[Nyagdu] National Federation of the Blind and Blind Social Security Beneficiary File Complaint with Social Security Administration

[Tracy Carcione]

Go get 'em, Margo!
Tracy


>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> CONTACT:
>
> Chris Danielsen
>
> Director of Public Relations
>
> National Federation of the Blind
>
> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
>
> (410) 262-1281 (cell)
>
> cdanielsen at nfb.org
>
> National Federation of the Blind and Blind Social Security Beneficiary
> File Complaint with Social Security Administration
>
> SSA's Inaccessible Web Site Discriminates Against the Blind
>
> Baltimore, Maryland (August 24, 2009): The National Federation of the
> Blind, the nation's oldest and largest organization of blind people
> and the leading advocate for equal access by the blind to information
> technology, and Margot Downey, a blind Social Security beneficiary
> from Buffalo, New York, filed an administrative complaint today with
> the Social Security Administration (SSA).  The complaint asserts that
> the SSA's Web site violates Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
> because it is inaccessible to blind people who use text-to-speech
> screen access technology or Braille displays to access information on
> the Internet.  Because of the inaccessibility of the SSA Web site,
> blind people cannot fill out forms and questionnaires on the site or
> access information about their benefits.
>
> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
> said: "In an age where the Internet is a part of everyday life, blind
> people must have equal access to the information and resources
> provided on the World Wide Web.  In particular, the United States
> government has a legal and moral obligation to ensure that the
> information it provides on the Internet is equally accessible to all
> Americans, including the blind.  The National Federation of the Blind
> demands equal access for blind Social Security beneficiaries and will
> tolerate nothing less."
>
>   Margot Downey, a blind Social Security beneficiary from Buffalo,
> New York, said: "As an active and productive blind individual, I
> depend on the Internet to access and update all kinds of information,
> including the Social Security and Medicare benefits I receive.  I
> hope that the Social Security Administration will take swift action
> to correct the accessibility problems with its Web site so that blind
> Americans like me will have equal access to the valuable information
> the SSA Web site contains."
>
> Complainants are represented by attorneys Daniel F. Goldstein and
> Allison L. Harper of Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, 120 E. Baltimore
> Street, Suite 1700, Baltimore, Maryland  21202, (410) 962-1030, fax:
> (410) 385-0869, <mailto:dfg at browngold.com>dfg at browngold.com,
> <mailto:ah at browngold.com>ah at browngold.com,
> <http://www.browngold.com/>www.browngold.com.
>
> ###
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nyagdu mailing list
> Nyagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nyagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Nyagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nyagdu_nfbnet.org/carcione%40access.net
>