NFB-NEWSLINE is now available to the blind and print-disabled residents of Maine as a result of an award from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, which will fund NFB-NEWSLINE for one year.

The National Federation of the Blind’s Maine state affiliate submitted an application to the foundation requesting assistance in providing an on-demand accessible news service to those who cannot read regular newsprint. They plan to launch NFB-NEWSLINE on Jan. 1.

“The generosity of the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation will allow NFB- NEWSLINE to significantly enrich the lives of Maine’s blind citizens,” said Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind. “As an organization that supports literacy and underserved sectors of Maine’s communities, Mr. and Mrs. King have made a remarkable contribution towards the attainment of independence and autonomy among the blind, in Maine and across the nation.”

Qualified subscribers in Maine may now register to read more than 100 daily newspapers, weekly newspapers and magazines through a telephone delivery system that converts electronic data to synthesized speech.

“One of the missions of the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation is to build community,” said Stephanie Leonard, administrator of the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation. “By helping to provide this vital service, we hope to improve the opportunities for citizens of Maine who are blind or print-disabled to be an active part of their communities.”

“This award from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation will help us to establish ourselves as a resource for print-disabled men and women who desire a complete and thorough understanding of the events and issues most important to them,” said John Batron, president of the NFB Maine affiliate. “This will in turn be an asset when we apply to the Legislature for continued funding.”

There is never a cost to subscribers to NFB-NEWSLINE – they access the service by dialing a local or toll-free telephone number. However, subscribers must be unable to read newsprint due to a physical disability. To register for NFB-NEWSLINE and receive more than 140 daily newspapers free, over the telephone, call the Maine State Library for the Blind at (800) 452-8793, or visit www.nfb.org.