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<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""><b> <br>
CONTACT:<br>
</b>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>
<a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br>
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<div align="center"><h1><b>National Federation of the Blind Files
Complaint<br>
Against State Department<br><br>
Seeks to Stop Distribution of Inaccessible Kindles
Abroad</i></b></h1><br><br>
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<b> <br>
Baltimore, Maryland (June 27, 2012):</b> <a href="http://www.nfb.org">The
National Federation of the Blind</a>, the oldest and
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/about-the-nfb">largest organization of the
blind in the United States</a> and a leader in the struggle for civil and
human rights for blind people all over the world, today filed a complaint
with the Office of Civil Rights for the United States Department of
State, alleging that the State Department’s plan to purchase and deploy
35,000 Amazon Kindles throughout the world violates federal law because
blind people cannot independently access and use the devices or their
content. Four international organizations representing the blind
and dedicated to equal access to books and digital
information<a href="http://www.wbu.org">the World Blind Union</a>,
<a href="http://www.sancb.org.za/">the South African National Council for
the Blind</a>, <a href="http://www.daisy.org">the DAISY Consortium</a>,
and <a href="http://www.daisyindia.org/">the DAISY Forum of India</a>are
also named complainants. The State Department has announced plans
to purchase 35,000 of Amazon’s dedicated e-reading devices under a
sole-source contract, at a cost of $16.5 million, as part of an
international learning program being referred to as the Kindle Mobile
Learning Initiative. The aim of this program is to create a global
e-reader program that introduces aspects of U.S. society and culture
directly to young people, students, and international audiences and to
expand English- language learning opportunities abroad. The plan
will involve deploying the Kindles to embassies, libraries, and other
entities around the world. The complaint also alleges that a
previous deployment of six thousand Kindles to State Department
facilities throughout the world violates the law. <br>
Of the Kindles currently available, not all are capable of speaking the
content of books. While the State Department proposal specifically
calls for the inclusion of this feature, the contract makes no reference
to the department’s obligation to purchase accessible technology under
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act or otherwise require that the
devices procured be accessible to the blind. Blind readers cannot
independently access the text-to-speech reading and voice-guided menu
features of the Kindle, and cannot independently navigate within a book
once it is opened, meaning that they must simply read it from beginning
to end.<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: “Access to information is a
fundamental human right, and blind Americans, as well as our brothers and
sisters throughout the world, insist that this right be upheld. The
State Department wants the international community to learn about United
States society and culture; people with disabilities are a part of that
society and culture, and the protection of our rights is a national
priority as clearly expressed in the Rehabilitation Act and other laws.
All federal agencies, including the State Department, are bound by these
laws. We intend to see that the State Department meets its legal
and moral obligations to the blind people of this country and the
world.” <br>
<br>
Marianne Diamond, president of the World Blind Union (WBU), said: “The
WBU represents over 285 million blind people throughout the world and
believes strongly that the blind and others who cannot read print must
have access to published materials on the same terms as the
sighted. It is critical that the United States demonstrate
leadership in this area by procuring and providing reading technology
that everyone can use independently.” <br>
<br>
The complainants are represented in this matter by Scott C. LaBarre of
the Denver firm LaBarre Law Offices.<br>
<div align="center"><b> <br>
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<br>
<br>
<b>About the National Federation of the Blind<br>
</b> <br>
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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