[Nfbnet-members-list] National Federation of the Blind Condemns Delay of Web Accessibility Regulations
Danielsen, Chris
CDanielsen at nfb.org
Fri Apr 29 20:25:38 UTC 2016
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 Condemns Delay of Web Accessibility
Regulations
Baltimore, Maryland (April 29, 2016): The
<http://www.nfb.org/>National Federation of the Blind, the nation's
leading advocate for equal access by the blind to information and
technology, today condemned the
<http://www.ada.gov/regs2016/sanprm_statement.html>announcement by
the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) that it will further
delay issuing regulations under Title II of the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) and instead seek further comments from the
public on what those regulations should contain. The original
Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking expressing the intent to issue
regulations was published on July 26, 2010. At that time, President
Obama said that the regulations would be "the most important updates
to the ADA since its original enactment." This is the DOJ's
<http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/civil-rights/266943-inequality-and-indifference>second
recent announcement of a delay relating to the issuance of ADA
regulations on internet access.
<https://nfb.org/mark-riccobono-bio>Mark A. Riccobono, President of
the National Federation of the Blind, said: "This deplorable
announcement by the Department of Justice is another example of
inexcusable foot-dragging on the issue of web accessibility, which is
critical to the education, employment, and daily life of blind
Americans. Delaying the equal access of the blind to American society
by failing to provide clarity in technology accessibility is
inconsistent with the administration's goal of full participation by
people with disabilities. This failure also puts public entities
seeking clear guidance on how to meet their obligations to consumers
and constituents with disabilities at a severe disadvantage, with no
direction on how to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act
in the provision of information and services over the internet. The
questions that DOJ raises in the Supplemental Advanced Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking did not newly arise in the six years since the
original Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, nor is the
continuing evolution of technology an excuse for revisiting them. The
National Federation of the Blind unequivocally condemns today's
action and urges the administration to issue proposed rules with
regard to equal access under Titles II and III of the Americans with
Disabilities Act without further delay. We further urge all political
and civic leaders to join with us in calling on this administration
to fulfill the promise made and bring clarity to the accessibility of
public information, commerce, and education in the twenty-first
century. Let's
<https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/time-white-house-upload-internet-regs>#UploadTheRegs."
###
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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