Accomplished Blind Mountain Climber Erik Weihenmayer To Promote Technology for Freedom Scientific.

Business Editors and High-Tech Writers

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 20, 2001

Freedom Scientific Inc., a leader in assistive technology products for people with sensory impairments and learning disabilities, named Erik Weihenmayer as chairman of its newly created Product Advisory Board.

He will also serve as company spokesperson for Freedom's full line of hardware and software products for those who are blind or vision impaired.

Weihenmayer, the first blind mountain climber to summit Mt. Everest, is a long time user of Freedom Scientific notetakers and screen reading software. He took his Braille `n Speak notetaker on his Everest expedition, using it to record his journal notes and report back to those following his progress on the Internet from around the world.

"Erik embodies the mission of our company -- to help those with vision impairments change their world," said Richard H. Chandler, chairman and president of Freedom Scientific. "His extraordinary resolve and accomplishments have encouraged others to achieve the highest levels of success and make him a welcome addition to the Freedom Scientific team."

Members of Freedom Scientific's Product Advisory Board are prominent assistive technology experts representing some of the most recognized public and private organizations in the blindness field. The Board meets three to four times annually with company product managers and engineers, providing advice on product ideas and enhancements most needed by those who are blind or vision impaired. Weihenmayer will assume his role as chairman on Jan. 16, 2002 at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) 2002 Conference in Orlando, Fla.

"Too often, those who are blind are told to recognize their limitations, but I've always found it more fun to ignore that advice and focus on stretching your own limits; that is why this chairmanship is so attractive to me," Weihenmayer said. "Technology helps you do that -- leveling the playing field in educational and professional pursuits for the blind. The Product Advisory Board gives me and other product users a totally new forum to contribute our ideas and help define the next generation of product breakthroughs."

Weihenmayer, a former middle school teacher and wrestling coach, is the best known and most versatile blind athlete in the world: an acrobatic skydiver and skier, a long-distance biker and marathoner, a wrestler and scuba diver. But his passion has always been mountaineering, ice climbing and rock climbing.

This spring he summitted Mt. Everest, and, at 33 years old, is on course to become one of the youngest people to climb all of the Seven Summits. He previously scaled Mt. McKinley (1995); Mt. Kilimanjaro (1997); Aconcagua (1999); Vinson Massif (2001/Antarctica); El Capitan, a 3,300-foot rock face in Yosemite, and Polar Circus (2000), a 3,000-foot ice waterfall in Alberta.

The National Federation of the Blind sponsored Weihenmayer on two Himalayan expeditions, the summit of Ama Dablam, and the eventual ascent of Everest, 29,035-feet, the highest peak in the world.

Weihenmayer documented his accomplishments using his Freedom Scientific notetaker. His inspiring story is told in his recent book, Touch the Top of the World. The book recalls Weihenmayer's struggle to push past the limits of vision loss, to his dream to climb mountains, and finally his quest to reach each of the Seven Summits.

Along with numerous personal appearances, Weihenmayer attracted attention from the news media, among them Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Reader's Digest, Parade Magazine, Today Show, CBS Early Show, NBC Nightly News and the Tonight Show.

Freedom Scientific Inc. emerged as the largest manufacturer of software and hardware for people with vision impairments in the United States when it was formed by the merger of Henter-Joyce, Blazie Engineering and Arkenstone in early 2000. The consolidation of these companies brought together expertise in the development and manufacturing of both hardware and software assistive technology products. Freedom Scientific products are sold in 52 countries around the world.