Contact:        Gabriella Smith-Coventry 

                                                                212)
502-7654                                                               
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American Foundation for the Blind Presents 2001 Access Awards
“Jeopardy!” Host Alex Trebek Serves as Emcee

Washington, DC—On March 16, in conjunction with its Josephine L. Taylor
Leadership Institute, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) will
present 2001 Access Awards to individuals, corporations, and organizations
that are eliminating or substantially reducing inequities faced by people
who are blind or visually impaired.
        The ceremony will take place at the Washington Marriott Hotel,
Washington, DC, at 6:00 pm. Alex Trebek, host of “Jeopardy!,” will serve as
master of ceremonies and accept a 2001 Access Award on behalf of Jeopardy!
Sony Studios for making the simple accommodations that allowed a contestant
who is blind to compete on its game show. The episodes show the public what
people who are blind or visually impaired can accomplish if given the same
opportunities as their peers.
        “We at AFB are committed to bringing recognition to those who have
enhanced the independence and dignity of blind and visually impaired
Americans,” said AFB president and CEO Carl R. Augusto.
        The following will also be honored with a 2001 Access Award:
        Cakewalk for adding hotkeys to its popular software that enables
blind or visually impaired composers and producers to write, play, and
record music in an integrated MIDI and audio environment. 
        California Council of the Blind for its campaign that culminated in
major financial institutions committing to the installation of talking ATMs
throughout the state of California. The talking ATM team was comprised of
members from the California Council of the Blind; disability rights lawyer
Lainey Feingold; Linda Dardarian of the law firm of Saperstein, Goldstein,
Demchak & Baller; and the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund,
Inc. California now has over 300 talking ATMs in operation and one of the
financial institutions has committed to a full national rollout of talking
ATMs at every ATM location.
        FutureForms for its innovative Verbal-eyes program, a tool
developed to aid workers who are blind or visually impaired in accessing
electronic forms. Verbal-eyes allows blind or visually impaired individuals
to complete form-based paperwork independently, which opens up a range of
employment opportunities at many levels.
        Margaret R. Pfanstiehl, Ed.D., and Cody Pfanstiehl for their
successful advocacy campaign that led to the Federal Communications
Commission rule that broadcasters affiliated with major networks must
provide a minimum of audio described prime time and/or children’s
programming.
        Sun Microsystems for making accessibility an integral part of the
Java platform. The Java Accessibility API software interface allows
assistive technologies to communicate with programs written in the JAVA
programming language. This company guides its efforts by its Universal
Design philosophy—addressing the accessibility needs of all people in the
workplace.
        The American Foundation for the Blind—the organization to which
Helen Keller devoted over 40 years of her life—is a national nonprofit
whose mission is to eliminate the inequities faced by the ten million
Americans who are blind or visually impaired. Headquartered in New York
City, AFB maintains offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco,
and a governmental relations office in Washington, DC.

###
February 2001

To schedule an interview with a 2001 Access Awards honoree, please contact
Gabriella Smith-Coventry at 212-502-7654 

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