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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>
<h1><b> <br><br>
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<div align="center">National Federation of the Blind and Amazon Join
Forces to Improve Accessible Reading Experiences for Blind and Low-Vision
Students</b></h1></div>
<b>Baltimore, Maryland (March 2, 2016): The N</b>ational Federation of
the Blind (NFB) and Amazon announced today that they will be working
together to increase selection, enhance accessibility, and improve
reading experiences for blind students, including those who have low
vision or who are deaf-blind. Amazon and the National Federation of the
Blind will collaborate on improvements to Amazon’s education content,
platforms, and applications, and will meet on an ongoing basis to review
progress and exchange ideas and feedback. Initial results of this
collaboration are expected this year and beyond.<br><br>
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“We are seeing educational institutions embrace digital learning for its
ease of access to a large selection of learning resources for students,”
said Rohit Agarwal, General Manager, Amazon K-12 Education. “This shift
provides a great opportunity to improve accessibility for blind students.
By collaborating with the National Federation of the Blind, we hope to
advance accessibility for all content, platforms and applications that
Amazon develops to better serve K-12 and higher education
students.”<br><br>
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“The National Federation of the Blind is dedicated to using our expertise
in the development and implementation of built-in accessibility in
technology to ensure that the blind have equal access to the information
and tools we need to live the lives we want,” said Mark A. Riccobono,
President of the National Federation of the Blind. “The NFB and Amazon
have sought a productive collaboration to improve accessibility, and we
now look forward to working together closely to improve the technologies
that will make digital reading experiences better for all customers. The
commitment that Amazon has made in this agreement brings us ever closer
to the day when blind students of all ages will have the same digital
reading experience and access to content as others, and demonstrates that
access for the blind goes hand in hand with continued innovation in
technology.”<br><br>
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<div align="center"><b># # #<br><br>
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About the National Federation of the Blind <br><br>
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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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