WASHINGTON, DC – September 29, 2010 – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) commends the U.S. Congress for passage of the “Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.” On September 28, the bill cleared its final legislative hurdle by passing the House and is expected to go soon to President Obama for signature.
“This legislation is a victory for civil rights in our increasingly digital world,” explains Andrew Imparato, AAPD’s President and CEO. “The bill makes clear that it is not okay for people with sensory disabilities to be second class citizens in 21st century America.” AAPD is the country’s largest cross-disability membership association and organizes the disability community to be a powerful voice of change—politically, economically, and socially.
The legislation requires captioned television programs to be captioned also when delivered over the Internet and requires video description on television for people with vision loss. The bill also allocates $10 million per year for communications equipment used by people who are deaf-blind, ensures emergency information is accessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision, requires accessible user interfaces on mobile browsers that connect to the Internet, and requires hearing aid compatibility of ‘smart phones,’ among several other provisions.
Read the rest of the press release at this AAPD web page.
“This legislation is a victory for civil rights in our increasingly digital world,” explains Andrew Imparato, AAPD’s President and CEO. “The bill makes clear that it is not okay for people with sensory disabilities to be second class citizens in 21st century America.” AAPD is the country’s largest cross-disability membership association and organizes the disability community to be a powerful voice of change—politically, economically, and socially.
The legislation requires captioned television programs to be captioned also when delivered over the Internet and requires video description on television for people with vision loss. The bill also allocates $10 million per year for communications equipment used by people who are deaf-blind, ensures emergency information is accessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision, requires accessible user interfaces on mobile browsers that connect to the Internet, and requires hearing aid compatibility of ‘smart phones,’ among several other provisions.
Read the rest of the press release at this AAPD web page.
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