A Huge Step Forward for People with Disabilities: On the 20th
0 Comments | U.S. Newswire, Jul 26, 2010
Statement from Paul Schroeder, VP, Programs & Policy, American Foundation for the Blind
WASHINGTON, July 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Today, as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the landmark civil rights law that revolutionized life for those of us with disabilities, we have even more reason to celebrate. This evening, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass H.R. 3101, the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.
This measure updates our nation’s communications laws to ensure that new technologies are accessible to people with disabilities and gives individuals with vision or hearing loss improved access to television programming, smart phones, the Internet, menus on DVD players and cable TV, and more. Specifically, if signed into law, H.R. 3101 will:
Restore and expand requirements for video description of television programs, in addition to requiring cable companies to make their program guides and selection menus accessible to people with vision loss
Mandate mobile phone companies to make web browsers, text messaging, and e-mail on smart phones fully accessible
Ensure people with vision loss have access to emergency broadcast information
Provide $10 million in funding each year for assistive technology for deaf-blind individuals
We applaud the U.S. House for their leadership on this legislation, and we are particularly thankful to Rep. Ed Markey (D- Mass.), the original sponsor and champion of H.R. 3101, in addition to Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va), Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), and Rep
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