[nfbwatlk] FW: THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND AND THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS APPLAUD INTRODUCTION OF "TEACH ACT"

[Mike Freeman]

From: Freeh, Jessica [mailto:JFreeh at nfb.org] 
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 10:59 AM
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Subject: THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND AND THE ASSOCIATION OF
AMERICAN PUBLISHERS APPLAUD INTRODUCTION OF "TEACH ACT"

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

 <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org> cdanielsen at nfb.org

 

Andi Sporkin 

Vice President, Communications 

Association of American Publishers

(202) 220-4552 

asporkin at publishers.org

 

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND AND THE ASSOCIATION

OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS APPLAUD INTRODUCTION OF "TEACH ACT"

 

Rep. Tom Petri Introduces "Technology, Education and Accessibility

In College and Higher Education Act"

 

Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, DC (November 15, 2013):
<http://www.nfb.org> The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the oldest
and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans, and the
<http://publishers.org> Association of American Publishers (AAP), the
leading trade association of the US publishing industry, applaud Congressman
Tom Petri (R-WI) for introducing today the Technology, Education and
Accessibility in College and Higher Education Act (H.R. 3505). The TEACH
Act, which is the result of collaboration between the NFB and the AAP, and
has been endorsed by ten other organizations of and for people with
disabilities, will create accessibility guidelines for electronic
instructional materials and related information technologies used by
institutions of higher education.  

 

The TEACH Act will provide guidelines for manufacturers of educational
technology and clarity for institutions of higher education to ensure that
materials are usable by all students.

 

"Educational technology creates unlimited opportunities for innovative
methods of learning, but these new and innovative tools can also pose a
challenge for accessibility," said Rep. Petri.  "The TEACH Act will ensure
that students with disabilities have equal access to a high-quality
education in today's 21st century classroom.  I'm proud to be sponsoring
this important legislation and encourage my colleagues on both sides of the
aisle to join me in this effort."

 

 <http://www.nfb.org/marc-maurer-bio> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of
<http://www.facebook.com/NationalFederationoftheBlind> NFB, said: "Every
day, blind college students face devastating setbacks to their education
because of inaccessible technology.  The use of e-readers, Web content,
mobile applications, and learning management systems by educators is more
prevalent than ever, and disabled students are being needlessly left behind.
No student can be expected to succeed in college if he or she is denied
access to critical course material.  Schools and manufacturers must embrace
readily available accessibility solutions so that all students can benefit
from educational technology, and the guidelines established by the TEACH Act
will make it clear how manufacturers and institutions of higher education
can best serve disabled students.  We thank AAP for the many months of hard
work they have dedicated to this joint effort.  These guidelines are long
overdue, and we applaud Congressman Petri for introducing this critical
bill."  

 

Noted Tom Allen, President and CEO,  <http://publishers.org> AAP, "The TEACH
Act supports a core mission of the Association of American Publishers:  to
ensure that all students have equal access to high-quality digital
educational content and technologies.  As higher education publishers'
innovations keep improving how students learn and as institutions seek to
serve their diverse student communities, the TEACH Act will provide the
clarifying guidelines and incentives to foster greater commercial
availability of accessible educational content, platforms and delivery
systems.  We are proud to have collaborated with Congressman Petri's office
and the NFB to put forward this legislation which will help make
state-of-the-art learning materials accessible to all students pursuing
higher education."

 

 

 

###

About the National Federation of the Blind

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.  

 

About the Association of American Publishers:

The 300 members of AAP are building the future of publishing.  AAP
represents America's premier creators of high-quality entertainment,
education, scientific and professional published content.  We dedicate the
creative, intellectual, financial and technological investments to bring
great ideas to life and deliver content to the world's diverse audiences in
all the ways they seek it.  

 



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