Upcoming Events
June 8-9, 2012: Inclusive Publishing and E-book Distribution: Access for People with Print Disabilities
At this conference, to be held at the NFB Jernigan Institute, the DAISY Consortium and the National Federation of the Blind are teaming up with other experts in the field to meet the challenges of ebook accessibility for everyone. Presentations will include: the place of DAISY in today's e-book landscape, an overview of present levels of accessibility in the market, and much more. To learn more about this conference or register online, please visit www.nfb.org/Inclusive_publishing.
June 30-July 5, 2012: National Convention
This year we are returning to Dallas and the beautiful Hilton Anatole Hotel for our annual convention. This year's gathering will be bigger and better than ever! Make reservations now by calling (214) 761-7500; you won't want to miss out on the excitement! Pre-registration is now open; pre-register at www.nfb.org/registration now. For more information watch the Braille Monitor or visit the National Convention Web page.
What's New
NFB Announces 2012
Scholarship Winners
The National Federation of the Blind has announced the winners of its 2012 Scholarship Program, which awards thirty scholarships each year to recognize achievement by blind scholars. For the full list of winners, please read the official press release.
NFB Applauds New Jersey Ruling
on Braille Instruction for Blind Child
After a three-year administrative and legal battle against their local school board, the Oceanport Board of Education, Jeffrey and Holly Miller obtained a ruling from an administrative law judge that their eleven-year-old son was improperly denied instruction in Braille, the reading and writing code for the blind. The legal victory, obtained with the assistance of the National Federation of the Blind, comes on the heels of a letter from 26 U.S. Senators urging the Department of Education to take steps to ensure that blind children who need Braille instruction receive it. To learn more about this important case, please read the official press release.
NFB Assists in Litigation
Against Free Library of Philadelphia
With the assistance of the National Federation of the Blind, four blind patrons of the Free Library of Philadelphia have filed suit against the library because they cannot access one of the library’s programs for which they are eligible. The Free Library of Philadelphia has instituted and announced plans to expand a program in which free NOOK Simple Touch e-readers are loaned to patrons over the age of fifty. Unlike some other portable e-readers that use text-to-speech technology and/or Braille to allow blind people to read e-books, the NOOK devices are completely inaccessible to patrons who are blind. For more information about this important issue, please read the official press release or the recent article on the litigation from Philly.com, or view a video comparison of the accessibility of the NOOK Simple Touch and the iPad 2.