[Nfbnet-members-list] FW: National Federation of the Blind and Scribd Agree to Collaborate to Make Reading Subscription Service Accessible to the Blind

[Kuhnke, Kristian]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

John G. Paré Jr.

Executive Director for Advocacy and Policy

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2218

(410) 917-1965 (Cell)

<mailto:jpare at nfb.org>jpare at nfb.org



National Federation of the Blind and Scribd Agree 
to Collaborate to Make Reading Subscription Service Accessible to the Blind



Baltimore, Maryland (November 19, 2015): The 
National Federation of the Blind and Scribd, Inc. 
have agreed to work together to provide access 
and make content available in Scribd’s 
subscription reading service and website 
accessible to the blind by the end of 2017. 
Available on desktop and mobile devices, Scribd’s 
service provides users access to ebooks, 
audiobooks and other published content for a flat 
monthly fee. As part of an agreement between the 
two organizations, Scribd will rearchitect its 
website to make most subscription content 
compatible with screen access software for the 
blind. Screen access software converts text-based 
content into Braille or spoken words. Scribd will 
also facilitate access to other types of 
documents in its collection when requested by blind users.



Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National 
Federation of the Blind, said: “Lack of access to 
the printed word has traditionally been one of 
the most significant barriers faced by the blind, 
but electronic books and documents, when they are 
designed to be accessible to us, can provide 
access to more information than we have ever had 
in all of human history, leading to better 
education and employment outcomes, and helping us 
to live the lives we want. We are thrilled that 
blind readers will soon have access to Scribd’s 
vast digital library, and we commend Scribd for 
agreeing to work with us to make this happen. My 
wife Melissa, my daughters Oriana and Elizabeth, 
and I are blind, and we, along with my son 
Austin, eagerly look forward to delving into this 
new treasure trove of literature and information as a family.”



Trip Adler, CEO of Scribd said: “We are committed 
to building the library of the future and making 
it accessible to all. Our collaboration with the 
National Federation of the Blind is an important 
step in making this a reality, and we look 
forward to ensuring our technology is usable for the blind community.”



The agreement resolves litigation filed last year 
by the National Federation of the Blind and Heidi 
Viens, a blind mother from Colchester, Vermont. 
There is no admission of liability or wrongdoing 
by any party to the agreement. The plaintiffs 
were represented by Laurence Paradis, Haben 
Girma, and Rebecca Rodgers of the firm Disability 
Rights Advocates; Daniel F. Goldstein and Gregory 
P. Care of the Baltimore firm Brown, Goldstein 
and Levy, LLP; and Emily J. Joselson and Michele 
B. Patton of the Middlebury, Vermont firm Langrock, Sperry & Wool, LLP.



###



About the National Federation of the Blind

The National Federation of the Blind knows that 
blindness is not the characteristic that defines 
you or your future. Every day we raise the 
expectations of blind people, because low 
expectations create obstacles between blind 
people and our dreams. You can live the life you 
want; blindness is not what holds you back.




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