d

Contact: Jenifer Simpson (AAPD): 202-457-0046 x31

Press Release

May 1, 2008

Washington, D.C. – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is delighted that celebrity and hero witnesses will testify at a Hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet on draft legislation, “Enhancing Access to Broadband Technology and Services for Persons with Disabilities” on May 1, 2008.

These witnesses include: Jamaal Anderson, defensive end and 2007 first round draft pick of the NFL Atlanta Falcons whose father is a leading deaf educator and former board member of Gallaudet University; Russell Harvard, a deaf Hollywood actor appearing in the double-academy award winning movie “There Will Be Blood”; and Sergeant Major Jesse Acosta, a distinguished army veteran whose vision was seriously injured in Iraq. These witnesses’ statements offer support for the legislative and regulatory agenda of the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT), numbering nearly 200 national, regional and local members, a coalition advocating for new technologies to be made accessible to people with disabilities.

“There is a pressing need to address consumer concerns to ensure that as our nation migrates from legacy telephone and television products to more versatile and innovative digital and Internet-based communications and video programming, people with disabilities must benefit like everyone else,” said Jenifer Simpson, Senior Director for Telecommunications and Technology Policy at AAPD. She adds: “We don’t want anyone left behind in the analog dust.”

The witnesses will discuss the importance of generally requiring access to Internet-based communications services for people with disabilities and will specifically request legislative action to achieve the following:

• Extend the closed captioning mandates to certain Internet-based video programming;
• Require video devices with screens smaller than 13-inches to display captioning;
• Mandate video description on television so people who are blind can have access to program content and visual emergency information;
• Require accessible user interfaces/menus on video programming devices such as TVs, VCRs, and DVR players;
• Mandate hearing aid compatibility on “Smart” or Internet-enabled phones;
• Allow eligible consumers with disabilities who must use broadband for phone calls to apply their Universal Service Fund (USF) discounts to high speed Internet service; and
• Allocate USF funds for the distribution of specialized equipment needed to provide telecommunications access for individuals who are deaf-blind.

More information on the AAPD website, and the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology website. AAPD is a founding and steering committee member of COAT.