Baltimore, Maryland (July 11, 2018): Express Employment Professionals, a leading national staffing company, has committed to ensuring that its employee testing solutions can be used by blind and low-vision job seekers and employees. The decision was made after consultation with the National Federation of the Blind, the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind people in the United States and a leading advocate for equal employment and digital accessibility. The commitment means that Express' testing solutions will be usable by blind applicants who access computers and digital information with technologies like text-to-speech screen readers and/or Braille displays.

Express has adopted the accessible IBM Kenexa Assess software nationwide for evaluating the skills of job applicants. Going forward, Express is committed to using only accessible assessment software that complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 2.0, Level AA (WCAG 2.0AA), an internationally recognized standard for equal access to websites and other digital resources.

"Unemployment among blind people is a chronic problem, primarily driven by low expectations of our capabilities, but unnecessarily aggravated by the inaccessibility of technology," said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. "Blind people often can't successfully apply for jobs for which they are qualified because of inaccessible application and testing technologies. The commitment that Express Employment Professionals has made to accessibility will dramatically enhance opportunities for blind workers, allowing them to demonstrate their capacity and ultimately contribute in the workplace. The National Federation of the Blind commends Express for the steps it is taking to promote equal access to its testing solutions, and we hope that other leaders in staffing and recruiting will follow this company's outstanding example."

"Express Employment Professionals is committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants, including the blind," said Bill Stoller, CEO of Express. "We are therefore taking steps to ensure that our employment solutions are always fully accessible to this underutilized pool of job seekers."