[Nfbnet-members-list] National Federation of the Blind Sends Message to Americas Teachers
David Andrews
dandrews at visi.com
Thu Oct 11 01:17:47 UTC 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
National Federation of the Blind Sends Message to America's Teachers
NOOKs in the Classroom Discriminate Against Blind Students
Baltimore, Maryland (October 10, 2012): <http://www.nfb.org>The
National Federation of the Blind, the oldest and largest nationwide
organization of blind people and the leading advocate for equal
access to education and technology, commented today on Barnes &
Noble's recently announced "Fall Educator Appreciation Week"
promotion, which is designed to promote the use of the company's NOOK
e-readers in the classroom.
<http://www.nfb.org/marc-maurer-bio>Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the
<http://www.twitter.com/NFB_voice>National Federation of the Blind,
said: "We have a critically important message for America's teachers
and school administrators. We know that you are deeply committed to
the full and equal education of all of your students, including those
who are blind, as evidenced by your support of educational concepts
like Universal Design for Learning. For this reason, we ask that you
heavily consider the accessibility of technology when making
decisions about whether to incorporate it into the
classroom. Technologies that are fully accessible to the blind will
also benefit other students who cannot read print or have difficulty
doing so, including students with certain learning disabilities and
those whose native language is not
English.
<http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-ebook-faq-201105.html>Federal
law requires, and blind students and their parents demand, that the
technology that is used in the classroom provide the same content and
the same benefits to blind students as to all other students. The
Barnes & Noble NOOK e-readers available to date
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CNQCrowbUI&feature=plcp>do not
currently meet this standard, nor do we have evidence as to whether
the newest product line, which begins shipping this fall, will do
so. Please stand up for your students and join us in demanding that
Barnes & Noble make the necessary changes to its e-reading devices so
that they can be used by all students. Until it does so, please tell
Barnes & Noble that these devices are not appropriate educational tools."
###
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.
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