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<font face="Garamond"><b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>
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<b>CONTACT:<br>
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Chris Danielsen<br><br>
Director of Public Relations<br><br>
National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<br><br>
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<br><br>
<a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br><br>
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</font><div align="center"><h1><b>National Federation of the Blind
Responds to<br>
Goodwill Statement on Subminimum Wages</b></h1><br><br>
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<b>Baltimore, Maryland (June 11, 2012):</b>
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/">The National Federation of the Blind</a>
(NFB) today responded to
<a href="http://www.goodwill.org/press-releases/goodwill%C2%AE-believes-in-the-power-of-work-for-all-individuals/">
a statement issued by Goodwill Industries International, Inc.,</a>
regarding its payment of subminimum wages to workers with
disabilities.<br><br>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/marc-maurer-bio">Dr. Marc Maurer</a>,
President of the
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/NationalFederationoftheBlind">National
Federation of the Blind</a>, said: “Goodwill frames its opposition to
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/fair-wages">fair wages for workers with
disabilities</a> in terms of choice. Goodwill wants the publicand
in particular its own employees with disabilitiesto believe that the
only choice that Americans with disabilities have is between receiving
subminimum wages or receiving no wages at all. This is a false
choice based on inaccurate and self-serving propaganda put out by
Goodwill and
<a href="http://www.dol.gov/whd/specialemployment/CRPlist.htm">other
subminimum-wage exploiters. </a> The reality is that workers with
disabilities are not limited to the false choice presented by the
industry that exploits them. Workers with even the most severe
disabilities can and do engage in competitive employment every day.
The way to lower the high unemployment rate among workers with
disabilities is to enhance and expand existing programsand to create new
onesthat help them to find and maintain competitive employment, not to
exploit them in subminimum-wage sweatshops. These sweatshops
proclaim by their policies and behavior to the public, to other
employers, and to the employees themselves that the workers aren’t good
enough to be regular employees earning real wages in regular
business. Disabled Americans reject this false and misleading
representation.”<br><br>
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Goodwill issued its statement in response to an inquiry from WUSA, the
CBS television affiliate in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Washington,
D.C. WUSA made the inquiry in
<a href="http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/208068/189/Goodwill-Pays-Disabled-Employees-Less-than-Minimum-Wage">
its report</a> on
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/national-federation-blind-urges-boycott-goodwill-industries">
the NFB’s call for a boycott of Goodwill Industries</a>, which was issued
last week after repeated attempts to meet with Goodwill officials.
NFB representatives were interviewed on camera and, along with the WUSA
reporter, sought to speak with Goodwill’s president and chief executive
officer, but Goodwill declined a meeting or to be interviewed on camera.
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<br>
<b>About the National Federation of the Blind<br>
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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.<br>
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