Legislation to Make Information and Communications Technologies Accessible
From: Paul Schroeder
On May 1, 2008, the United States Congress heard testimony on draft legislation, the "Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act." The legislation was requested by a coalition of organizations from the disability community to ensure that new information and communications technologies are accessible. The hearing took place before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.
The hearing featured a wonderful exchange about the accessibility of new technologies like the BlackBerry. Sergeant Major Jesse Acosta, one of our nation's military heroes who lost his sight during combat in Iraq, described in blunt terms his frustration with communications technologies that he cannot use. In response, a Congressman demonstrated how to use the BlackBerry's voice call feature, but Mr. Acosta pointed out that without being able to see the screen, he couldn't set up the feature. And, in a priceless exchange, Congressman Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts who chairs the Subcommittee, also pointed out that a blind person would need assistance from someone who could see to enter names and numbers in the contact list. Chairman Markey has been a long-time friend of the disability community, and as the force behind this new legislation, he clearly "gets it."
More information is on the blog on AFB's web site at www.afb.org/blog/. You can get more information about the draft legislation by going to the web site of the disability coalition that is supporting it--The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) at www.coataccess.org.
You can also keep up with developments by signing up for "DirectConnect," a periodic advocacy information email from AFB's Public Policy Center in Washington, DC. Send an e-mail to Barbara LeMoine at blemoine@afb.net to add your name to the list. |