Blindness Awareness Day

Please join Freedom Scientific for a Free Vision Awareness Day in Columbia

When?
March 27, 2012
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Where?
Federation Center of the Blind
119 S. Kilbourne Road
Columbia, SC 29205

Topic
Blindness Awareness

Come learn about technology solutions for the blind:
JAWS® screen reading software, Braille displays, scanning and reading - and more!

Door Prize Drawing for a FREE PLEXTALK Pocket DAISY Player/Recorder
Read books, play music, keep memos, record. Small and lightweight.

Early registration is encouraged! Seating is limited.
Three Easy Ways to Register for this Event

By Phone: 1-800-336-5658
By e-mail: seminars@FreedomScientific.com
Online: www.FreedomScientific.com/Seminars

Complimentary Lunch Included
Continuing Education Credits Available by Request

Sponsored by
National Federation of the Blind
Computer Science & Technology Division of the NFB of SC

In Partnership with
CNI Systems - Freedom Scientific Dealer
SC Commission for the Blind

Freedom Scientific is the world's leading manufacturer of assistive technology products for those who are vision impaired and products for the special education and learning disability market.
Visit www.FreedomScientific.com

To sign up for the seminar, please click on the above title.
To access the Center for Disability Resources catalog, please click on this link

Federal Government Not Complying with Web Site Accessibility Requirements, Study Indicates

Baltimore, Maryland (May 19, 2011)- A study that has just been published online in the journal Government Information Quarterly has found that of one-hundred Web sites operated by federal government agencies, over 90 percent do not comply with government accessibility guidelines and likely cannot be used by people who are blind or have other perceptual or motor disabilities. The study, entitled “Accessibility of U.S. federal government home pages: Section 508 compliance and site accessibility statements” and coauthored by Doctoral Student Abiodun Olalere and Professor Jonathan Lazar of Towson University, found that the home pages of over 90 percent of the Web sites they evaluated contained violations of the government’s own guidelines for compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. That law requires that government electronic and information technology be accessible to people with disabilities.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Blind Americans are outraged that the government is failing to comply with its own guidelines to make government information and services available to citizens with disabilities. Given the clear legal requirements of Section 508 and the fact that use of the Internet is critical to education, employment, access to government benefits and services, and all other aspects of modern life, there is no excuse for failure to follow and rigorously enforce these guidelines. We demand that officials in all branches of government take immediate steps to bring all federal Web sites into compliance with the law, and we pledge to continue to hold the federal government accountable if it continues to treat the blind and others with disabilities as second-class citizens.”

To read more about the study, please click the above title.