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<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br><br>
<br><br>
CONTACT:<br><br>
</b>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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<div align="center"><b>National Federation of the Blind Comments on
Amazon Kindle App<br><br>
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Baltimore, Maryland (May 1, 2013):</b> <a href="http://www.nfb.org">The
National Federation of the Blind</a> (NFB), the nation’s leading advocate
for access to technology and education for the blind, commented today on
Amazon’s incorporation of new accessibility features into its application
for the iPhone and other devices using Apple’s iOS operating
system.<br><br>
Dr. Marc Maurer, president of
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/NFB_voice">the National Federation of the
Blind</a>, said: “We are pleased that Amazon has taken advantage of the
inherent accessibility of Apple products and Apple’s clear guidelines for
creating accessible applications by finally releasing a version of its
Kindle app that allows blind readers to access Kindle content on Apple
devices. Continued improvement of this app is needed, however, in order
to make it appropriate for use in educational settings, and Amazon must
also make its Kindle devices fully accessible. Amazon should also
make its future software, devices, and content available to the blind
when these products are released to the general public rather than
implementing accessibility at an unspecified later time. Today’s
app release is a significant step on the journey to full access to Kindle
content by the blind, but that journey is not over, and the National
Federation of the Blind will not rest until its completion.”<br><br>
The National Federation of the Blind has advocated for full access to
Kindle devices and Kindle e-books since Amazon introduced the
Kindle. Most recently, NFB members staged
<a href="https://nfb.org/kindle-books#Protest">an informational protest
in front of Amazon’s Seattle headquarters</a> to explain why Kindle
e-books should not be used in schools because they do not provide equal
access to all of the same information and features by both blind and
sighted students. For more information on this issue, please visit
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/kindle-books">
http://www.nfb.org/kindle-books</a>.<br><br>
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<b> <br><br>
About the National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
<br>
</b>The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the oldest, largest,
and most influential nationwide membership organization of blind people
in the United States. Founded in 1940, the NFB advocates for the
civil rights and equality of blind Americans, and develops innovative
education, technology, and training programs to provide the blind and
those who are losing vision with the tools they need to become
independent and successful. We need your support. To make a
donation, please go to
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/">www.nfb.org</a>.<br><br>
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