Sprint Named Disability Matters Marketplace Winner for Innovative Accessibility Solutions

Sprint ID packs help deaf, hard-of-hearing and visually and speech-impaired customers access information and entertainment on their wireless devices

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), March 18, 2013 – Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings) will be honored as the Marketplace winner at the Seventh Annual U.S. Disability Matters Awards Banquet and Conference, one of the most important Corporate Awards Conferences in the U.S., for delivering innovative accessibility solutions that empower people with disabilities.

The highly coveted awards, given to corporations leading the way in providing innovative accessibility solutions for consumers with disabilities, will be presented April 16 during the annual Disability Matters conference, a Springboard Consulting Event, in Jacksonville, Fla. Sprint is one of seven corporations to be honored, and this marks the first time Sprint has been recognized with this prestigious award.

Sprint is being recognized as the only winner in the 2013 Disability Matters Marketplace category, which recognizes excellence in marketing products and services that meet the needs of the disability community. This recognition stems from the company’s innovative Sprint Relay ID pack and four accessibility-themed Sprint ID packs, which were developed in collaboration with Apps4Android and the U.S. Department of Education.

The ID packs, which are free to download for Sprint customers with an Everything Data plan, are designed to accommodate various accessibility needs and to allow users to:

• Operate a smartphone without the need to see or read what is displayed on the screen.
• Read RSS news feeds and navigate YouTube entertainment content using high-quality text-to-speech voices.
• Receive GPS-based navigational assistance while driving or walking.
• Identify and locate items around the home and the workplace.

“It’s humbling to see the incredible commitment of our honorees to fully include individuals with disabilities as employees and as customers. Their passion fuels the work. Their award-winning initiatives inspire everyone,” said Nadine Vogel, founder and president of Springboard Consulting and the Disability Matters Conference and the mother of two children with special needs.

According to data from the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center, more than 80 percent of people with disabilities own or have access to a wireless communications device. Using Sprint accessibility ID packs allows them to more easily and fully use their devices, often in ways that weren’t previously possible.

“Wireless accessibility solutions like Sprint ID packs represent technology at its best and innovation that matters,” said Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. “With the Sprint Relay ID pack, Sprint became the first carrier to develop multiple applications in a single package to meet the needs of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. With the Sprint Accessibility ID packs that followed, we improved the ability for people with visual and cognitive challenges to communicate and access information. We are proud to receive the 2013 Disability Matters Marketplace Award recognizing Sprint’s commitment to people with disabilities.”

Sprint has long been a leader in the accessibility space and has been the nation’s premier provider of Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) for the past 22 years. Currently Sprint is the TRS provider in 30 states and the TRS provider for the federal government, as well as for New Zealand.

Sprint’s Corporate Responsibility platform is centered on doing the right thing, or conducting business in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. As part of its commitment to doing the right thing, Sprint anticipates the needs of customers and continues to make its award-winning services accessible to all.

For more information about Sprint Accessibility ID packs, visit the Sprint newsroom.

For more information about Sprint’s commitment to people with disabilities, visit the Accessibility for All page on sprint.com.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 55 million customers at the end of 2012 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national carriers in customer satisfaction and most improved, across all 47 industries, during the last four years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in both its 2011 and 2012 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

About Springboard Consulting^®

Founded in 2005, Springboard is recognized as the expert in mainstreaming disability in the global workforce, workplace and marketplace. Serving corporations and organizations throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia, Springboard has become a trusted partner in relation to disability issues and initiatives across virtually every business category. Springboard annually honors exemplary organizational initiatives that promote the outreach, support and engagement of people with disabilities as employees and as consumers though the Disability Matters Awards. www.consultspringboard.com