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<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>
</b> <br>
<b>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>
<h1><b> <br><br>
<br>
MEDIA ADVISORY<br><br>
<br>
</u> </b></h1><div align="center"><b>Blind Americans to Protest
Proposed Amazon Deal with New York City Schools<br>
<i>Deal Will Discriminate Against Blind Students<br>
</i></b></div>
<br>
<u> <br>
Date</u>
:
August 26, 2015<br>
<br>
<u>Time</u>
:
4:30–6:00 p.m.<br>
<br>
<u>Place</u>
:
M.S. 131<br>
100 Hester Street<br>
New York, NY 10002<br>
<br>
<b> <br>
</b>On Wednesday, August 26, members of <a href="http://www.nfb.org">the
National Federation of the Blind</a> will participate in a protest
outside M.S. 131 in New York City, where the city school system’s
Educational Policy Panel will meet later that evening to consider a
proposed $30 million contract under which Amazon, Inc. would construct an
electronic storefront for New York City schools and become the primary
provider of electronic textbooks and related educational materials for
students. Because Amazon’s e-books are not fully accessible to the blind,
the protest will inform the Educational Policy Panel and the public that
the deal would be an act of deliberate discrimination against blind
students and faculty and a violation of federal law. Those participating
in the protest will enter the formal meeting at 6:00 p.m., where blind
students, teachers, and others will testify as to the inaccessibility of
the Amazon products and the discriminatory effects the use of these
products will have on blind students and faculty if the deal is
approved.<br>
<br>
For more information about this issue, please visit
<a href="https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/we-must-stop-amazon-fail">
https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/we-must-stop-amazon-fail</a>. To request
interviews and/or demonstrations of how Amazon’s technology fails blind
students, please contact Chris Danielsen at (410) 262-1281 or
<a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a>.<br>
<div align="center"><b> <br>
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###<br>
</b></div>
<br>
<br><br>
<b>About the National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
</b> <br><br>
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.<br>
<br>
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