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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>See the below press release. While it doesn’t affect Iowans directly, I know many of us shop on Amazon, so it might be worth knowing this is out there. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Scott Van Gorp, President<br>National Federation of the Blind of Iowa<br>Phone: 515-720-5282<br></span><a href="mailto:svangorp@nfbi.org">Email</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nfbi.org/"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Website</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/National-Federation-Of-the-Blind-Of-Iowa-372681823082570/posts"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Facebook</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><a href="https://twitter.com/nfb_iowa"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Twitter</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br>Live the life you want.<br></span></i><br>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.<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> State-Affiliate-Leadership-List <state-affiliate-leadership-list-bounces@nfbnet.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Danielsen, Chris via State-Affiliate-Leadership-List<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, September 03, 2019 2:26 PM<br><b>To:</b> Danielsen, Chris <CDanielsen@nfb.org><br><b>Cc:</b> Danielsen, Chris <CDanielsen@nfb.org><br><b>Subject:</b> [State-Affiliate-Leadership-List] Blind Woman Files Employment Discrimination Suit against Amazon.com<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><h1 align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:windowtext'>Blind Woman Files Employment Discrimination Suit against Amazon.com</span></b><o:p></o:p></h1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Detroit (September 3, 2019):</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> Maryann Murad, a blind Howell resident, and the National Federation of the Blind, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind Americans, have filed suit in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against Amazon.com for employment discrimination. Amazon is the world’s largest Internet retailer and currently employs more than 647,000 people worldwide. In the first quarter of 2019 it earned approximately $59.7 billion in revenue. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>In 2017, Ms. Murad tried to apply for a virtual customer service position with Amazon but could not complete the online assessment on Amazon’s proprietary customer service platform because the platform is inaccessible. The platform designed by Amazon is incompatible with Voiceover, the Apple text-to-speech screen-reading software that Murad uses to complete tasks on her computer. When she brought the problem to Amazon’s attention, a representative of the company confirmed that the site was inaccessible and said that Ms. Murad should apply for another “appropriate” job. Subsequent efforts by the National Federation of the Blind to work with Amazon to resolve the issue were unsuccessful. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Michigan Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>“At this time of year, we celebrate American workers, but too many blind people who want to work face systemic discrimination,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “Technology can enhance employment opportunities for the blind and other Americans with disabilities when it is accessible to us. When it is not, it exacerbates lack of opportunity and imperils our ability to compete in the economy and society of the twenty-first century. Amazon is fully capable of creating and deploying accessible technology and could be a leader in employing the blind. Having tried to persuade Amazon to do those things to no avail, we are now pursuing a remedy for Ms. Murad and other blind workers in court.”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>###</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>About the National Federation of the Blind </span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>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 </span><a href="http://www.nfb.org"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>www.nfb.org</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>CONTACT:</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Chris Danielsen</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Director of Public Relations</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>National Federation of the Blind</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>(410) 659-9314, extension 2330</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>(410) 262-1281 (Cell)</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>cdanielsen@nfb.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This press release is also available at: <span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><a href="https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/blind-woman-files-employment-discrimination-suit-against-amazoncom">https://nfb.org/about-us/press-room/blind-woman-files-employment-discrimination-suit-against-amazoncom</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Christopher S. Danielsen, J.D.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Director of Public Relations<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(410) 659-9314, Ext. 2330 | <a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Twitter: @rlawyer <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://nfb.org/"><span style='color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=210 height=76 style='width:2.1833in;height:.7916in' id="_x0000_i1028" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/nfblogo.png" alt="National Federation of the Blind"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind"><span style='color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 style='width:.25in;height:.25in' id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/facebook.png" alt=Facebook></span></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice"><span style='color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 style='width:.25in;height:.25in' id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/twitter.png" alt=Twitter></span></a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind"><span style='color:blue;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=24 height=24 style='width:.25in;height:.25in' id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://nfb.org/images/nfb/images/email/2/youtube.png" alt=Youtube></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>