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National Federation of the Blind Nonvisual Accessibility Web Certification Granted to GE
BALTIMORE-(Business Wire)-July 3, 2008 - The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nation's leading advocate for Internet access by blind Americans, has awarded the Gold Level NFB-NVA Certification to GE. The NFB applauds GE's commitment to ensuring equal access to their Web site to blind consumers and commends GE's leadership in Web accessibility.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "The Internet has become integrated into every aspect of daily living, from working to shopping to entertainment. The blind population, which stands at 1.3 million and is growing as Americans age, must have access to Web sites and new Web applications if we are to participate fully in modern society and the information economy. We commend GE for making their Web site fully accessible and therefore giving the blind independent access to GE's valuable information and services."
The NFB Nonvisual Accessibility Web Certification Program, in collaboration with Deque Systems, Inc., connects Web site and application developers with leading experts on blindness and accessibility to ensure that their Internet sites or applications are fully accessible to and usable by blind people employing screen access software. Applicants go through a rigorous evaluation and testing procedure and work with a web accessibility consultant (WAC) to address any accessibility issues discovered during the evaluation. Once the site or application has addressed all accessibility issues, it is granted the right to display an NFB-NVA seal of approval on its site. Sites are continuously monitored to ensure that they remain compliant with certification criteria. If a site remains accessible, its certification is renewed on an annual basis. If accessibility issues arise, the National Federation of the Blind and the WAC will work with the site developers to remedy them.
"We are honored to be recognized by the National Federation of the Blind for our work on accessibility," said Jen Walsh, GE's digital media director. "When we redesigned GE.com, we wanted to make sure that the site really embodied 'imagination at work,' in terms of message and technology. So, we took on the added challenge of ensuring that GE.com was accessible to people with disabilities. Web site accessibility is an important and ongoing commitment that our team is making."
For more information on the NFB-NVA Certification, please visit http://www.nfb.org/nfb/certification_intro.asp. To learn more about the National Federation of the Blind, please visit www.nfb.org.
About the National Federation of the Blind
With more than fifty thousand members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
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