">mwillows@sbcglobal.net</a>>, "State President, Maryland" <<a href="mailto:melissa@riccobono.us">melissa@riccobono.us</a>>, "State President, Iowa" <<a href="mailto:michael.nfbi@gmail.com">michael.nfbi@gmail.com</a>>, "State President, Washington" <<a href="mailto:k7uij@panix.com">k7uij@panix.com</a>>, "State President, Hawaii" <<a href="mailto:nanifife@aol.com">nanifife@aol.com</a>>, "State President, Louisiana" <<a href="mailto:pallen@lcb-ruston.com">pallen@lcb-ruston.com</a>>, "State President, South Carolina" <<a href="mailto:parnell@sccoast.net">parnell@sccoast.net</a>>, "State President, Illinois" <<a href="mailto:pattischang@gmail.com">pattischang@gmail.com</a>>, "Brown, Ron" <<a href="mailto:RB15@iquest.net">RB15@iquest.net</a>>, "State President, Mississippi" <<a href="mailto:sgleese@city.jackson.ms.us">sgleese@city.jackson.ms.us</a>>, "State President, Colorado" <<a href="mailto:slabarre@labarrelaw.com">slabarre@labarrelaw.com</a>>, "State President, Alabama" <<a href="mailto:joy.harris@dwx.com">joy.harris@dwx.com</a>>, "State President, Arkansas" <<a href="mailto:tosheeler@cox.net">tosheeler@cox.net</a>>, "State President, District of Columbia" <<a href="mailto:callaway.shawn@gmail.com">callaway.shawn@gmail.com</a>>, "State President, Florida" <<a href="mailto:danjhicks@yahoo.com">danjhicks@yahoo.com</a>>, "State President, Georgia" <<a href="mailto:gscott@nfbga.org">gscott@nfbga.org</a>>, "State President, Michigan" <<a href="mailto:president.nfb.mi@gmail.com">president.nfb.mi@gmail.com</a>>, "State President, Nevada" <<a href="mailto:realhappygirl1@gmail.com">realhappygirl1@gmail.com</a>>, "State President, New Hampshire" <<a href="mailto:cemcnabb21@yahoo.com">cemcnabb21@yahoo.com</a>>, "State President, New Mexico" <<a href="mailto:avigil74@gmail.com">avigil74@gmail.com</a>>, "State President, Oklahoma" <<a href="mailto:jmassay1@cox.net">jmassay1@cox.net</a>>, "State President, Rhode Island" <<a href="mailto:silvara@cox.net">silvara@cox.net</a>>, "State President, Utah" <<a href="mailto:baconev@yahoo.com">baconev@yahoo.com</a>>, "State President, Kansas" <<a href="mailto:topage@swbell.net">topage@swbell.net</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>National Federation of the Blind Thanks Governor O’Malley</b><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:black;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">CONTACT:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><br>
Chris Danielsen<br>
Director of Public Relations<br>
National Federation of the Blind<br>
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<br>
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<br>
</span><a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">cdanielsen@nfb.org</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal">
<b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><br>
National Federation of the Blind Thanks Governor O’Malley<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:normal">
<b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Urges Maryland General Assembly to Approve Appropriation<br>
for Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Access<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Baltimore, Maryland (January 23, 2014):</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">
</span><a href="http://www.nfb.org"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The National Federation of the Blind (NFB),</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> the nation’s leading advocate for nonvisual
access to electronic technology and information by the blind, today thanked Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley for proposing that the state grant the NFB $250,000 for Fiscal Year 2015. The funds will help the NFB to establish the Center of Excellence in Nonvisual
Access to Commerce, Public Information, and Education (CENA). The CENA will serve as a resource for businesses, government entities, and educational institutions wishing to make their products, services, and information fully accessible to blind people in
Maryland and beyond. The Federation also thanked Maryland Senator Bill Ferguson and Maryland Delegates Luke Clippinger, Peter Hammen, and Brian McHale for supporting equal access to information and technology for blind people in Maryland and across the nation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “We appreciate the continued support of Governor O’Malley and commend him
for his commitment to advancing our critical mission to improve access to information and technology by the blind. In the twenty-first century, electronic information and technology are an integral part of everyday life, and the blind cannot succeed unless
we have full nonvisual access to the same products, services, and information as our sighted peers. The Center of Excellence will help blind people in Maryland and across the nation to obtain this access, while making Maryland the hub of innovation in nonvisual
accessibility for the entire country. We therefore urge the Maryland General Assembly to include the governor’s request for funding of this new resource in its final budget.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">###<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">About the National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the oldest, largest, and most influential nationwide membership organization of blind people in the
United States. Founded in 1940, the NFB advocates for the civil rights and equality of blind Americans, and develops innovative education, technology, and training programs to provide the blind and those who are losing vision with the tools they need to become
independent and successful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</div></blockquote></body></html>