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

[JULIE PHILLIPSON]

oh cool just saw this.  catching up on email.

Julie Phillipson
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
To: "New York Association of Guide Dog Users" <nyagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 12:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Nyagdu] National Federation of the Blind and Blind Social 
Security Beneficiary File Complaint with Social Security Administration


> 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.
>>
>> ###
>>
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>
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