Expedia Inc has entered into a collaboration agreement with the National Federation of the Blind, the leading organization of blind people in the United States, the two organizations will work in partnership with the goal of enhancing and improving accessibility for the blind on the Expedia.com and Travelocity.com websites and mobile applications.

As a result of this agreement, blind travelers visiting Expedia® or Travelocity® brand sites or accessing the mobile applications using text-to-speech screen readers and Braille display technologies will have stronger and more reliable access to the two sites.

Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "We are delighted with this new partnership, and we hope and believe that it will spur collaboration and innovation that will serve as an example to the rest of the travel industry and to other online service providers. Blind people must have equal access to goods and services made available on websites and via mobile applications if we are to live the lives we want and compete on terms of equality in the twenty-first century. This partnership is another step toward making that goal a reality."

This agreement paves the way for Expedia and the National Federation of the Blind to work together in implementing approved standards on both the Expedia and Travelocity brand websites so that Expedia can maintain its role as the leader in providing accessible, online travel services to the blind community.

"Expanding our partnership with the National Federation of the Blind is an important next step in making sure the Expedia and Travelocity sites are readily accessible and intuitive for blind travelers," said Aman Bhutani, President, Expedia.com. "We are thankful to have the National Federation of the Blind as a partner as we continue to develop the compatibility of these sites with state-of-the-art screen readers and display technology to offer a best-in-class experience."