Technology Bill of Rights for the Blind Introduced

National Fed­er­a­tion of the Blind Applauds Mea­sure To Ensure Blind Peo­ple Equal Access to Technology

Wash­ing­ton, DC (Jan­u­ary 27, 2010): Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today intro­duced the Tech­nol­ogy Bill of Rights for the Blind (H.R. 4533), which will man­date that all con­sumer elec­tron­ics, home appli­ances, kiosks, and elec­tronic office tech­nol­ogy pro­vide user inter­faces that are acces­si­ble to the blind.

Dr. Marc Mau­rer, Pres­i­dent of the National Fed­er­a­tion of the Blind, said: “The National Fed­er­a­tion of the Blind appre­ci­ates the wise and deci­sive action taken today by Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Schakowsky.  In recent years, advances in microchip and dig­i­tal tech­nol­ogy have led to the pro­lif­er­a­tion of every­day products–such as dish­wash­ers or copy machines–that have visual dis­plays and other user inter­faces that are inac­ces­si­ble to indi­vid­u­als who are blind or have low vision.  Inac­ces­si­bil­ity of these devices is a major bar­rier to a blind person’s inde­pen­dence and pro­duc­tiv­ity.  The Tech­nol­ogy Bill of Rights will ensure that man­u­fac­tur­ers make their prod­ucts acces­si­ble to all con­sumers, and that blind peo­ple will not be left behind as tech­nol­ogy con­tin­ues to advance.”

“The impor­tance of access to tech­nol­ogy in today’s soci­ety can­not be over­stated.  In many cases, a person’s liveli­hood depends upon the abil­ity to use tech­nol­ogy,” said Rep­re­sen­ta­tive Schakowsky.  “This bill will allow peo­ple who are blind or have low vision to com­pete on a level play­ing field with their sighted peers and remain pro­duc­tive mem­bers of society.”

For more infor­ma­tion contact:

Chris Danielsen
Direc­tor of Pub­lic Rela­tions
National Fed­er­a­tion of the Blind
(410) 659‑9314, exten­sion 2330
(410) 262‑1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen@nfb.org

Trevor Kin­caid
Com­mu­ni­ca­tions Direc­tor
Office of Con­gress­woman Jan Schakowsky
(202) 225‑2111