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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face=Arial><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>CONTACT:<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Chris Danielsen<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Director of Public Relations<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>National Federation of the Blind<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h1 align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
3.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center'><b><font size=4 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Governor David Paterson Urges
Immediate Passage<br>
of Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act<br>
<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>New York City, New York (October 10, 2011):</span></font></b><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'> David A. Paterson, 55<sup>th</sup>
governor of the state of New York and a member of and consultant to the
National Federation of the Blind, today urged immediate passage of the Fair
Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act (H.R. 3086), which was introduced in
the United States House of Representatives last week.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 color="#333333" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Governor Paterson said: “It is long past time for the
anachronistic provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act that allows workers
with disabilities to be paid less than the federal minimum wage to be phased
out. As Samuel R. Bagenstos, former principal deputy assistant attorney
general for civil rights, has <a
href="http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/documents/word/14c_Report_Sam_Bagenstos.doc"><font
color=black><span style='color:windowtext'>reported</span></font></a>, Section
14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act does not encourage mainstream employers
to hire disabled workers; does not result in the training of workers with
disabilities to participate in competitive employment; and does not even
produce wages tied to the alleged lower productivity of disabled workers, which
is a myth in any event. This anachronism must be stricken from <ns1:place
w:insAuthor="Unknown" w:insDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z" w:endInsAuthor="Unknown"
w:endInsDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z"><ns1:country-region w:insAuthor="Unknown"
w:insDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z" w:endInsAuthor="Unknown"
w:endInsDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z">America</ns1:country-region></ns1:place>’s
statute books, and workers with disabilities must receive equal pay for equal
work and an equal opportunity to succeed.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>###</span></font></b><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font
size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'><br>
<strong><b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>About the National
Federation of the Blind</span></font><o:p></o:p></b></strong></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
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 <ns1:country-region w:insAuthor="Unknown"
w:insDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z" w:endInsAuthor="Unknown"
w:endInsDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z"><ns1:place w:insAuthor="Unknown"
w:insDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z" w:endInsAuthor="Unknown"
w:endInsDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z">United States</ns1:place></ns1:country-region>.
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 <ns1:country-region w:insAuthor="Unknown"
w:insDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z" w:endInsAuthor="Unknown"
w:endInsDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z"><ns1:place w:insAuthor="Unknown"
w:insDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z" w:endInsAuthor="Unknown"
w:endInsDate="2011-10-10T10:47:00Z">United States</ns1:place></ns1:country-region>
for the blind led by the blind. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><br>
<br>
__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature
database 3230 (20080701) __________<br>
<br>
The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.eset.com">http://www.eset.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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