Voice of the Nation's Blind

The National Federation of the Blind continues to advocate for a minimum safety standard for hybrids and other silent vehicles.  The Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act has been reintroduced with 32 original cosponsors. You can read more about this legislation in this official press release. Also, here is an excellent television news story on the subject from KSL in Utah.

The National Federation of the Blind now has a channel on the popular video sharing site YouTube, where you can access our videos including the Straight Talk series and the new Braille literacy video, Unlocking the Code.  Visit the NFB YouTube channel here.

VNB readers know that the National Federation of the Blind recently successfully settled our lawsuit against Target regarding the accessibility of its Web site to blind people using screen access technology.  As part of the settlement, Target established a $6 million fund to pay monetary damages to members of the California class of plaintiffs.  If you are a legally blind individual who tried to access Target.com while in California at any time since February 7, 2003, you may be eligible to be paid damages of up to $7,000 if you submit a valid claim by January 8, 2009.   To find out more about the settlement and to submit a claim, please go to www.nfbtargetlawsuit.com and follow the instructions on this settlement Web site.  Again, all claims must be submitted by January 8, 2009.

The National Federation of the Blind has partnered with Whitman Coin and Collectibles to promote the Louis Braille commemorative silver dollar and the Braille Readers are Leaders campaign.  Previews of the coin and information about the campaign will be prominently featured at Whitman’s Baltimore coin show, which takes place November 20-22.  To learn more, read the official press release.

Just two short weeks after its heavily promoted nationwide opening and the record-setting nationwide protest by the National Federation of the Blind that coincided with it, the Miramax/Disney film Blindness, based on Jose Saramago’s appalling novel of the same name, has spectacularly self-destructed.  While Miramax has not heeded our call to pull the film from theaters, it is now screening in only 35 cinemas across the country–down from its initial opening on 1,690 screens on October 3.  Panned by film critics–some of whom actually asked rhetorically whether it was possible to get their two wasted hours back–and greeted with a complete lack of interest from audiences, the movie has recovered only $3.7 million of the $25 million it cost to make it so far.  Miramax probably won’t even recover the $5 million it paid to distribute the movie in the United States.  Miramax and the makers of this abhorrent movie have learned the hard way that it literally doesn’t pay to disparage blind people.  While the catastrophic failure of this film is due in part to its manifest lack of merit as a work of art, the National Federation of the Blind can be justifiably proud of bringing the film’s false portrayal of blindness and blind people to the attention of the public.  Many people who were on the fence about spending their movie money on this disaster were convinced by the negative publicity we gave the film to find a better way to spend a couple of hours at the cinema.  Chalk up another victory for the truth about blindness and the National Federation of the Blind.

A bill to study how hybrid cars may be made safer for the blind and other pedestrians recently passed the California legislature and awaits the signature of that state’s governor.  Here’s an editorial supporting the legislation.

VNB readers know that the National Federation of the Blind has been involved in litigation with Target over the accessibility of its Web site, Target.com.  Today the National Federation of the Blind and Target have announced that the class action lawsuit has been settled.  As part of the settlement, Target will establish a $6 million fund from which members of the California settlement class can make claims.  In addition, the NFB will certify the Target Web site through its Nonvisual Accessibility Web Certification program once agreed upon improvements are completed in early 2009.  For more information about the terms of the settlement, please read the official press release or visit www.nfbtargetlawsuit.com.

Today the National Federation of the Blind announced an initiative to ensure that any blind person in the United States and Puerto Rico who needs a long white cane will have one, regardless of ability to pay.  The NFB will provide a free cane to anyone in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico who is blind or has low vision and who uses or desires to use a white cane in order to travel independently.  A blind individual may order one free white cane in any six-month period.  For more information, please read the official press release about this landmark program.  To order a free cane, visit the Free Cane Program page.

Yesterday, VNB received word that President George W. Bush had signed the Higher Education Opportunity Act into law.  This legislation is important to blind Americans because it establishes a commission to study ways that higher education textbooks in accessible formats such as Braille, audio, or electronic text, depending on the preference of the student, can be provided at the same time that sighted students receive their course materials.  Read the NFB’s official press release about the legislation here.

Earlier this week, the state of Arkansas, the National Federation of the Blind of Arkansas, and German software manufacturer SAP A.G. announced the settlement of a lawsuit dating back to 2001.  Two blind state employees, Larry Wayland and Donna Walker, had sued the state because its new software system was inaccessible, making it impossible for these employees to do things like access their pay and leave records.  You can read the official press release about the settlement here.  Computer World also published an article about the settlement.