[Ohio-talk] eBay and National Federation of the Blind Partner to Increase Ecommerce Job Opportunities

[Everett Gavel]

Just sharing the good news.
Strive On!
Everett

eBay and National Federation of the Blind Partner to 
Increase Ecommerce Job Opportunities
9/15/2010
http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=663

News Release
Contacts:
Press Hotline  press at ebay.com
Kathy Chui  katchui at ebay.com  (408) 218-9257
Chris Danielsen  CDanielsen at nfb.org  (410) 262-1281

eBay and National Federation of the Blind Partner to 
Increase Ecommerce Job Opportunities
 Innovative Partnership aims to empower blind Americans 
to gain employment, start businesses while buying and 
selling on eBay

San Jose, Calif. - September 15, 2010 - eBay, the world's 
largest online marketplace, and the National Federation 
of the Blind (NFB) today announced a partnership to 
create more opportunities for blind Americans to access 
eBay as buyers and sellers.

eBay.com now includes enhanced features for users to 
buy, bid and sell using the keyboard alone, as well as 
improved ways to navigate content using assistive 
technologies such as screen access software. The blind 
can now more easily connect with eBay's 92 million 
users and shop from 200 million live listings.

"We have great respect for the advocacy role the NFB 
plays in creating employment opportunities for the 
blind," said John Donahoe, President and CEO of eBay 
Inc. "eBay has built a reputation as a driver of job 
creation by helping entrepreneurs start up and grow 
their businesses. We are excited about connecting with 
an even wider audience through this partnership and 
providing blind Americans with easier access to our 
marketplace for both buying and selling."

"eBay is demonstrating true leadership and commitment 
to accessibility, along with creating exciting 
opportunities for blind Americans," said Dr. Marc 
Maurer, President of the National Federation of the 
Blind. "The National Federation of the Blind is 
thrilled with the accessibility of eBay's buying and 
selling experience, and we look forward to working 
together with eBay on employment opportunities for 
blind Americans. This partnership demonstrates that 
when the blind and business leaders work together, 
everyone wins."

With seventy percent of blind Americans either 
unemployed or underemployed1, job creation is critical 
to tackle the employment challenges facing the blind.
The NFB and eBay aim to provide additional tools and 
support to the blind community to enable their success 
on eBay such as:

Providing seed funding for promising blind 
entrepreneurs
Recruiting members of the blind community to become 
eBay Trainers to educate other blind individuals in 
selling on eBay
Creating an NFB ecommerce store on the eBay platform


About eBay
Founded in 1995 in San Jose, Calif., eBay Inc. 
(NASDAQ:EBAY) connects hundreds of millions of buyers 
and sellers globally on a daily basis through eBay, the 
world's largest online marketplace. For more 
information about the company and our global portfolio 
of online brands, visit www.ebayinc.com.

About the National Federation of the Blind
With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation 
of the Blind is the largest and most influential 
membership organization of blind people in the United 
States.  The NFB improves blind people's lives through 
advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs 
encouraging independence and self-confidence.  It is 
the leading force in the blindness field today and the 
voice of the nation's blind.  In January 2004 the NFB 
opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan 
Institute, the first research and training center in 
the United States for the blind led by the blind. For 
more information about the National Federation of the 
Blind, please visit www.nfb.org.


1 National Center for Health Statistics