[Nfbnet-members-list] National Federation of the Blind Applauds Settlement with Free Library of Philadelphia
David Andrews
dandrews at visi.com
Wed Oct 24 08:28:22 UTC 2012
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 Applauds Settlement
with Free Library of Philadelphia
Lawsuit by Four Blind Patrons Over Inaccessible E-readers Resolved
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (October 23, 2012):
<http://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-assists-litigation-against-philadelphia-free-library>A
lawsuit against the Free Library of Philadelphia
filed in May with the assistance of the
<http://www.nfb.org>National Federation of the
Blind by four blind patronsDenice Brown, Karen
Comorato, Patricia Grebloski, and Antoinette
Whaleyhas been resolved by the parties. The
blind plaintiffs filed suit because the library
began lending NOOK Simple Touch e-readers, which
are manufactured and sold by Barnes & Noble, to
patrons over fifty. Unlike some other portable
e-readers that use text-to-speech technology
and/or Braille to allow blind people to read
e-books,
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CNQCrowbUI&feature=plcp>the
NOOK devices are completely inaccessible to
patrons who are blind. Under the terms of the
settlement, the library will purchase ten
accessible e-readers to supplement the devices it
has already purchased, and within four years will
use only accessible e-reading devices. The
library will also incorporate an accessibility
requirement into its technology procurement
contracts. The settlement brings the librarys
policies and practices into compliance with
<http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-ebook-faq-201105.html>guidance
issued by the United States Department of
Education. The librarys commitment is also in
line with a resolution passed in 2009 by the
American Library Association entitled Purchasing
of Accessible Electronic Resources, which urged
all libraries purchasing, procuring, using,
maintaining and contracting for electronic
resources and services to require vendors to
guarantee that products and services comply with
Section 508 regulations, Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, or other applicable
accessibility standards and guidelines.
<http://www.nfb.org/marc-maurer-bio>Dr. Marc
Maurer, President of the
<http://www.facebook.com/NationalFederationoftheBlind>National
Federation of the Blind, said: We applaud
todays settlement and the commitment of the Free
Library of Philadelphia to create an e-reader
lending program that will serve all of its
patrons, including those who are blind or who
cannot read print for other reasons. The
librarys commitment to procure accessible
technology means that vendors of e-reading
technology and content will have to make their
products accessible in order to sell them to the
Free Library of Philadelphia. We hope that other
libraries, educational institutions, and other
entities with legal obligations to serve people
with disabilities will emulate the approach being
adopted by the Free Library of Philadelphia. If
they do, we believe that all e-book content will
ultimately be accessible to the blind, giving us
equal access to the printed word.
###
About the National Federation of the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the
oldest, largest, and most influential nationwide
membership organization of blind people in the
United States. Founded in 1940, the NFB
advocates for the civil rights and equality of
blind Americans, and develops innovative
education, technology, and training programs to
provide the blind and those who are losing vision
with the tools they need to become independent
and successful. We need your support. To make a
donation, please go to <http://www.nfb.org>www.nfb.org.
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