[Tall-Corn] FW: [State-Affiliate-Leadership-List] National Federation of the Blind Applauds Introduction of AIM High Act

Sat Dec 7 15:02:29 UTC 2019

Good Morning Fellow Federationists:

Please see the below press release if you haven’t gotten it already. This has been a long time coming, and now it’s finally moving forward! I encourage all of us to begin contacting our congressional representatives and both Iowa senators and let them know what an important priority this is!

Scott Van Gorp, President
National Federation of the Blind of Iowa
Phone: 515-720-5282
Email <mailto:svangorp at nfbi.org> 

 <http://www.nfbi.org/> Website 
 <https://www.facebook.com/National-Federation-Of-the-Blind-Of-Iowa-372681823082570/posts> Facebook 
 <https://twitter.com/nfb_iowa> Twitter 
Live the life you want.

The National Federation of the Blind of Iowa is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.

Sent: Friday, December 6, 2019 8:01 AM
Subject: [State-Affiliate-Leadership-List] National Federation of the Blind Applauds Introduction of AIM High Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Federation of the Blind Applauds Introduction of AIM High Act

Legislation Will Promote Equal Access to Higher Education for People with Disabilities

Baltimore, Maryland (December 6, 2019): Today, the National Federation of the Blind commends Congressman Phil Roe (R-TN) and Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) for introducing the Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act, also known as the AIM HIGH Act (H.R. 5312). This legislation will promote instructional technology and content that are accessible to the blind and other students with print disabilities.

“This legislation is critically important to all blind students and to me personally, as the father of three children, two of whom are blind,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “This issue has been ignored for too long. Blind Americans applaud Representatives Roe and Courtney for their support of this market-based approach to encouraging technology innovations to be born accessible, thus allowing all students an equal opportunity for educational excellence.”

“All students deserve the opportunity to excel in their education, which is why I am proud to reintroduce the Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HIGH) Act. This legislation encourages institutions of higher education to provide equal access to all instructional materials, which will support students with disabilities. I want to thank Rep. Courtney for again partnering with me on this important legislation, and all the stakeholders who have worked tirelessly to develop this commonsense solution that can be supported on a bipartisan basis,” said Congressman Roe.

The AIM HIGH Act will authorize a purpose-based commission comprised of persons with disabilities, developers, and manufacturers, as well as representatives from institutions of higher education. This commission will be tasked with developing accessibility criteria for instructional materials and the technologies used to access those materials. Additionally, the commission will be tasked with establishing an annotated list of existing national and international standards so that schools and developers can identify what makes a product usable by the blind. Colleges and universities will be permitted to use material that does not conform to the guidelines as long as equal access laws are still honored. While conformity with the AIM HIGH guidelines is only one path to compliance, schools can pursue a different avenue but will forfeit the combined expertise of the relevant stakeholder communities involved in the development of the AIM HIGH guidelines.

The AIM HIGH Act is a collaborative legislative initiative of the National Federation of the Blind, the American Council on Education, the Association of American Publishers, Educause®, and the Software and Information Industry Association.

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About the National Federation of the Blind 

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), headquartered in Baltimore, is the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans. Founded in 1940, the NFB consists of affiliates, chapters, and divisions in the fifty states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. The NFB defends the rights of blind people of all ages and provides information and support to families with blind children, older Americans who are losing vision, and more. We believe in the hopes and dreams of blind people and work together to transform them into reality. Learn more about our many programs and initiatives at  <http://www.nfb.org> www.nfb.org. 

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

This pres release is also available at: https://www.nfb.org/about-us/press-room/national-federation-blind-applauds-introduction-aim-high-act-0

Christopher S. Danielsen, J.D.

Director of Public Relations

200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

(410) 659-9314, Ext. 2330 | cdanielsen at nfb.org <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org> 

Twitter: @rlawyer 

 <https://nfb.org/> 

                          <http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind>      <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>      <https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind> 

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want. 

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