Baltimore, Maryland (April 6, 2010): The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, an affiliate of the oldest and largest organization of blind people in the United States, today urged Montgomery County to allocate the funds necessary to make the new 311-call system accessible.  This new system, to be housed in the Office of Public Information, cannot be used by blind employees who use text-to-speech screen access software in order to perform their duties.

Melissa Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, said: “With the blind of America already facing a staggering unemployment rate of 70 percent, it is unacceptable for Montgomery County to exclude blind people from its workforce.  We urge Montgomery County to make the new call centers accessible and ensure that blind employees can continue to use the system and remain productive members of the county’s workforce.”