Des Moines, Iowa (April 27, 2010): The National Federation of the Blind of Iowa (NFBI), Iowa's largest consumer group of blind people, announced today that NFB-NEWSLINE^®, a free, audible, newspaper-access service, will continue to operate through September 30, 2011.  Thanks to a generous appropriation from the Iowa General Assembly to the Iowa Department for the Blind, blind Iowans will continue to have access for another year to newspapers, magazines, and other information not otherwise accessible to print-disabled individuals. NFB-NEWSLINE^®(www.nfbnewsline.org), a service of the National Federation of the Blind, gives print-disabled individuals anytime, anywhere access to over 300 national and local publications and wire feeds, as well as TV listings.  Through the service, subscribers can easily and independently access their favorite publications on the phone, on the Web, or by download to a digital talking-book player or MP3-playing device.

 

"Thanks to the efforts of Senator Matt McCoy of Des Moines, we were able to secure $20,000 from the State of Iowa to help continue NFB-NEWSLINE^® for one more year," said Michael Barber, president of the National Federation of the Blind’s Iowa affiliate.  "This money will be matched with other federal dollars," Barber added.

 

“In 1995,” Barber explained, “the National Federation of the Blind launched NFB-NEWSLINE^®, and Iowa was one of the first states to embrace this wonderful service.  Before NFB-NEWSLINE^®, I and other blind Iowans were in what you might call an informational desert, but with NFB-NEWSLINE^®, we now have an information oasis.”  

 

“We have easy, timely access to not only hundreds of publications, but also to information from state agencies and entities such as the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.  Thanks to the efforts of Senator McCoy, this accessibility tool will continue to be a reality here in Iowa.  We are truly grateful for the funding that will allow blind people to obtain the vital access they need for success."