Baltimore, Maryland (August 25, 2015): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nation’s leading advocate for equal education for blind students, commented today on a proposed $30 million contract under which Amazon, Inc. would construct an electronic storefront for New York City schools and become the primary provider of educational materials for students. The NFB planned to protest the deal before a meeting of the school system’s Panel for Educational Policy tomorrow, but will not go forward with the protest because the panel has canceled the vote on the proposal in order to investigate NFB’s concerns.

Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “The National Federation of the Blind is firmly committed to the principle that blind students must have equal access to the materials used by their sighted peers if they are to receive an equal education and live the lives they want. That is why we have expressed our strong opposition to the deal with Amazon as currently proposed. While we stand ready to take any and all steps necessary to protect the rights of New York City’s blind students, we are now hopeful, in light of the cancellation of tomorrow’s vote on this deal, that we can resolve the issue through an amicable and productive dialogue with school officials. We continue to urge everyone concerned about the rights of students who are blind or who have print disabilities to contact Chancellor Carmen Fariña and let her know that equal access and equal education are one and the same.”