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From: "Danielsen, Chris" <CDanielsen@nfb.org><br>
<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br><br>
</b> <br><br>
<br><br>
<b>CONTACT:<br><br>
</b>Kyle Shachmut, President<br><br>
National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts <br>
Phone: (617) 902-0632<br>
E-mail: kshachmut@nfbma.org<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<div align="center"><b>NFB of MA and Square, Inc. to Collaborate on<br>
Accessibility Enhancements to Square Register and Square Wallet<br><br>
</b></div>
<br><br>
<b><a name="Start"></a>Boston, Massachusetts (July 22, 2013):
</b><a href="http://www.nfbmass.org/">The National Federation of the
Blind of Massachusetts (NFB of MA),</a> an affiliate of
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/">the largest nationwide organization of
blind people in America</a><a name="Start"></a>, along with two of its
members, Mika Pyyhkala and Lindsay Yazzolino, are working with payments
company Square on an initiative that will enhance the accessibility of
its Square Register and Square Wallet applications for blind users.
Square Register allows merchants to accept credit and debit card payments
using their mobile devices, while Square Wallet allows consumers to pay
for goods and services at participating businesses with their mobile
devices. Certain mobile devices, such as Apple iPhones and iPads, have
built-in technology for the blind that speaks what is on the screen aloud
or displays it in Braille, and allows blind users to control their mobile
devices with gestures and keystrokes by nonvisual means. <br>
<br>
<br><br>
Kyle Shachmut, president of the National Federation of the Blind of
Massachusetts, said: "This agreement will enhance the experience for
blind merchants, employees, and consumers using Square Register and
Square Wallet. We commend Square for its commitment to ensuring that its
innovative mobile apps can be accessed by all buyers and sellers,
including those who are blind." <br><br>
<br><br>
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: “We commend Square’s leadership in recognizing the needs of
blind merchants and consumers in the technology-dependent and
increasingly cashless economy, and we applaud Square’s cooperation with
our Massachusetts affiliate. We believe that this technology will greatly
enhance business and employment opportunities for blind people throughout
the nation, and we hope that other app developers will follow Square’s
example in proactively engaging with blind Americans to address
accessibility issues.” <br><br>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.trelegal.com/">Timothy Elder</a> of the TRE Legal
Practice, and William Hunt and Jeremy Weltman of the Cambridge firm
Clark, Hunt, Ahern & Embry, represented the NFB of MA, Pyyhkala, and
Yazzolino in the development of this accessibility initiative.<br><br>
<br><br>
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