COAT advocates for accessibility and usability of technology for people with disabilities. Enacting the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (21st CVAA) was a huge step forward and we are working to implement this new law. COAT’s overall aim is to ensure accessibility, usability, and affordability of all broadband, wireless, and Internet technologies for people with disabilities.
Hooray! FCC Releases Television IP Captioning Rules
COAT is enormously pleased that on Friday January 13, 2012 the FCC released the long-awaited rules for Internet Protocol (IP) TV captioning. This rule is a major component of the 21st CVAA implementation. You can see the FCC Order and accompanying statements by the Commissioners online here. Deeply involved in the rulemaking process were many leading COAT
21st CVAA Implementation: VPAAC to Meet Feb 9: Advanced Communications Services FNPRM Comments due Mar 12th
January 13, 2012. Federal implementation of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 continues with a meeting and comments this first quarter of 2012. A recent FCC Public Notice announced the next meeting of the Video Programming Accessibility Advisory Committee (VPAAC), to be held on Thursday, February 9, 2012. Again, the VPAAC will meet from 9 am to 5 pm at the FCC, 445 12th St SW, Wash DC, and is open to the public and will be
Resolve To Be More Emergency Ready in 2012--Use Technology to Support Your Planning
January 12, 2012. COAT affiliate TDI's Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN) has sent out a reminder to everyone to resolve to be more ready for disasters in 2012. They note that 2011 had more billion-dollar natural disasters than any year on record, according to the National Climatic Data Center. For instance, storms like Hurricane Irene to the spring tornadoes which brought devastation from Wisconsin to Texas. They assert that during the first 11 months
People with Speech Disabilities Need Advocacy Support For FCC Rulemaking
January 4, 2012. As COAT members may recall, affiliate SCT is spearheading a movement to ask the FCC to approve a new version of the Speech-to-Speech (STS) form of relay service which will allow Communications Assistants (CAs) to see the consumer with a severe speech disability. This will make telephone access possible for people whose speech is so hard to understand that they need to be seen to be understood. Advocates are needed to tell the FCC to change its rules by going to the SCT website and clicking on the box (on left side) that says “New FCC filing information request
COAT Members Speak at Access Board Hearing to Freshen the Section 508 Refresh
On Wednesday January 11, 2012 the US Access Board held yet another hearing intended to collect further comments in the process to modernize existing Section 508 regulations and guidelines for information and communications technologies. Among the testifiers were Mark Richert of AFB
AFB Launches Accessibility Survey of Travel Services Websites
January 5, 2012. The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has launched a survey of accessibility of travel-related websites for people who are blind or with low vision. AFB asks users to recall recent holiday-related travel and to take the AFB survey on the relative accessibility and usability of any travel-related websites used to book plane or train tickets, hotel tickets and related travel services. The survey is intended for occasional Internet users, regular web surfers, and by family members, friends or colleagues of someone who is blind or has low vision. Click to take survey here.
Braille: A Technology Invention and Innovation Key to Accessibility
January 4, 2012. COAT honors Louis Braille today, on the anniversary of his birthday, January 4, 1809, for inventing the braille code. This and related technology systems, expanded literacy and independence for blind people everywhere. Two hundred years ago, a blind child or adult had no effective way to read and write independently. Braille's invention—a system of raised dots representing letters, numbers, and punctuation—revolutionized independent communication for blind people.
Closed Caption button on remote.