Mobile Browsers Must be Accessible Under New FCC Rules

On April 26, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted new rules to ensure that certain browsers on cell phones and other devices must be accessible to people with disabilities, a landmark step forward in accessible technology and central to COAT's agenda.  This FCC Order specifies the rules for two sections of the Communications Act, as follows:  

TV Emergency Information to be More Accessible: Weather Channel Gets More Time to Comply

On April 8, 2013, the FCC adopted additional rules to make emergency information on television more accessible to people who are blind or have visual impairments.  These were issued as a result of the passage of the 21st CVAA legislation in 2010 and a longstanding demand by disability advocates. The new rules require an audio output of any emergency information that appears visually during a non-news program so the information can be heard by people who can't read text or other visual information.

More Features on Wireless Devices Means More Accessibility for People with Disabilities

On March 12, 2013, the U.S. Access Board held a meeting that included some panelists speaking on "Accessibility of Mobile Devices." Presentations were made by COAT founding organization AFB on accessibility of small visual displays on wireless devices; another presentation was by IBM that mentioned some trends in wireless device accessibility.

Legislation Proposed to make Movies More Accessible For People With Disabilities

On March 13, 2013 Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)  introduced two new bills to make movies more accessible for people who are deaf and hard of hearing and for people who are blind. Both the Harkin bills mandate captioning -- one in movie theaters and the other on airplanes. The first bill, S. 555, is entitled the “Captioning and Image Narration to Enhance Movie Accessibility Act” or the CINEMA Act.

Section 508 Complaint Filed Against Federal Agency For Inaccessible Workplace Technology

April 2, 2013  Recently, an employee of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection division (CBP) filed a lawsuit under Sections 508 and 501 of the Rehabilitation Act allegiing discrimination against him and other blind employees at the agency. The employee, an attorney who is blind, uses screen-access software that converts what is on a computer screen into synthesized speech to access the computer information required to perform his job.

20,000 TTY to 911 Calls Each Year: Emergency Access Advisory Committee Meets Again June 21, 2013

March 31, 2013. The FCC's Emergency Access Advisory Committee (EAAC) will meet again on Friday June 21, 2013 from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm EST. The EAAC is an advisory committee set up on December 7, 2010 as mandated by the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA).

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