[Nfbn-announce] Fwd: National Federation of the Blind Urges Swift Action on Recommendations for Accessible Higher Education Materials

[Amy Buresh]

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

 


National Federation of the Blind Urges Swift Action 
on Recommendations for Accessible Higher Education Materials


 

 

Baltimore, Maryland (December 13, 2011): The National <http://www.nfb.org/>
Federation of the Blind (NFB) commented today on the recently released final
report <http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/aim/publications.html>  of the
Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary
Education for Students with Disabilities.  The commission was created by
Congress following extensive advocacy by the NFB as part of the Higher
Education Opportunity Act of 2008.  The report sets forth specific
recommendations to facilitate the production and distribution of accessible
instructional materials-including printed and digital books, journals,
course packs, articles, tests, videos, instructor-created materials, and Web
pages, as well as any hardware, firmware, software, or other means of
accessing such materials-to students who are blind or have other
disabilities.  The report focuses on making mainstream educational products
accessible to the maximum extent possible, allowing students with and
without disabilities to access the same materials at the same time and at
the same price.

 

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
"The blind and other students with disabilities have an equal right to
participate in higher education. Access to textbooks and other instructional
materials has historically presented the greatest barrier to a truly equal
education for blind students.  The transition from print to digital
materials presents great challenges; but, if managed properly, it will mean
that blind students and other students with disabilities will, for the first
time, have equal access to educational content on the same terms as their
non-disabled peers.  This report presents recommendations that, if properly
implemented, will help to ensure that this potential is realized."

 

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Mark Riccobono, executive
director of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute and a
member of the commission, said: "Ultimately the success of this report will
depend on whether Congress acts to implement its recommendations, but the
recommendations themselves are strong and will make a real difference to
postsecondary students with disabilities if implemented.  As the report
notes, while there is some activity in the mainstream market to include
accessibility in electronic textbooks and other products, it will take a
combination of market incentives and government regulations in order to
ensure that the blind and other students with disabilities are placed on
equal footing with their peers.  If the report's recommendations are not
acted upon, however, students with disabilities will be put at a greater
disadvantage than ever before in terms of access to educational materials.
We therefore urge Congress to act swiftly on the commission's
recommendations."

 

 

###


 

 

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.  

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbn-announce_nfbnet.org/attachments/20111213/e72d70f9/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed...
Name: ATT00128.txt
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbn-announce_nfbnet.org/attachments/20111213/e72d70f9/attachment.txt>