H.R.3101 and S. 3304 Updates
Get the latest news of the legislative process about H.R. 3101 and about S. 3304. We're nearly there!
Sign the Petition for 21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility
Sign here the COAT petition to show you support the 21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act. See the names of over 9,000 people from all 50 states who've signed it!
COAT Members Form Accessible CAPTCHA Interest Group For People Who Are Deaf-Blind
On August 16, 2010, a number of leaders from various COAT organizations formed a national advocacy interest group to focus on accessibility of CAPTCHA technology used to ensure a person and not a computer is using the website. Advocates assert that for too long, Google, Yahoo, Ebay, Linkedin, and many other websites have made their websites inaccessible to deaf-blind people especially when they use the CAPTCHA technology.
Free Press Interviews COAT Leader: New Legislation Closes Digital Divide for Blind, Deaf
On August 20, 2010, Eric Bridges of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) was interviewed by Free Press for a podcast entitled "Media Minutes: New Legislation Closes Digital Divide for Blind, Deaf," which is about the "21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act of 2010." The 5 minute podcast can be heard online. A transcript of the podcast is available attached below in PDF and in Word.
Washington Post: COAT Leaders Quoted in Article on Markey Legislation
August 16, 2010. Washington Post article By Cecilia Kang
COAT Advocates File Comments at FCC on Accessibility of Video Devices
On August 12, 2010, Comments were due at the FCC in a rulemaking about cable TV (FCC Dockets 00-67 and 97-80). COAT advocates Dana Mulvany, Ronald Vickery and Larry Goldberg filed comments focusing on the accessibility issues that the newer disaggregated television devices now raise, such as pass through and display of captioning, and accessibility for people who are blind or with vision loss. It is expected that the FCC will continue to raise these issues in further rulemakings and it is a great opportunity for advocates to make sure the appropriate technical issues are included.
Report Finds Five State Benefits' Websites Inaccessible to People with Disabilities
A June 22, 2010 report finds that state public benefits agencies are increasingly relying on their websites as a means of providing information to the public, and as a means of applying for Medicaid, food stamps, and cash assistance. The new report by the National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ) discusses research findings that agency websites have a host of problems that make them inaccessible to people with disabilities who use assistive technology, and difficult for everyone to navigate.
FCC Report Shows TV Accessibility Complaints Continue to Climb
On August 13, 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued its first quarter 2010 Consumer Complaints Report. Among the general complaints, the quarterly report shows some disability-related consumer complaints/inquiries regarding video description, closed captioning, and emergency access to video programming, as follows:
Closed Caption button on remote.