[blindlaw] National Federation of the Blind Defends Rights of Blind Students

[Derek Wilson]

Nice to know someone understands that we cannot hope to achieve a more
egalitarian society without greater equality of opportunity.
Education is square one.  Anybody else feel like technology has put us
on a proverbial treadmill in advancing such equality?  Are we moving
hard or hardly moving... or both?

DW


On 8/10/10, Freeh, Jessica <JFreeh at nfb.org> wrote:
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>
>
> 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
>
>
>
>
>
> National Federation of the Blind Defends Rights of Blind Students
>
>
>
>
>
> Calls for Equal Access to Information and Technology in America’s
> Universities
>
>
>
> Baltimore, Maryland (August 9, 2010): The
> National Federation of the Blind (NFB) responded
> today to recent attacks on the right of blind
> students to have equal access to technologies
> used by America’s universities and to the
> textbooks and course materials offered by
> institutions of higher learning.  The NFB and the
> United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights
> Division, have come under attack in recent days
> for reaching settlements with universities
> requiring that the universities refrain from
> purchasing any e-book technology that is not fully accessible to the blind.
>
>
>
> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National
> Federation of the Blind, said: “Blind students
> must have access to the same textbooks and course
> materials and the same technology to read them as
> all other students.  This is not only a matter of
> fairness to blind students but a requirement of
> federal law.  For this reason, we applaud the
> United States Department of Justice, acting at
> our request and pursuant to its mandate to
> enforce this nation’s disability rights laws, for
> reaching landmark settlements with colleges and
> universities ensuring that e-book technologies
> deployed by these institutions will be accessible
> to all their students.  With the announcement of
> a new accessible Amazon Kindle, the recent
> introduction of the Apple iPad, and the promise
> of future accessible e-book products­many of
> which would not have been made accessible without
> our advocacy efforts­colleges and universities
> will find it increasingly easy to procure e-book
> technology that benefits everyone.  These
> settlements benefit not only blind students, who
> will now have access to the same books at the
> same time and at the same price as their sighted
> peers, but also institutions of higher learning,
> which will no longer incur the administrative
> burden of producing or procuring accessible books
> through separate and inferior methods.  To the
> extent that inaccessible e-book technology
> remains a barrier to the equal education of the
> blind, however, the National Federation of the
> Blind will continue to fight for the educational
> and legal rights of blind students, and we will
> not hesitate to call upon the Department of
> Justice and other government authorities to
> assist us in doing so when necessary.”
>
>
>
>
>
> ###
>
>
>
> 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 <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
> "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
> />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.
>
>
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