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<h1><b>FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE</b></h1><font face="Garamond"> <br><br>
<b>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>
cdanielsen@nfb.org<br><br>
</font><div align="center"><h1><b>National Federation of the Blind Files
Complaint with<br>
United States Department of Education<br><br>
<br>
</b></h1><h2><b>Inaccessible Web Site U.S.A. Learns Discriminates Against
the Blind</i></b></h2></div>
<font face="Garamond"> <br><br>
<b>Baltimore, Maryland (October 27, 2009):</b> The National Federation of
the Blind (NFB), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind
people and the leading advocate for equal access by the blind to
information technology, and Carlos Mora, a blind resident of Baltimore,
Maryland, filed an administrative complaint today with the United States
Department of Education. The complaint asserts that one of the
United States Department of Education’s Web sites, U.S.A Learns, 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 U.S.A Learns Web site, blind people
</font><font size=4>cannot access or navigate through the content of the
English vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation lessons that are offered
through the site.</font> <br><br>
<font face="Garamond"> <br><br>
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 in America, including the
blind. It is especially ironic that the Department of Education,
which is commissioned to provide educational opportunities for all, would
deny blind people access to a Web site that provides instructive tools
for those who speak English as a second language. This is
unacceptable and we demand equal access for all blind people.”<br><br>
Carlos Mora, a blind individual from Baltimore, Maryland, said: “I work
full time and have been accepted to a master’s degree program at Johns
Hopkins University, and English is my second language. I attempted
to use the U.S.A. Learns Web site to prepare for my everyday life and my
future studies by practicing English vocabulary, spelling, and
pronunciation, but the Web site was not accessible to me. It is
frustrating to be denied access to any Web site, but it is especially so
when I am being denied access to a Web site with educational tools that
would help me to become a more active and productive member of American
society.”<br><br>
<br><br>
This is the third complaint filed by the National Federation of the Blind
on behalf of blind people in America regarding the inaccessibility of a
federal government Web site. The NFB plans to file complaints about
other inaccessible federal government Web sites as the organization
continues to receive multiple reports from blind people of barriers they
have faced while trying to access government information, programs, and
services on the Internet.<br><br>
<br><br>
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, <a href="mailto:dfg@browngold.com">dfg@browngold.com</a>,
<a href="mailto:ah@browngold.com">ah@browngold.com</a>,
<a href="http://www.browngold.com/">www.browngold.com</a>.<br><br>
<br><br>
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<br><br>
About the National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
</b> <br><br>
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. <br><br>
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