<html>
<body>
<br>
<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>
<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>
<br>
<div align="center"><b>National Federation of the Blind: Atlantic Cape
Community College Discriminates Against Blind Student, <br>
Bans Him from Freely Accessing Campus<br>
</b></div>
<br>
<div align="center"><b><i>Federation Members to Protest College’s
Actions<br>
</i></b></div>
<br>
<b>Mays Landing, New Jersey (April 15, 2014):</b> Members of
<a href="http://www.nfb.org">the National Federation of the Blind
(NFB),</a> the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind people,
and its New Jersey affiliate, will hold a protest at the Mays Landing
campus of Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC) on Thursday, April 17,
from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Blind people from New Jersey and surrounding
areas are gathering to protest discrimination by ACCC against Anthony
Lanzilotti, a blind student studying criminal justice and cyber-security
there. Mr. Lanzilotti has been denied even the most basic accommodations
and at times has not been allowed on campus or to use campus facilities
unless he is accompanied by a sighted person. He has also been prohibited
from using campus laboratories because ACCC claims that this violates the
fire code. ACCC has also refused to procure or create accessible copies
of Mr. Lanzilotti’s textbooks and course materials, a service routinely
provided to blind students by other colleges and universities. If he
wants his print textbooks to be scanned and converted to electronic files
that can be read aloud by text-to-speech software or on a Braille
display, he must do the scanning himself, and he cannot use campus
facilities to do so unless he meets the requirement of having a sighted
person with him. Mr. Lanzilotti is planning to file suit against the
college.<br>
<br>
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
“Blind students sometimes face challenges in the college setting,
including lack of access to textbooks and course materials, but the vast
majority of institutions of higher education make at least some effort to
accommodate these students. Atlantic Cape Community College has not only
refused to make the minimum effort to accommodate Mr. Lanzilotti, but has
added insult to injury by segregating him from his fellow students and
restricting his access to the campus and its facilities. Mr. Lanzilotti
is not a child and does not need a chaperone. The National Federation of
the Blind intends to make ACCC’s outrageous discrimination against Mr.
Lanzilotti known to the public and to do everything else in our power to
assist him in fighting this discrimination. The laws of the United States
and the state of New Jersey are firmly on Mr. Lanzilotti’s side, and we
will see that they are followed.”<br>
<br>
<br>
<div align="center"><b>###<br>
</b></div>
<br>
<br>
<b>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. <br>
<br>
</body>
</html>