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MassMATCH  News & Information

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.


 
  
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