[Nfbnet-members-list] National Federation of the Blind and Others Demand E-Reader Accessibility

[Jessica Freeh]

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 and Others Demand E-Reader Accessibility




Disability Advocates Oppose E-Reader Waiver Petition

Baltimore, Maryland (September 5, 2013): The National Federation of 
the Blind (NFB), the leading advocate for equal access to technology 
by the blind, announced today that it has submitted 
<http://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=2576&qid=247956>official 
comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in opposition 
to a petition by the Coalition of E-Reader Manufacturers that seeks 
to permanently exempt e-readers from the accessibility requirements 
of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility 
Act of 2010 (CVAA).  The NFB was joined in its opposition to the 
waiver petition by twenty-two other organizations representing the 
interests of people with disabilities, including the American Council 
of the Blind, the World Blind Union, the National Association of the 
Deaf, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the 
National Center for Learning Disabilities, the Association on Higher 
Education and Disability, and more.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, 
said: "We and other advocates for people with disabilities have 
fought for equal access to e-books and e-readers for many years now, 
not only because e-readers will allow the blind and other people who 
cannot read print to gain equal access to books in general but 
because e-readers are increasingly purchased for and used in 
classrooms at all levels of education, making it increasingly 
impossible for people with disabilities to obtain an equal education 
without access to these devices.  E-reader manufacturers are well 
aware of our advocacy, which makes the claims that they have put 
before the FCC both disingenuous and disrespectful.  It is 
particularly detestable for them to claim that accessible e-readers 
will not benefit readers with disabilities.  Accessible e-reading 
devices will benefit not only students and consumers with a broad 
range of disabilities that make it difficult or impossible for them 
to read print, but will ultimately benefit e-reader manufacturers, 
who will find that a large group of new consumers are eager to 
purchase their products.  We urge the FCC to deny the offensive and 
wrongheaded petition from the Coalition of E-Reader Manufacturers."



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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://nfb.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=2577&qid=247956>www.nfb.org.
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200 East Wells Street
at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
United States
410 659-9314  
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