Synopsis: (October 31, 2007) The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) applauds the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet for captioning the webcast of its October 31^st hearing on the digital television transition. Captions make video programming on the Internet accessible to millions of people who are deaf or hard of hearing. COAT noted that the action taken by the Subcommittee to caption its webcast should be a model for all public hearings and events. COAT also applauds Rep. Markey for his continuing leadership on behalf of people with disabilities.

For Immediate Release

COAT Applauds U.S. House Subcommittee for Making Its Hearing on Digital Television Accessible

Washington, D.C. – The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT) applauds the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet for captioning the webcast of its October 31st hearing on the digital television transition.

“The actions of the House Subcommittee to caption a hearing that was made available to the public through Internet video streaming should be a model for all public hearings and events,” says Rosaline Crawford, Director of the Law and Advocacy Center of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), a leading coalition affiliate. “Captions make video programming, including video programming on the Internet, accessible to millions of people who are deaf or hard of hearing.”

“This is a significant step forward,” said Jenifer Simpson, Senior Director of Telecommunications Policy at the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), another leading COAT affiliate. “As more and more information, entertainment, and news migrate to the Internet, this Committee has demonstrated that accessibility in this media can be done and is important for an inclusive and participatory democracy.”

“We thank Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, for his continuing leadership on behalf of people with disabilities,” said Karen Peltz Strauss of Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), a founder of the coalition.

COAT is a coalition of organizations, launched in March 2007, to advocate for legislative and regulatory safeguards that will ensure full access by people with disabilities to evolving high speed broadband, wireless and other Internet protocol (IP) technologies. The Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology, or COAT, consists of over 130 national, regional, state, and community-based affiliates dedicated to making sure that as the nation migrates from legacy public switched-based telecommunications to more versatile and innovative IP-based and other communication technologies, people with disabilities will benefit like everyone else. More information about the coalition is available at www.COATaccess.org.

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